The sheer volume of people in online forums makes it an attractive target for advertisers. It is a very huge advertising billboard if used wisely. As the race for people’s attention and their dollar becomes tougher as ever, product manufacturers have to resort to alternative and creative ways to approach and reach their target buyers. One of this new medium of advertising and marketing is the Internet. One of the most packed sites in the Internet in terms of people and traffic are online forums.

Successful online forums are populated by a lot of people. Aside from the population, it is also segmented, by the forum itself but also by the threads that people create and build. Since online forums serve as an interchange of information, it is a vital tool to promote products. People who like products say it in online forums. Moderator-experts, in response to queries of forum participants can recommend products. There is no bigger advertisement that one happy consumer suggesting the product to a new consumer.

That is why many companies spend significantly online forums, even the smaller community forums with just a few hundred members. Automotive parts brands and sellers figure prominently in car forums. Sportswear companies are very visible in sports forums. Aside from the visible pop up or banner advertising, companies also spend on people to go into forums and promote products, most often in the guise of a satisfied customer. Some companies go to the extreme and build online forums on their own to promote their agenda, their interest and their products.

These efforts in online forums are expanded further by efforts in advertising in popular blogs and websites and by buying slots from Google Ads. Google, integrating their search engine technology with advertising in order for advertisers to hit their specific market. With the technology, people who type “shoes” in the Google search bar will have unobtrusive ads on shoes and shoe shops on their search page. Since advertisers pay a minimal amount and only for every click their link gets, it is very cost-effective indeed.

Although some of these online forum members and their posts are considered spam and many companies resort to sending trash emails and posts and build useless websites, it allows consumers to choose and see different products and different companies. It gives more power to buyers. Most of the spams are also being made by unknown companies from far flung countries and cities. More established brands remain on more traditional and appealing advertising, also a means of protecting their names.

Still, advertising spending in the Internet is very minimal. The millions of advertisers on the Internet make it still a young industry and this fact make people rather tired of online advertising. It is by advertising wisely, by choosing the right vehicle in terms of sites and online forums and by simply building a good brand, can advertisers effectively gain more customers.

Internet has given so many benefits to its users, primarily, to businessmen in the marketing aspect of its business. It lessens the cost of advertising and other marketing expenses, as well as lessens the hassle of promoting products and/or services. Internet also gives greater capabilities of a global marketing. , meaning, it is not only limited to a certain country or a certain place, but it is worldwide. Businessmen can gain a lot of customers through the help of internet marketing. With just one click or a few clicks of the mouse, businessmen can find potential clients right away. If you compare it to other forms of media such as radio, television, magazines or newspapers, internet marketing has a wider reach – it is not just nationwide, but worldwide. Responses and communication are very fast and at a lesser cost. Internet marketing is now overtaking other forms of media in terms of market share.

However, there are also some disadvantages of internet marketing. First and foremost, is that consumers or clients could not physically see nor touch the product. What they can do is just to view the product in the computer. So, in order to avoid the feeling of dissatisfaction by customers as well as businessmen themselves, it is important for businessmen to identify their products and services and know if online marketing would match what they are promoting and selling. One might be able to sell a product or service through the internet which needs a face-to-face contact with prospective clients, so, the chance of closing a business deal might get lost. Another disadvantage of internet marketing is that, a product or service might not be properly advertised especially if you are not an expert on the use of computer. A businessman, therefore, has to be careful in advertising the product or service. It must look presentable and professional in its internet advertising so that possible customers will be attracted to the product and in the end will buy what he or she is selling. A well- designed and well-invented marketing strategy can help you make the right impression for customers on your products and/or services. A businessman, therefore, has to properly choose the right kind of advertisement or marketing strategy for his or her product to be saleable to the target market, most especially if he or she is doing it through the internet.

With the given advantages and disadvantages of internet marketing, businessmen must take a closer look on the products and services they are promoting and selling so that they will not lose possible customers due to a wrong marketing strategy or promotion. A proper orientation on the use of internet marketing should be well taken to avoid waste of time and possible losses on business dealings. And knowledge on the target market should be greatly considered. Businessmen have to take into consideration the age group, likes and dislikes and other factors related to consumer knowledge. In this way, internet marketing will be more of an advantage rather than a disadvantage and everything will run smoothly and fairly for everyone.