Internet Marketing; an Extremely Influential Tool on the Cutting Edge of Technology.

In our world of technology, we are buffeted by information. The average person (internet user) sees 5000 ads per day, according to Yankelovich, Inc. And this number is increasing. Because the average adult spends 11 hours per day, corporations have turned to the internet to market their products. Internet marketing is a new and emerging technology that is especially important in our world of screens. Those who take advantage of this opportunity stand poised to lead the edge of the current technology innovation. Digital advertising is a powerful tool.

This is an example of all the ads we see and how entrepreneurs can market their product on the internet.
PxHere.com

Internet Marketing Overview

Benefits

Internet Marketing is a method that businesses use to advertise their products. It’s different from other advertising because it’s online, which gives it certain advantages. First, internet marketing can target customers in a way that no other advertising can. Using search history and previously visited websites, companies give out user information. From this, corporations trying to sell a new product can find customers who are interested in their subject. For example, if someone looks up how to solve a Rubik’s Cube, they could be targeted with new Rubik’s Cube ads. This has happened to me. Another advantage of Internet Marketing is that it allows you to reach a wider area than you otherwise would’ve been able to. If an ad was on a newspaper, it would only reach the areas that the newspaper is able to print to. On the other hand, on the internet, you can reach people in Alaska or even Australia with the simple click of a mouse. Also, internet marketing allows companies to track their advertisements and the results of their marketing. Third party entrepreneurs like LumenAd and Google Analytics are poised at the edge of leading technology. Their websites enable customers to track the effect of their ads, manage their data, and target interested consumers. They will show graphs, charts and tables to show the effect of customers’ commercial campaign, all for a price, of course. While internet marketing might seem confusing and difficult for some, it is a much improved way of advertising.

History

In 1983, the ARPANET was invented, a predecessor to the modern web and at the time, it was mostly used for scientific research and military purposes. It gave our military an advantage because we could send commands and important messages almost instantaneously! In 1990, Tim Berners-Lee created the ‘World Wide Web’, later known as ‘Nexus’. However, the internet didn’t gain much popularity until around 1993, when the University of Illinois created a web browser called ‘Mosaic’. It became popular because of its’ user friendliness, which means that Mosaic was easy to use and install (in comparison to Nexus). Slowly, businesses began to use the internet to share their products. In 1995 Amazon entered the field, becoming the biggest online seller in the world! Finally, in 2003, Google started its’ AdWords program, which enabled businesses to make personalized online ads. Since then, the internet has become widely accepted as a tool for marketing, likely the most influential.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNUl_9ZYA6w

Here is a great documentary on the internet.

As a Career

A rapidly growing industry, internet marketing will soon become a popular career. Internet marketers work with companies such as LumenAd, mentioned above. The marketer works in a team inside these companies to improve the platform, and make sure the website and technology works smoothly. They also provide 1 to 1 customer support to make sure the customer’s campaign is running smoothly. Since much of internet marketing is on the computer, an advantage of it is that you can work from home and connect to your team online. Also, internet marketers are in high demand because every company would benefit from one, so the pay is high. Internet marketing is the job to have.

Image result for bloggers make money image — This shows the amount of money that can be made off the internet
(Image found on Flickr Creative Commons brought from Google Images)

The Take From the Bureau of Labor Statistics

According to bls.gov, the bureau of labor statistics for America, in order to become some sort of advertising manager, a bachelor’s degree is needed. Classes in communication methods and technology, market research, consumer behavior, and programming are a good idea. The median pay per year is $129,380 a very high salary when compared to the average occupational pay, which is at $37,690. The job outlook is “projected to grow 10 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations.” This means that a lot more of these jobs will be created in the future. While this career might require a good deal of education, it is totally worth it because of the high pay and job outlook.

Related Jobs (Links to bls.gov Job Description)

Social Media Specialist – $59,300 annually (median of public relations specialists)
Market Research Analysts – $63,230 annually

How can I Protect Myself from Internet Marketing?

Google Advertisements

With the advent of technology, commercials and advertisement campaigns are becoming more and more effective with personalized advertisements. Recently, Google began ‘behavioral targeting’. According to computerworld.com, “it (Google) tracks your interests, stores that information in a cookie, then sends you ads based on your online behavior.” Google tracks your interests through Youtube, AdSense, and advertiser websites. Google’s reason for this was “making ads more interesting”. In reality, advertisements will be much more effective in persuading watchers to buy their products. While Google has been criticized for its’ advertising policies, it does a good job allowing users to block these ads. It is also clear in what it does to users. If you go to Ad Settings on Google, they allow you to change your settings. Scrolling to the bottom of the web page brings you to many more helpful links. While you can’t generally block ads on Google, they need ads to keep Google free, and you can change the content of your advertisements.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWSZKohpL2A

On the flip side of advertising, this shows why businesses use Google Adwords.

Don’t trust most “Ad Blockers”!

While a few ad blockers might be safe, many are fraudulent. Hackers and scammers create fake websites and extensions. Often, if you have a common typo when trying to access a popular website, these pages will pop up. They could ask you to download a security program or open a link . In reality, hackers steal your personal information. While many Ad Blocker web-pages will pop up, don’t trust most of them.

A few safe Adblockers

Adblock Plus – One of the most popular blockers, it uses filters in a “non intrusive way” on web browsers including Chrome and Safari
Adblock – This is similar to Adblock Plus, allowing users to edit filter lists
AdBlocker Ultimate – With no corporate sponsorships, this blocks known adware and malware as well as tracking domains.

*Please note, don’t take my word for these websites. Research them yourself.

Conclusion & how Internet Marketing Relates to Engineering

While internet marketing might require a lot of education, it is worth it. And for those who aren’t interested, market research analyst and social media specialist positions are also available. Internet marketing is still a relatively new technology, and those who take advantage of it are poised to make millions. Finally, internet marketing can be very intrusive, and a few reliable ad blockers as well as personalized search engine settings can help change this. Marketing relates to engineering because engineers have to figure out how to build programs that reach to the customers who most want their products, and it also shows the nature of science to change over time. Internet marketing didn’t even exist 50 years ago.