Marketing Techniques

The selection of communication media to carry the marketing message is a second marketing technique also referred to as advertising. For the B2C site, advertising is all about communication. The media selection is very critical because this is the only contact a potential customer will have. For Shop NBC, the media selection posted when a customer first logs on has to be very convincing for customers because they will never see the product physically until it has been ordered and received. Mass media may offer the lowest lever of trust, however companies continue to use because the cost of media is very low compared to the audience. "The communication might be between a company and its current customer's potential customers, or even former customers that the company would like to regain" (UOP).

For the B2B site, reaching and engaging an audience that is mostly leaders and professionals is a challenging goal. These individuals are the most time pressed individuals and are usually not available during the work day when they make the majority of their purchasing decisions. Advertisers have relied upon mass media in the past to reach their target audience, but while this may be a good approach for packaged goods, it is not the best method to read business professionals. "For example, seeing an IT solution ad during Monday Night Football is a good reminder about an offering, but it's not as effective as actually seeing the ad during the day when IT purchasing decisions are being made" (www.b2bmarketingtrends.com).

For a B2B site the only way to grab their attention is by appealing to their needs. There are many options available for business professionals and one is their shipping needs. "One advertiser, FedEx, uses Captivate to keep its brand and service top of mind when its target audience is literally walking out of the elevator to their desks to go to work. While they are at their desk they can then use