INTERNET MARKETING STRATEGY FOR IT PRODUCTS ON A B2C MARKET

Abstract

The article discusses the issues of developing an effective strategic approach to promoting IT products via the Internet on a B2C market to attain marketing goals. The study provides insights into the peculiarities and essential differences in marketing activities on a B2B and B2C markets along with revealing the specifics of using Internet marketing tools in a consumer market subject to specific features of an information technology product and a particular phase of a consumer’s purchase decision. The findings demonstrate that IT products are characterized by high degree of innovation and technological complexity which differentiates them from products in other areas of business. It is argued that the promotion of IT products on the Internet imposes a strategic approach to the selection of advertising channels and formats to ensure effective communication and achieving marketing goals. It is important that this process shall rely on the results of marketing research including the research on target audiences, competitors activities, and the effectiveness of particular tools for selecting advertising channels and formats that will ultimately contribute to reaching marketing goals. In this context, using Internet marketing tools for IT products is critical to build an effective communication system in the framework of a customer conversion funnel. It is noted that the use of Internet marketing instruments by software companies also has certain specifics driven by the conversion funnel and differentiation characteristics which make it differ from other areas of the IT market. The study findings highlight a significant role of a video format in building brand knowledge as well as in achieving conversion goals. The research results have important implications to IT companies, in particular to mobile applications developers, which can be utilized in designing product promotion strategies or while launching a new product into the market.