Personalization Takes Internet Marketing to a Whole New Level By Creating Easy Ways to Successfully Advertise Products

     Who really enjoys advertisements? The constant pop-up ads, commercials interrupting your online streaming, and even being showered with emails is nobody’s favorite thing about the Internet. But fortunately, with the use of technology and the rapidly growing Internet, marketing, the act of promoting and selling products, has taken on a whole new face. Now by changing old advertisement patterns on social media sites, online video sites, and mass emails, online marketing has changed from a frustrating and
                                                     vague process to a personalized and user-friendly 
                                                     interface.

Social media sites take input from individual users to produce personalized advertisements based on that information

     The way the advertisements are set up on the social networking site Facebook is new and very personalized. After you create an account, Facebook has the permission to look and see what you or your friends are writing about and that is the information they use to streamline the personalization process. A practical example would be the advertisements when I log onto my Facebook versus when my Father logs onto his. I personally love online shopping, so all my ads on the sides of Facebook are about shopping sites, boots, clothes, and other things related to online shopping. On the other hand, when my Father logs on, he sees advertisements about both auto services, like cars, and AARP, which helps out people over the age of 50. This is extremely helpful because since the advertisements are directed towards personal interests, sometimes you discover new sites or products that are truly helpful and something you might not have found on your own.

     This new marketing technique of using things people are talking about to personalizewhat to advertise on popular sites like Facebook really helped to push internet marketing in an efficient and modern direction. By having ads that are based on things you have been looing up, a person is more likely to buy something because you know they are already interested in the product.

Another way internet based social media has changed marketing is being able to opt out of ads or select which ad you would like to watch when it comes to streaming online. An example would be Hulu, the popular site that offers add-sponsored streaming of many TV shows and movies. While you are watching the media, there are a series of commercial breaks that consist of one to thee advertisements that can vary from 15 seconds each to 90-minute advertisements. Over the course of one 30-minute TV show, there are about three commercial breaks. What is unique about these commercials is that you have the ability to personalize them yourself. In the top right corner of the advertisements a small question pops up that says “Is this ad relevant to you?” and gives you the option of clicking Yes or No. And as you would assume, that is how your commercials get more personalized overtime. An easy example would be that if you click that Yes, you are interested in a commercial about cars, ads will come up that are specifically relevant to you. This personalization provides users with the ability to get the most out of your viewing experience and even enjoy commercials.

     Being bombarded by mass advertisement emails is never any fun. Now it is easier than ever to limit not only how many emails you get from a source, but also what types of emails. Typically at the bottom of emails sent out by companies like Target, American Eagle, Rite Aid, and all sorts of other companies, there is a personalization option. That leads you to their online site where typically you can change your email preferences. This is also the location where you can unsubscribe from all emails. You can select the frequency you would like to receive messages, typically very specific options like what days of the week and how many you would want to receive a day or month. Also, you can narrow down what the contents of your emails are. I get emails from Old Navy and at one point I began receiving emails that advertised clothing specifically for men and babies. I changed my preferences so now I get emails specifically about women’s clothing. Being able to limit what you want to receive on mass emails is another way internet marketing has changed for the better. A person can say they only want emails once a week and only about women’s tops. By having it that specific, mass emails are looked at much differently now.

This graph shows how internet marketing really began to take off and
get more popular than other types of marketing.

When I met up with Steven Davies (an expert in this field) at a marketing conference in DC, I asked him the most important question I could think about relating to this topic, "Will the Internet be all for marketing? Or will something else come along that reaches just as many people in just a personalized way?" His response is addressed in the video below.

Does this personalization really help? 

     Yes, it has shown an increase in online buyers because of the convenience and having it put right in front of their faces via Internet based social media. By being able to chose what kind of advertisements you would rather watch or what specifically you want in a mass email, buyers are more open to the idea of commercials online and marketing. 

As marketing continues to improve at a miraculous pace, maybe one day we won't ever have to worry about any advertisements annoying us!

Below I have attached a clip of a man discussing how mass emails have changed over the years.

listen to ‘A Buyers View on Mass Emails’ on Audioboo