The Problem As the options and opportunities for online advertising grow, so does the complexity. Businesses have the ability to market online in a vast number of ways. This can include everything from search engine marketing, e-mail marketing, to social media marketing. Keeping track of all of these activities may be difficult, especially for small businesses. Managing data, calculating efficiency, placing orders, and generating reports on results can be a heavy burden.

The Solution To help resolve these issues, there are many software applications and services that are available to help businesses manage this workload. Many of these applications are specific to the type of marketing being undertaken. • Search engine marketing example: Kenshoo (kenshoo.com) Kenshoo allows you to manage, automate, and optimize multiple search engine marketing campaigns. The system provides a suite of tools that allow you to plan, execute, and evaluate keyword purchases across a number of search engines including Google Bing Yahoo and AOL. The system has advanced workflows that allow for the automation of this process with intelligent agents that suggest the most beneficial mix of keywords and search engine providers. • Social media example: Hootsuite (hootsuite.com) HootSuite is an integrated package that allows you to manage all of your social media marketing activities from one central location. The system allows you to have oversight of all current running campaigns, the ability to schedule campaigns, interact with customers, and collaborate with your team. The system helps you manage any amounts being spent and allows you to collect and analyze data on your social media endeavors. • E-mail marketing example: MailChimp (metail.com) MailChimp is a comprehensive e-mail marketing system that allows users to create marketing e-mails using well-designed templates and special interactive features, send those messages to defined user groups, and track the results of those messages. Campaigns of multiple messages can be created, and different rules can be set for users based on their levels of interaction. The system also allows you to generate detail reports on the results of your campaigns.

Questions

1. Why would businesses want to use supportive software systems for their online marketing activities?

2. For each of the selected systems, what is the main advantage?

3. For each of the name systems, go online and find an alternative.