What does 'interactive marketing' actually mean?

'Interactive' refers to the evolving trend in marketing whereby marketing has moved from a transaction-based effort to a conversation. The definition of interactive marketing comes from John Deighton at Harvard, who says interactive marketing is the ability to address the customer, remember what the customer says and address the customer again in a way that illustrates that we remember what the customer has told us (Deighton 1996). Interactive marketing is not synonymous with online marketing, although the most successful interactive marketing processes are enabled by internet technology. Intelligent databases give us the ability to log customer interests allowing us to communicate intuitively after the first interaction. Amazon.com is an excellent example of the use of interactive marketing. Amazon's customers preferences are recorded. Upon return they are shown book selections that match not only their preferences but recent purchases.

There are many kinds of ways to interact with visitors to your website, people in your email/newsletter lists and databases. Depending on the nature of your business, Net Impact Media can recommend innovative ways of interacting with your customer base. There are many options and stages in a customer relationship where interactive marketing builds interest, trust and best of all - loyalty. The information you gain with interactive marketing gives your business an insight into your market that can't be measured in dollars. Furthermore it fine tunes your service to suit the wishes of the customers - who are always right!

Successful e-Commerce websites are pushing the limits of interactive marketing. The bottom line - it's the most effective way to spend  marketing dollars. Building a marketing database allows businesses to deploy intelligent marketing initiatives, saving time, money and resources. Interactive marketing is unique - when it's done right - new business and customer loyalty is yours.

Interactive Marketing 101... Think: Barter System

Visitors to your website need a reason to 'interact' with your business. There are many ways of making this happen. Imagine  you've set up a marketing database. Now you need to populate it. What would be useful to know about your customers?
What do they like most on your website?
Where do they live?
How old are they?
Do they rent or own a home?
Do they have kids?
"Gimme Gimme never gets"... People will NOT offer this information freely. How do we encourage the conversation? There must be an incentive to sign-up. Net Impact Media specializes in designing interactive marketing solutions that make those valued sign ups happen!

A powerful answer to 'Interactive Marketing' for Retailers

Net Impact Media is proud to present PRIZEPAL. Research and application development began in 1998. PRIZEPAL connects consumers with leading retailers in their local communities. Our technology empowers consumers by giving them control over how their contact information is used and by whom.

Success in the retail world today is all about getting the right product to the right customer at the right time, usually Right Now! PRIZEPAL helps our advertising clients excel in an on-demand world, quickly and affordably. Our solutions are proprietary interactive technology delivered by a professional team of creative and technical experts. Click here to learn more...