Generally speaking, online marketing encompasses both Pre-Click Marketing and Post-Click Marketing.  However, online marketing is broader in its scope.

Pre-Click Marketing

Although often mixed with Online Marketing, Pre-Click Marketing, is deserving of its own classification and attention. The main objective of pre-click marketing , or preclick marketing without the hyphen, is to drive traffic to a landing page or website. This trafficking is usually closely monitored to determine the best bang-for-the-buck, maximizing ROI. The pre-click campaign can equally tailor its activities to both B2B or B2C alike.

There are several mediums available in a pre-click marketing campaign:

Social Media Optimization (SMO) Search Engine Marketing (PPC) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Affiliate Marketing Direct Response Marketing Direct Mail

A good pre-click marketing campaign will filter and screen the respondents in the process.  Once the pre-click marketing campaign has driven its traffic to the landing page or website, the pre-click campaign passes the 'closing' role to the post-click marketing campaign.

Post-Click Marketing

So, you got them to your website, now what? All the planning, marketing, and money spent to get visitors to your website will be in vain if you do not have a good post-click marketing program in place. Unfortunately, this is where most marketing programs fall apart.

Post-click marketing, sometimes called postclick marketing (without the hyphen), focuses on increasing the respondent conversion rate by channeling the customer towards 'conversion'. Conversion typically includes one or more of the following:

a subscription (newsletter...) a lead form

an invitation a purchase

Each post-click series is matched to the pre-click message and is designed to give a 'seamless' flow. Every Post-Click campaign is customized to meet the strategic marketing plan's objective(s).

Once the respondent has progressed through the planning, marketing, and pre-click phases, he will either be led down the conversion path or will disregard it and move onto another website. This is where GottaLotta Marketing can step in and help you increase your conversion ratio.

Interactive Marketing

Interactive Marketing refers to the ability to have a potential customer interact with the advertising medium. Interactive Marketing can be performed online or offline. For example, both direct mail and email surveys are considered Interactive Marketing because they both cause the potential customer to "interact". Organizations can use the information gained from the interaction to cater their products/services to their target audience as seen in a good post-click marketing campaign.

Interactive Marketing encompasses many Online Marketing mediums but should not be considered synonymous. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) falls under the Online Marketing (specifically pre-click marketing) classification, but should not be considered Interactive Marketing because optimization does not require customer interaction. However, Interactive Marketing can improve Online Marketing strategies so the two should be integrated in your overall internet marketing plan.

Interactive Marketing is not just about using Social Networks or some other interactive medium to promote your product/service, you must capitalize on this interaction. Learning how your customers interact with your company allows you to maximize your ROI. This is why your interactive strategy must not be isolated from your overall internet marketing strategy.