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Today, online advertisements and campaigns are gaining an increased acceptance. More and more businesses are now embracing online marketing as a potential way to tap the market, as high cost of off-line branding and marketing is going up without proper measurability.

While most businesses are testing and experimenting with online marketing, success hasnt been achieved by all. Thats a word of caution for businesses.

Recently, iProperty.com India, formerly known as RealAcres.comIndias leading online real estate portalhas announced that its revenue grew up significantly with pay for performance (PFP) mode

Pay-per-lead or per-lead models are very complex in nature Uma Sivakumar, national marketing head, Tribal DDB India

This funded company of Horizon InfoVentures, member of Australian stock exchange listed IPGA Limited, witnessed a rise of 70% growth in its second quarter, and also expects further rise in third quarter.

Using PFP model that includes pay per lead (PPL), and pay per potential (PPP), the portal maximized its reach to reality developers and property buyers.

According to Murali Ram Krishnan, director and chief operating officer, iProperty India, Internet is the only measurable media today. As the slowdown brought down the high cost promotions, and advertisements in print and outdoor media, the online marketing came at slight lesser cost, but with measurability, Krishnan says.

In PPL, the developer pays only for direct buyer enquiries; while in PPP, the developer pays for matchable leads of buyers, via buyers database, he adds. Also, reckons that today, builders and realtors are very cautious about spendings.

So how did the portal push its business at the time of sluggish business period? According to Krishnan, the companys in-house IT team has developed special online tracking tools, which are based on web analytics. We optimize our campaigns, and always try to generate NRI leads, as it offers more chances of closing deals in a short time, he notes.

However, online marketing and brand promotions arent a new phenomenon, as they exist for over a decade now. Going back to the word of caution, the factors of failures for businesses taking the online route are many, and at times advertisers face the heat.

Online marketing comes at slightly lower costs than print and outdoor media, but with measurability Murali Ram Krishnan, director and chief operating officer, iProperty India

According to Uma Sivakumar, national marketing head, Tribal DDB India, PPL or the cost per lead (CPL) models are attractive to businesses; but are very complex in nature. Tribal DDB India is an interactive ad agency, partnered by Mudra Communications.

It involves clear strategy; and planning in terms of brand promotion, potential market, target audience, campaigns duration, lead generation process via simple online forms and registrations; apart from selecting right kind of sites for running ad campaigns, says Sivakumar.

Giving the example of car for business class, she points out that you cant promote cars for executives on Internet chat rooms, where majority audience is youth, and whose personal interest and motives are different.

In doing so, theres a high risk that the generated leads will fail to give business or the desired results. Also, companies or clients dont share feedbacks of generated leads. If they do, then it helps advertisers in making campaigns more effective. And, only, then can a cycle of online marketing towards generating business can get completed, she concludes.

Pankaj Maru/CMN
maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in

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