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Online

TV

Friends and

Family

Brick and

Mortar

Stores

Print Media

  The impact of electronic communications on traditional businesses 

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Chapter 1 Introduction to digital business and e‑commerce

Inbound marketing is powerful since advertising wastage is reduced. 

Search marketing

, 

content marketing

 and 

social media marketing

 can be used to target prospects with a 

defined need – they are proactive and  self-  selecting. But this is a weakness, since marketers 

may have less control than in traditional communications where the message is pushed out 

to a defined audience and can help generate awareness and demand. Advocates of inbound 

marketing such as Dharmesh Shah and Brian Halligan argue that content, social media and 

search marketing do have a role to play in generating demand.