The Most Effective Online Marketing Channels in the Daily Deal Industry. How Small Businesses Can Acquire New Customers in the UK and the US

Master's Thesis from the year 2015 in the subject Business economics - Marketing, Corporate Communication, CRM, Market Research, Social Media, grade: A, University of Hertfordshire (Business School), course: The most effective online marketing channels for deal sites, language: English, abstract: It was identified that a framework, which small businesses in the daily deal industry could utilise as an online marketing guide and containing an overview of the most effective online marketing channels, was missing in the literature. The aim of this report was therefore to identify the most effective online marketing channels that small businesses in the online daily deal industry in the UK and USA can utilise to acquire new customers. The findings are based on data collected and analysed from a small daily deal firm, as well as numerical data from various sources and literature that focuses on effective online marketing channels in regards to the daily deal industry. Based on these findings a framework containing the most effective online marketing channels was developed. It was concluded that a fully optimised website might be the most effective online marketing channel, followed by inhouse e-mail, Search Engine Optimisation, Facebook, affiliate marketing, referral marketing and guerrilla/viral marketing. Other types of marketing activities can be initiated after these channels have been engaged, according to the framework. It is intended that small firms in the daily deal industry can use the framework as a guideline to plan their own online marketing activities. Although care must be taken, as each firm is different.