The internet has brought media to a global audience. The interactive nature of internet marketing in terms of providing instant response and eliciting responses, is a unique quality of the medium. Internet marketing is sometimes considered to have a broader scope because it not only refers to the internet, e-mail, and wireless media, but it includes management of digital customer data and electronic customer relationship management systems.

Internet marketing ties together creative and technical aspects of the internet, including: design, development, advertising, and sales.

Internet marketing also refers to the placement of media along many different stages of the customer engagement cycle through search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), banner ads on specific websites, e-mail marketing, and Web 2.0 strategies.