Internet marketing is, in many ways, similar to all other forms of marketing in the past fifty years. Certainly the dynamics of the Internet make it unique, but it does provide a sense of commonality when viewed from a practical standpoint.
For instance, twenty years ago brick and mortar businesses were concerned about what their competitors were doing and how to stay in the same league. This mentality is found online. When an online business works at pinpointing their competitors and discovers ways to do certain things better that business stand a better chance of succeeding. This process is part of the marketing strategies needed for successful online business.
Some of the potential downfalls in Internet marketing is to assume that 1) you know what the customer wants intuitively, 2) you know the best methods of reaching these customers and 3) you dont really need to do significant marketing to ensure the success of your online firm.
The end goal of online marketing hasnt changed, but some of the methods have. You still want customers to visit your website, but the truth is you may not always know what the customer wants, you may have to work to learn...