Many businesses want to get into online marketing, and, certainly, some companies are scoring big sales on the World Wide Web. But many more are failing. What are the businesses that are succeeding doing right?
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They have a clear objective.
Don't create a website just because it's the thing to do. Decide why you're building your site, and design it with this in mind. But don't limit yourself. websites can serve a number of goals. You can advertise, sell, build prospect lists, or pursue other creative marketing ideas. -
They start by experimenting.
This is a new medium; learn through experience. It's far more important to get a site going than to spend months planning it. -
They look for cost savings.
A toll-free number for order-taking or customer service can be very costly. If customers communicate with you through the Web, these costs are eliminated entirely, and the savings go directly to the bottom line. Before committing to this strategy, however, make certain your operation is ready to service customers in this new way. -
They budget money up front to build on what they learn.
Interactive marketing is still so young, no one knows what will and will not work. As a result, you will want to change your site based on what you learn from operating it. -
They have a promotion plan and work it.
More than 5,000 new commercial websites pop up every month. You are competing for an audience, so you need to develop a promotional plan. -
They promote your website everywhere.
Include Web addresses on all packaging and in all print and broadcast advertising. Consider buying Web-based advertising that leads prospects directly to your site. Use ads where one click on the ad sends the user to your website. -
They register with Internet search engines.
The Internet has many indexes that send people to sites related to particular topics. Register your site with as many engines as you can find. -
They offer a referral service.
Ask visitors to your site to provide information about their needs so you can program your website to recommend appropriate products. By sorting through options and finding the right choice for each visitor, you provide value to these potential customers. -
They ask if visitors want to be notified about new products and services or special sales.
It's easy - and cheap - to gather the names and addresses of visitors who want to be notified by e-mail of specific new products or services. -
They listen to your best salesperson pitch their product or service.
The essence of what they say is the basis for a great website. The site should include lots of information about the benefits of your products or services. -
They monitor competitors' websites.
You may get ideas that will work for you as well.
Exposing Your Pages to the World
The simplest Web pages require little more than the ability to type and the desire for
self-expression, and it shows: today there are more than 10,000,000 Web pages covering
everything from world news to vegetarian shopping lists to multiple chapters of the Sharon
Stone Fan Club. Freedom of expression is alive and well on the Web, and getting a message out
to the world - whether it's a corporate message or a personal one - is fast, inexpensive, and
easy.
But despite the widespread perception that anything goes, Web page creators, particularly those with interactive pages that encourage reader participation, have legal obligations similar to those of their standard media counterparts. By creating a Web page, the creator becomes a publisher, and may be legally responsible for whatever appears on that page. Just like newspapers, magazines, and radio shows, Web pages can and have been sued. The claims have ranged from copyright infringement and false advertising to invasion of privacy and defamation.
