|
|
| Back to the Index of
Articles |
2001 - A
Marketing Odyssey |
Reprinted from
Prosavvy.com
and
WebProNews.com |
|
| The Internet has finally evolved as an essential marketing tool. The
latest figures estimate that 50% of American households have a computer. Most
businesses use the Internet for some business related function. B2B marketing
(business to business), CRM (customer relation management) and SCM (supply
chain management) are the key areas of business related growth on the Internet.
|
|
Integrate E-Marketing into Your Overall
Marketing Strategy
Not an easy job. Everyone has a different idea of
how this works. First it is critical to understand the difference between
Internet Marketing and conventional marketing.
A printed brochure can
easily be targeted to a specific audience. Many companies have several
brochures, either for different products, different product lines, or the same
products for different audiences. You can tailor an ad for the audience of a
specific publication. If an ad is not well designed, people will still see it
as they flip through the magazine.
You rarely send out any printed
material to someone you have never spoken with. No matter what the brochure or
product sheet looks like, people will keep them if they are interested in what
you have to sell.
All this changes on the Internet.
Newspapers are designed to be read. They sure are not pretty to look at. The
narrow columns allow you to scan, rather than actually read. At the newsstand
papers sell based on the feature headline.
Magazines are produced to
sell advertising. No one reads magazines. People skim through them and look at
the photos and the ads. Some magazines run their articles on page after page
after page just to force you to look at all the ads. On the newsstand magazines
sell based on the photograph on the cover.
A Website, on the other
hand, needs to appeal to a vast majority of people. If you are in the B2B space
you need to be concerned as to what type of image your site projects to your
potential customer base. The site must be a reflection of your company, not a
"home grown" site or a "designer special". The Website is your image 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week. Even the technical people who use the Internet to do
"market research" do not like to spend time on a site that is not well
designed, or has too much text, or is difficult to navigate. The site should be
comfortably designed. That is, graphically pleasing to look at and technically
current.
The Website needs to go beyond anything you can present on
paper. Your Website can easily provide animation and user interaction, two
powerful marketing tools not available in print. A product demo can be
simulated. Navigation tools are becoming much more graphically sophisticated
and user friendly. CRM, order entry and order checking can all be done online.
This eliminates personal interaction, can ease the burden on your own customer
service people, and makes the process an entertaining experience for the end
user - your customer. If the total Website experience is not entertaining it
only take one mouse click to lose your visitor. |
| TOP OF PAGE |
How to Plan Your Site
As much as you
may want to provide copious amounts of information, people do not want to read
it. When you need to provide text, be kind and limit the width of the text. No
one wants to simulate watching a tennis match on a Website. There must be a
good mix of text and graphics with limited page scrolling. Studies have shown
people would rather click to a new page than scroll more than two screens.
Think through what you want the Website to
accomplish. Ask yourself these questions:
- What do I expect from this Website?
We all want our Websites to produce income by either selling products
or developing leads to sell services. The reality is that with all the
thousands of new sites coming on the Internet each week yours will get lost in
a myriad web, so to speak. It is critical to address important issues relative
to your business, specifically directed to your target client or customer.
- What do I want my clients or customers to
derive from the site?
Your site should be informative and helpful.
Accurately define your services or products and document how they will help
your potential clients and customers solve their problems or make their life
more pleasant. Use examples and testimonials. Posting articles and white papers
helps visitors understand what it is you are trying to accomplish. Just
expounding on the "features and benefits" of your own products or services is
like preaching to the choir. Perhaps the best lesson we have learned over the
past few years is that we no longer need a wonderful solution to a problem that
does not exist.
- What is the purpose of the Website?
If your purpose is to sell product (not a retail e-commerce site) then
you need to directly address the customer you are trying to reach. If your
product is technical, but the decision maker is in management, you need to
direct your Website to both entities or you will not make the sale. You must
address the needs of management (the pain) and how you can solve their
problems; and still have your site talk to the technical aspects of how your
product or service will integrate into the customer's corporate structure.
- How can I be informative to visitors, but
important to my own customers?
You must be aware that any information
you post is in the public domain, so be careful what you may or may not want
people to look at. If someone merely "stumbles" onto your site there should be
enough general information to quickly portray your company, your services, your
products, and your corporate philosophy. You never know when this may lead to a
referral. If you need to present in-depth information you can create a password
protected section that allows you to capture the identity of the visitor.
- How can I keep people on the site and keep
them coming back?
Change the content. If you constantly add new content
there is a reason for visitors to return. New articles, new products, a 'What's
New" section, a calendar of events, a list of things to come. These should
always be planned in the design stage before the site development process
starts.
- How can I sell on the Internet?
Marketing 101 dictates that if you never ask for the order you will never get
it. On a Website you have many more opportunities to do this than you ever had
in print. You can use e-mail links, fill-in forms, a contact page, an FAQ page,
"click here" links, even your own bulletin board or discussion page. If your
company produces a newsletter or white papers, use a subscription form. Be
creative, capture the identity you need for your own marketing purposes and ask
for the order! Always sell!
- When do I stop?
Never. Any good Web
site is always "Under Construction." As you build the site, for navigation
purposes you may want to include links to pages that you have not yet
developed. Instead of using "Under Construction" put some text on an incomplete
page that will tantalize people to check back.
Be kind and friendly to your Website visitors and your Website will
repay the kindness. |
|
Back to the
Index of Articles |
|
