Marketing for Small Businesses

New Media

Overview | Marketing Tools | Marketing with Traditional Media | Marketing Using New Media

A Bit of History...

The World Wide Web evolved from the Internet (originally ARPANet, a computer network established by the US government during the Cold War). If an enemy attack occurred and one or more computers went "down," our national security information could still flow across the ARPANet backbone.) When the Cold War threat was over, research institutions and educational facilities moved to the Internet to share information and further research. A bit later, the Internet opened to commerce.
In late 1993, the World Wide Web debuted.
The Internet and World Wide Web are based on the exchange of information and a spirit of sharing -- that essence should be a part of your marketing on the Web.

The Difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web...

It's this: HTML and multimedia.
The World Wide Web contains hypertext markup language (HTML) that allows one to "point and click." HTML eliminates the complex commands that were previously required to use the Internet. Multimedia is graphics, interactivity, music, animation -- all those things that appeal to our senses. That gives the Web a multi-sensory appeal.
These two major differences are what opened the World Wide Web to the general public: we could use the Web without having an advanced degree in computer technology and it was fun!

OK, back to business...

What marketing goals do you want to achieve?

Ah, the crux of the matter!

You may want to establish brand recognition -----> leads to more customers -----> leads to increased profits.

You may want to increase awareness -----> leads to more customers -----> leads to increased profits.

You may want to showcase your company -----> leads to more customers -----> leads to increased profits.

You may want to keep your present customers satisfied -----> leads to increased profits.

You may want to increase your marketing dollar return on investment -----> which brings us to the next question...

How can the Internet and World Wide Web help?

By allowing you to showcase your company to the world. By giving you the platform to speak about your company via interactive brochure, filled with helpful, customer-oriented extras. Within reach, 24 hours a day.

Show your product being manufactured. Give a tour of your factory. Explain your quality control criteria. Use material you already have (a printed brochure or sell sheet) for content. A Web Marketing expert (yes, I am one -- just e-mail me) can build an impressive site from your existing material.

Compare your product/ service to the competition. Show how yours is better. Market research is the basis for this -- know what your customers want in advance, and show how you meet those needs. Here's an example, using my marketing service:

Add an interactive shipping cost worksheet (a worksheet that calculates the cost to ship product from your location to your customer's location). Or add an information link, like this "Hot Link" below (yes, it's a real link to check stock prices -- just remember to hit the return key back). Or add any form of interactive content that is unique to your business.

CHECK STOCK PRICES

Keep your site up to date!
Provide the LATEST news about your product or service ... create a site that draws customers ... introduce a new product or service or upgrade ... issue company news and press releases ... provide upcoming trade show information ... strengthen the ties you have to present and potential customers.

Present the most eye-appealing, interesting aspects of your company's product or service. Use a Web Marketing expert to help expand the possibilities for your web site. Use the Internet and World Wide Web to get your message to the people who count -- your present and future customers.

Who will visit your site?

The more appropriate question is: "How will anyone find your site?"
No one has a true count of total Web sites worldwide. And in a way, the number is irrelevant. How many books exist in the world? That doesn't stop you from looking for a book. And it doesn't stop anyone from writing more books. When you need to find a book, you begin a search process that narrows down categories until you find the book you want . It's the same with the Web.

The most critical aspect of Web Marketing is Web Posting!

You may have the world' greatest site -- worthy of every award and honor -- but if no one can find it, it's useless.

Web Posting is both a technical skill and an art. There are many creative ways to post your site to increase exposure. Your best decision is to use a Web Marketer to post your site to get the job done completely and efficiently. A good Web Marketer will also post you in all NEW sites or search engines as they become available.

Posting sites on the Internet involves extensive knowledge of the Internet itself, not just the Web, PLUS indepth knowledge of your product or service. (We've all seen these messages: "We'll post you everywhere for $29.95 !" To put this in context, think of those "all you can eat buffets, just $9.95"! The heartburn is the same.)

What are the benefits to using the Web?

The Web is the most revolutionary marketing vehicle in existence.
The Web is in its infancy. It continues to evolve. Savvy business people are growing with it... reaping rewards along the way -- increased business, greater exposure, better customer relations ... and are positioned in the marketplace on the cutting edge of today's technology.

The Web is the most cost-effective marketing vehicle in existence.
With traditional media, cost-effectiveness is calculated based on cost per exposure. If a magazine has a circulation of 10,000 with a pass-along readership of 3, the total exposures are 30,000 per issue. If it costs an advertiser $5,000 to run an ad, the cost to reach each exposure is 16.6 cents. There are 37 million people on the Web today. By the year 2000, that number will grow to 200 million. You do the math.

The Web is the most innovative marketing vehicle in existence.Use your existing materials (photographs, copy, logo) in new ways. The cost is low. Make changes easily and inexpensively. Compare the cost of printing and reprinting 4-color (even black and white) brochures. Factor in the delivery and redelivery costs. See the cost-effectiveness of the Web?

The Web keeps your company vital.
A company without vitality has a short life span. Vitality grows through communication -- with your customers, suppliers, and the marketplace. The Web provides that vitality. How? The Web is based on the exchange of information. Customers share your company news, see your newest products, learn new uses for existing products. And with an e-mail connection in your Web site, customers share their thoughts and feedback easily and spontaneously. You have the information at hand to improve your processes to deliver a better product or service. Happier customers mean more business, more referrals, and increased profits for you.

The Web maximizes your marketing dollar.
The Web won't completely eliminate your need to print 4-color (or any) brochures, but it can greatly reduce the original AMOUNT of material you need to produce and print. Additionally, it is much quicker and much cheaper to revise material in a Web site than it is to reprint material. Direct customers to your Web site whenever possible to save valuable marketing dollars. (And to showcase your company, of course!)

What is involved in building a Web site?

BUILDING A WEB PRESENCE IS A 3-STEP PROCESS:
Web site construction
Use the material you have to create a Web site. Make the site informative (the nature of the Web is sharing information). Provide solutions to your customers' needs. The perception of your company will be one that is responsive to its customers and innovative in the marketplace.

Add special features, to keep customers coming back.

Web site posting
Posting is critical. Your site must appear everywhere your present customers will look AND everywhere your potential customers will look. (Sometimes, the obvious isn't so obvious -- a New Jersey company must list under New Jersey and NJ.) New search directories and new posting opportunities always arise, too. Posting is best left to a Web Marketing expert who "lives" on the Web and knows the terrain.

Get the widest exposure by posting your site effectively.

Maintenance
Keep your site vital by maintaining the content. Your site should be the "hot line" to your business. Customers want a reason to return. Don't treat your Web site like a billboard, where everything is the same, all the time. Customers who stay in touch with you will remain your customers. And they won't come back to a billboard.

Keep your Web site vital and current.

What else?

Easy. Spend your money wisely. Stay focused. Don't be drawn to constructing a web site if you only want bragging rights. ("Of course we have a web site...doesn't everyone?") Use your marketing dollars wisely.

Sometimes web technicians show you all the bells and whistles ("your site will dance, and sing, and blink, and spin..."). All this activity dilutes the message. Web sites clogged with dancing, singing, blinking and spinning take forever to download, too. By that time, potential viewers have moved on. So plan with your head, not your ego.

The Internet, in the hands of savvy business folk and a skilled Web Marketer, is a potent tool.
Find someone savvy, knowledgeable and skilled to assist you with your marketing. I suggest the marketing expert who authored this site (e-mail: mstern@superlink.net ). Someone who focuses on the task at hand. No bells. No whistles. No heartburn. Just a job well-done.

Overview | Marketing Tools | Marketing with Traditional Media | Marketing Using New Media