Broadcasting Upside Down
| Category: Net Business Start ups | Date: 2001-05-01 |
shooting yourself in the foot is as easy as bringing old ideas about marketing into the brave new World Wide Web
The World Wide Web has done a great deal to promote the use of the Internet. Its ability to transmit imagery, video and sound has captured the imagination of the world. This has caused a growing number of organizations to throw up Web sites full of information, pictures and product descriptions.
As a consumer, you can access the all information you want, when you want, for as long as you want, without having to speak fluent Unix. As a marketer, you have a way to sell while you sleep. A remote-controlled information vending machine dispenses product brochures at the speed of light while your sales people spend less time explaining your goods and services. That lets them spend more time closing deals.
But be forewarned: the World Wide Web site is not a television commercial.
Broadcasting is the art of saying something loud enough and long enough and frequently enough that it earns mind-share. People walking down the grocery store aisle see a brand name item they recognize and feel comfortable buying it.
"As Seen On TV" still carries weight, even in these days of infomercials. The jingle heard on the radio during the morning commute does, indeed, have an effect on what people buy in the evening. As annoying as all of the placards and billboards and bumper stickers may be, they work. Sad but true.
But today, we have a new medium with a new mode of getting us to buy: the World Wide Web. The marketing model on the Web is 180o away from the broadcast norm. It is a pull medium, not a push medium.
Creating a World Wide Web site for business does not give you instant access to millions of electronically connected prospective customers. Instead, it gives you a way to invite prospects to learn more. It gives you the means to distribute your product and service information at a very low cost, to those with an interest.
Here are a couple of tips for creating a successful commercial Web site:
Navigation
You are going to create an electronic environment for people to explore. What do you want them to find? Where do you want them to look first? What do you want them to learn?
Navigation is a serious matter in this electronic environment. You don't want to lose your audience in a maze of entertainment. You don't want them to get turned around and give up because they can't find what they're after. Be sure to provide some sort of an electronic map so they know where they are at all times.
Interaction
This medium offers your prospects the ability to interact with your computers. It is up to you to provide an interesting, engaging activity. Your Web site should be fun, interesting or useful - or all three.
You don't send the owner's manual to everybody who calls for a brochure. You want them to learn slowly so they understand each step. You don't want to overwhelm them with information, instead, you want to calibrate their reaction at every turn. Now your computer can distribute product literature for you, in direct response to their need for information.
Be sure to engage the viewer in the activity of leaning about your products. Make them participate instead of being a passive spectator. Demand action from them, force them to make decisions, keep them actively involved.
Feedback
Above all, don't forget to ask questions! Who are they? What are they interested in? What do they like about your products? Your company? Your competition? Your Web site? Probe them and respond quickly with thanks and praise for their participation and good ideas. This will help create the bond that will keep somebody a customer for life.
Rejuvenation
People will come back to your site if they know there will be something new waiting for them every day, week, or month. Many companies have assumed the mantle of the publisher. Their Web sites resemble magazines and they update them frequently to encourage people to come back periodically for interesting features. Over time, your Web site will grow to become an on-line archive of corporate history. It will be a central repository for the public side of the company. Create an update schedule to insure freshness.
Just keep this in mind when planning you Web site: it's not something people read, it's something they do. It's not your brochure, it's their experience.
About the Author
Jim Sterne stays active as a public speaker and as a consultant, helping each client set Internet marketing goals and determine customer relationship strategies.
Please contact Jim Sterne at (805) 965-3184 to find out how his talents might help you achieve your marketing objectives to visit his webpage and to contact see details below.
jsterne@targeting.com
http://www.targeting.com
The World Wide Web has done a great deal to promote the use of the Internet. Its ability to transmit imagery, video and sound has captured the imagination of the world. This has caused a growing number of organizations to throw up Web sites full of information, pictures and product descriptions.
As a consumer, you can access the all information you want, when you want, for as long as you want, without having to speak fluent Unix. As a marketer, you have a way to sell while you sleep. A remote-controlled information vending machine dispenses product brochures at the speed of light while your sales people spend less time explaining your goods and services. That lets them spend more time closing deals.
But be forewarned: the World Wide Web site is not a television commercial.
Broadcasting is the art of saying something loud enough and long enough and frequently enough that it earns mind-share. People walking down the grocery store aisle see a brand name item they recognize and feel comfortable buying it.
"As Seen On TV" still carries weight, even in these days of infomercials. The jingle heard on the radio during the morning commute does, indeed, have an effect on what people buy in the evening. As annoying as all of the placards and billboards and bumper stickers may be, they work. Sad but true.
But today, we have a new medium with a new mode of getting us to buy: the World Wide Web. The marketing model on the Web is 180o away from the broadcast norm. It is a pull medium, not a push medium.
Creating a World Wide Web site for business does not give you instant access to millions of electronically connected prospective customers. Instead, it gives you a way to invite prospects to learn more. It gives you the means to distribute your product and service information at a very low cost, to those with an interest.
Here are a couple of tips for creating a successful commercial Web site:
Navigation
You are going to create an electronic environment for people to explore. What do you want them to find? Where do you want them to look first? What do you want them to learn?
Navigation is a serious matter in this electronic environment. You don't want to lose your audience in a maze of entertainment. You don't want them to get turned around and give up because they can't find what they're after. Be sure to provide some sort of an electronic map so they know where they are at all times.
Interaction
This medium offers your prospects the ability to interact with your computers. It is up to you to provide an interesting, engaging activity. Your Web site should be fun, interesting or useful - or all three.
You don't send the owner's manual to everybody who calls for a brochure. You want them to learn slowly so they understand each step. You don't want to overwhelm them with information, instead, you want to calibrate their reaction at every turn. Now your computer can distribute product literature for you, in direct response to their need for information.
Be sure to engage the viewer in the activity of leaning about your products. Make them participate instead of being a passive spectator. Demand action from them, force them to make decisions, keep them actively involved.
Feedback
Above all, don't forget to ask questions! Who are they? What are they interested in? What do they like about your products? Your company? Your competition? Your Web site? Probe them and respond quickly with thanks and praise for their participation and good ideas. This will help create the bond that will keep somebody a customer for life.
Rejuvenation
People will come back to your site if they know there will be something new waiting for them every day, week, or month. Many companies have assumed the mantle of the publisher. Their Web sites resemble magazines and they update them frequently to encourage people to come back periodically for interesting features. Over time, your Web site will grow to become an on-line archive of corporate history. It will be a central repository for the public side of the company. Create an update schedule to insure freshness.
Just keep this in mind when planning you Web site: it's not something people read, it's something they do. It's not your brochure, it's their experience.
About the Author
Jim Sterne stays active as a public speaker and as a consultant, helping each client set Internet marketing goals and determine customer relationship strategies.
Please contact Jim Sterne at (805) 965-3184 to find out how his talents might help you achieve your marketing objectives to visit his webpage and to contact see details below.
jsterne@targeting.com
http://www.targeting.com
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