How the Internet, websites, and e-commerce, have changed the way local consumers do business, and how to take advantage of this.Consumers now
expect everyone who is in business or runs an enterprise of any sort to have a web site. The question no longer is "Do you have a website?" but rather "What is your web address?" If you do not have one or your site is
perpetually "under construction" you instantly lose credibility as a modern business. Consumers think "if they're not up on the Internet what else are they missing? Maybe I better look at another company." If you cannot
provide ready information about your business and services the moment a customer wants it, be assured your competition will fill the void.
The Internet is now the first place consumers look for information.
Websites are absolutely the most cost effective way to deliver a company's information. They can deliver volumes of information instantly, are always available, and are quickly up-datable. For these reasons large scale
global marketers have invested heavily in e-commerce and are now selling to your
customers. With an e-commerce enabled website a company a thousand miles away can provide your customers with hundreds of choices at competitive prices, take the order and payment, and deliver the package to their home or office the very next day. They heavily use conventional media to get your customers attention and directing them to their website, use the web site to sell them.
There are two levels of competition to the local business owner:
A) Global marketers as discussed above; and
B) Local competition.
Both levels are affected by the Internet. Some businesses are more affected by
global marketers than others. Hard products sales are deeply affected as their purchase is determined by price and convenience. " Immediate & Local Consumables" such as dry cleaning, pizza, take out/eat in and
delivery food, legal and accounting services, mechanical or trades, etc are more affected by local competition. In both cases the use of a web site for your business can help defend against global competition. In the
case of local competition, it can give you a decisive marketing edge, when employed correctly.
Now that the Internet has achieved critical mass there is in fact a digital transformation process going on all around
you. It has changed the way consumers think and is changing the way they access information and do business. For most types of businesses the choice is simple: Understand and harness the Internet, or be consumed by it.
3) How the Internet Works - How it is different than the Web.
In the old days stagecoaches would hand off packages
to other stagecoaches or trains depending on the address of the package and eventually it got to where it was going. Railroads went from point A to point Z by "switching" at different points along the way to head in the right direction, sometimes even paying another railroad line to use their tracks. Old phones would work by you telling the operator who you wanted to talk too and then one operator called another by putting the plug in that station's hole on the "switchboard". Your operator then told the other operator the name of the party you wanted, and they
physically plugged
the wire into the hole that was connected to your friends house, and voila! Their phone rang. Modern phones work by dialing a sequence of numbers that generate a series of clicks or tones. Electronic switches (now computers) do the work of operators at the blink of an eye. The Internet works the same way but instead of dialing numbers we use words or web addresses (known as URLs Uniform Resource Locators) that are translated by our computers into numbers. Through a series of computerized routers and switches (operators in the old phone days) it finds and retrieves the web page you requested. Think of the Internet as a stagecoach system delivering and retrieving "information packages" at the speed of light. These information packages are your web pages and e-mails.
The Internet is the physical system. The web is a network of machines and users who use common and agreed upon computer languages and protocols so we all understand each other. If we all speak the same language we
all understand each other. The computer language that governs the web makes the web what it is - a common platform for everyone to communicate.
4) Understanding the fundamental marketing tools of the Internet and how to use them.
The ability to communicate instantaneously and with low cost provides great business opportunities. Some of the marketing tools
are:
A) The web page or web site
- Primary function is to electronically present the core aspects of your business resulting in new customer acquisition and/or customer retention. Content for electronic viewing or printing at user's location.
B)
E-mail Electronic means of instant and recorded communication between you and your customers.
C) Electronic newsletters
Changing information important to your customers, published on a periodic basis. Can be posted on your website and/or transmitted via e-mail to customers who have requested to receive it.
D)
Printable and electronic forms
Puts paper forms in your customer's hands instantly. Customer uses printed forms internally and/or returns by postal service. Electronic form submissions reproduce forms on a web page and enable the users to fill out and submit info directly to you via your website.
E) e-commerce
Typically understood to mean the buying and selling of goods and services via a website using electronic transactions to conduct sales. Can also be interpreted as using your website to sell services and products and then completing sales via mail, telephone, or in person.
F) Internet advertising
The placement of advertising banners or listings on other websites. Can be used like conventional print display ads and classified ads either for image impressions or direct response. Typically used to generate a click to the advertiser's website. "In-Line" advertising places advertiser's link in-line with editorial copy. Sponsorship advertising works much the same way as on PBS television or NPR in that the sponsor is positioned as a pillar of the community by
sponsoring content. Internet sponsorship advertising is an effective form of image advertising but also has the advantage of the mouse and therefore can result in an immediate response. By its very nature,
effective global or national Internet advertising is easy. Regional becomes more difficult, and local almost impossible. In Ocean County, NJ however, OCCIS.com has pioneered the localization of the Internet and offers
local businesses the ability to use Internet advertising in a tight geographically targeted area.
5) What is a web page? What is a website? What it can do for you.
A web page is a single page. A web site is
a series of pages indexed and interconnected with each other. A web page is like a single sheet flyer or business description. A website is like a multi-page brochure. Like their printed counterparts the web page or
website can vary in cost, construction, purpose, and look. But unlike any other media the cost of "delivery" is almost zero. The consumer does however, need to find, or be presented with your web page or site.
6) How to decide if you really need a web page or a website.
Some businesses really only need a single page. That page can be longer than 11 inches because a computer can scroll down. As long as the page is
not too long it works great. Some businesses just have a lot more to say or explain due to the nature or complexity of their product or service. In that case a website consisting of two or more pages is called for.
7) Key elements of a professional (looking) website.
A) Easy to find
B) Loads quickly
C) Easy to navigate
D) Design that is neutral or reflects your identity or business.
E) Delivers what is expected e.g. product summaries service lists etc.
F) Contains the name, address, phone number, and e-mail on the front page.
G) Includes useful items like directions, days and hours of operation, etc..
8) The 10 BIG Business WebSite Sins and how to avoid making them.
1) Using a free on-line service to create your website, that displays ads.
2) Using a slow or undependable web host server.
3) Imbedding music when a page opens, especially the kind you can't turn off.
4) Animations that serve no real purpose.
5) Authoring in 600 x 480 screen resolution. (800 x 600 is the standard)
6) Using "Splash" pages (invented by designers who don't run a business)
7) Crazy colors and backgrounds (unless specific for your industry)
8) Too many pictures or graphics, file sizes that are too big.
9) Using old authoring programs (early Internet) and sloppy layout.
10) Poor navigation. Every page should at least have a "Home" button.
11) Missing "core' information about your business.
9) How to build a website
..that actually helps your business.
The purpose
of a website is to speak for you and your business. It is the single most effective means of replicating yourself next to cloning. Use it to communicate to prospective customers why they should do business with you. Use
it for existing customers to offer helpful information that would otherwise result in a phone call to your business. The easiest way to figure out what to put on the site that will be of most use to prospective and
existing clients is to: 1) think about what people ask you about most, whether in person or by phone. 2) If you could tell customers all about what you can do for them what would that be? Do this and you will save on
staff time and make the consumer happy. If you have a hard time writing about your business, just get a tape recorder and get someone to ask you questions about your business, then listen to it.
Most business have
something new to say every so often, so "update" your site accordingly. A service station may change only a single page quarterly, promoting this season's service specials. A restaurant may have the old tried and true
menu listed but change "This Week's Lunch Specials" at the start of each week.
The bottom line is to communicate the information to new customers that makes them want to buy from you, and provide information to
existing customers as a service that makes their life easier. Make your information easy to find and use. Make the site simple and fast loading.
10) Do it yourself or hire a pro???
Do it yourself
- You probably can make your own website if you can write your own copy and use a program like "Word for Windows" to make flyers and brochures. That is of course if you have an eye for design, and have the time and patience to do it right. We all have different talents. Some of us can write well but can't draw a straight line or design a layout. And when it comes to the HTML authoring, and that FTP up to the server stuff most of us get lost. There are automated programs that help with all this. Some common programs that have "Wizards and Templates" are Microsoft's Front Page, Microsoft Publisher, and Sierra's WebStudio. They actually walk you through the design and offer help all along the way to posting the site on the server. The "build your own on-line" services can be a good start but are normally rigid and restrictive. The free services usually have outside ads that are automatically displayed on
your
site. The advantages of doing it yourself is that you have direct control, less expense, and can react quicker. That is only if your capable, can make it look good, and actually get to doing it and keeping up with the updates.
Hiring a pro
- This takes the burden of web production off your shoulders. If you hire a Webmaster, you give them your info on paper (or disk) and say "that's what my business is all about, make it look nice on the web." If you can't write good copy (some people just freeze up) you need the services of an ad agency or copywriter. If you do not have the unique blend of talents needed to write, design, produce, and manage a website you need the help of professionals. Even if you can do it, are you fast and what is your time worth? When hiring the Pro be careful. Anyone with a PC can say he's in the website building business. Everyone can sing but we all don't sound the same. We all can paint but we're all not Rembrandt. You get the picture. Any designer worth their salt can show you their online portfolio and give you accurate estimates. The same goes for copy and design Pros. Check out their stuff.
11) How to market your website Low cost and no cost techniques
A) First and foremost get a web address that reflects the actual name of your business or as close to it as possible. Or you can get one that
says what you do or sell. Make sure it is memorable.
B) Next, put your web address on everything that you print. Make it part of all your materials. It is part of: Company Name, Address, Phone, Fax, E-mail, Web
Address. People expect to see it.
C) Incorporate it in all your advertising. Nine times out of ten your print ads, radio or TV spots can be altered to include the web address without buying more space or time. In fact
in many cases, with a web site, you can shorten your print ads and increase their frequency because the complete story or information is now on your web site. The same goes for radio and TV. Sixty second spots can
become 45, 30 or 15 seconds, and you can buy more of them.
D) If you have company vehicles that have the name of the business on them be sure to put it there also. A lot of people travel the roads and stop at red
lights. It will get noticed.
E) Offer real, usable information on your website aside from the sales stuff. The benefits are that people appreciate the non-sell information and will tell or e-mail their friends. If it
is really informative material a local news paper may run your press release on it. Also other websites may find it interesting and link to you.
F) Consider building or sponsoring a website for a non-profit
organization, such as a little league or soccer team. You could include it under your business website. www.mybusiness.com/flyingchipmunks . The chipmunks will love you and tell everyone about their page. Of course you
have a tagline that mentions The Flying Chipmunks webpage is sponsored by "My Business"
G) Buy Internet advertising that promotes your site. People on the Internet already have a mouse in their hands and are in
information mode. They are just a click away from seeing your site. OCCIS.com, for example is a local Internet navigation site serving Ocean County residents and visitors.. People go there to find local information
fast, along with other daily needs information. A billboard advertisement or business listing there is inexpensive and can go a long way.
12) Choosing a hosting service freebies or going professional.
Simply stated, if you use a free web host service you most likely will have outside ad banners on your business web site. That is the kiss of death. You will be judged as a rank amateur. (This is different from having a
subtle button or tagline that says "This site powered by ABC,etc" . Chances are if you want a professionally performing site you will be paying at least a few dollars for it. Locally, you can have your site, under your
own domain name, on a high speed, secured, and dependable server with e-mail for as little as $35 a month.
13) Picking and securing
