| On-line business is now mainstream. Calendar year | | | | transact, each website has a particular mission |
| 2005 marked the point that more than half of | | | | fitting into your overall marketing and operational |
| every man woman and child in the US used the | | | | strategies.4. Choose a professional to assist you |
| internet. Two-thirds of U.S. Internet users, or 83 | | | | with your internet strategy. Many web designers |
| million people, are online shoppers, according to | | | | although well intentioned, simply do not have the |
| research to be released this week. "It's a | | | | wherewithal to provide credible advice and |
| milestone in the norming of e-commerce," Lee | | | | experience when it comes to your internet |
| Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American | | | | strategy. A beautiful on-line brochure will do you |
| Life Project, told The New York Times. Data | | | | absolutely no good if the right customers can't |
| about online shopping collected by Pew shows | | | | find it, or if they can find it but can't easily |
| growing e-commerce activity even as the number | | | | transact with your organization and complete the |
| of Internet users also grows. Rainie called that | | | | business process.5. Real time feedback is critical to |
| trend important "because it's a bigger slice of a | | | | keeping pace with changing preferences and |
| bigger pie."Statistics on gender and ethnicity of | | | | trends. On-line polling and surveying can be an |
| online shoppers mirror those of people who go to | | | | invaluable ally when it comes to collecting the data |
| retail stores. An interactive marketing executive | | | | necessary to respond to changes in your market. |
| at Home Depot (HD) said that finding is very | | | | Your customers expect you to understand what |
| important. "Now that the online population is more | | | | they want will go somewhere else in flash if they |
| mainstream," said Shelley Nandkeolyar, "it better | | | | don't feel you are responsive to their needs.Below |
| reflects our traditional customer base and it gives | | | | are highlighted just a couple the many new |
| us more opportunity to bring a lot of our | | | | products recently made available which raise the |
| traditional strategies online." At a recent industry | | | | bar for service, marketing, and operational areas, |
| conference it was reported that in June of 2003 | | | | as well as just plain figuring out how to structure |
| alone, 5.5 billion searches were conducted online. | | | | your own internet strategy. These and many |
| That's 5.5 billion searches in just one month!Yes, | | | | other tools could be just the ticket to fill a critical |
| commerce over the Internet is becoming second | | | | void or bottleneck in your business operations or |
| nature to the demographic majorities and is here | | | | marketing strategies.On-line Polling: create simple |
| to stay. But where does one begin, and how does | | | | yet effective polls and place them on your |
| one ensure his or her investments are sound and | | | | website. Ask your customers or site visitors what |
| provide for a profitable piece of this powerful | | | | they think, and allow them to see the results |
| way of doing business? There is no one-size-fits-all | | | | instantly. Track data, and create reports invaluable |
| answer, but here are some guiding principles and | | | | to your marketing efforts. Visitor simply marks a |
| food for thought: | | | | selection box with True/False, ABC type |
| 1. Internet Marketing is different than "traditional" | | | | response(s) and submits vote. Fun, interactive, |
| marketing. The internet levels the playing field; | | | | and invaluable.On-line Quizzing and Surveying: For |
| enabling small companies to appear large, and | | | | more comprehensive data gathering, add a simple |
| large companies to provide the quick reaction of | | | | survey system to your site. Ask questions aimed |
| smaller firms. Size really doesn't matter. Your | | | | at uncovering ways to improve your services, |
| market can be whole world, for good or for bad | | | | changing tastes and preferences, or simply get |
| and consideration must be given to tailor your | | | | detailed feedback that is so critical to effective |
| efforts to your target market. Orders from far | | | | marketing today. Although these can be simple |
| corners of the world can be an unexpected | | | | and straight forward, you should consider |
| problem if your business is not prepared to | | | | incentives to participate if significant time or effort |
| support the logistics or legalities of doing | | | | is requested of your audience. Drawings, |
| international business.2. Internet Marketing is the | | | | discounts, or even thank you notes can be |
| same as "traditional" marketing. "What's that?" | | | | effective as well as making the process fun for |
| Many aspects of marketing over the internet are | | | | your valued participant. |
| time-tested and just plain common sense. Your | | | | According to "Market Position", a whopping five |
| company image for example is fragile and | | | | million pages are added to the Internet every |
| requires loving and consistent care. A shoddy | | | | single day! Most of them are not effective |
| representation on the web is worse than no | | | | investments! Make sure your web strategy is |
| representation at all. It has been reported that | | | | giving you a positive return on your investment |
| over 70% of purchasing professionals will check | | | | and giving your customers a reason to come to |
| out a potential supplier's website before placing | | | | you rather than someone else.John Geiger owns |
| the first call, or accepting an appointment. Your | | | | and operates the local affiliate of WSI Internet |
| website often will create that critical first | | | | Consulting and Education, a Toronto based global |
| impression both good and bad.3. It's all about trust | | | | network of consultants, developers and |
| and ease of doing business. Those are | | | | production centers providing turn-key internet |
| consistently the top 2 reasons customers come | | | | business solutions for small and medium-sized |
| back, and your website plays an important role in | | | | enterprises to include web-site design, |
| ease of doing business. Whether a convenient | | | | development and hosting; site maintenance and |
| reference point for customers to learn about | | | | upgrades, full e-commerce solutions, on-line training |
| your organization, products and/or services; a | | | | and education, and other cutting-edge internet |
| secure place to communicate, or even to | | | | technology and solutions. |