The Internet is
booming and everybody is trying to ride the wave. With over 300 million
web pages (New York Times, 9 April 1998) currently on the web and the
number of web users rising, the Internet marketplace is in full steam.
Businesses of all sizes are joining in this new advancement and are
seeking to locate their niche in this tremendous market. What we are
seeing right now, at least in terms of small business, is somewhat of
a backlash against this new hype. The television and print campaigns
for web search engines and related products, the increasing number of
ISP's, and the development of the new "extranets" (e.g., Citibank on-line)
has led many businesses to create high expectations in regard to the
web. Unfortunately, at least for many small businesses, these expectations
are not being met.
What is to blame
for this backlash? Why are some small businesses cashing in, while others
are not? I feel there are two major contributors to this backlash. First
is a lack of research and education in this new technology (a lack of
research in evaluating the Internet, with respect to their targeted
markets, and a lack of education in the design and content of the site).
Second is the lack of a clear objective or direction of their web presence.
First, let me explain
'lack of research.' There are many companies that do extremely well
advertising their organization with the use of traditional media. But
what many seem to misunderstand is the ways the Internet ties in with
their marketing mix. Some view the Internet as a separate entity, separating
it from their overall marketing strategy. Big mistake. Others view the
Internet as a tool to embrace similar objectives to those in their traditional
media. This can sometimes be even a bigger mistake. While there are
many unique features that the Internet brings to the market, a web strategy
must be in-line with the messages being expressed by the other marketing
mediums but also have a distinct objective. This balance is what is
oftentimes missing from the small business game plan.
While the web is
"cost-effective" in many aspects, it does not necessarily come at a
"low cost". This seems to be a foggy misconception about the Internet.
The Internet, like all marketing, can be very costly. So before a business
jumps to web, it must educate itself about doing business on the web.
Yes, it is a new field in its growth stages and many of the rules are
yet to be defined, but it is clear that the principles that drive traditional
advertising do apply to the web (especially direct, or as some may say,
relationship marketing). These laws, believe it or not, guide web marketing.
The low barriers to entry have falsely persuaded people/businesses to
engage in Internet activities prematurely. They see the various advantages
of the Internet, including expanding their markets and cost-effectively
contacting new business, but fail to see that the web, like traditional
media, requires thorough research and know-how. These low barriers to
entry have opened up the web market to many businesses that simply do
not have the experience or knowledge to compete (although pornography
sites have proved us all wrong).
I believe, at least
with my initial contacts with clients, another major reason for the
lack of success of small business sites lies in their failure to define
a clear objective before entering the on-line community. They read the
hype about the Internet and suddenly believe their company is in dire
need of a web site. Well, as far as I'm concerned, if you have no direction
or game plan for your web site, what is the reason to create one? The
scary thing that I hear all too often is clients believing that by merely
putting up a company web site thousands of people around the world are
going to visit their site each day. My first reaction is quite simple,
"Don't count on it." Simply putting a web site on-line and registering
with search engines (which is very important) will help generate web
traffic but will not prove effective in the long run. A company needs
to clearly define its objective and reasoning for creating an on-line
presence. Successful web sites often have the ability to generate "qualified
traffic" through a marketing strategy, which will always mirror their
on-line objective. Unfortunately, this lack of strategy is why most
web sites are ineffective.
Let me give you
an actual example I encountered with a local law firm. Through their
traditional media vehicles (community newspapers and local television/cable
networks) their objective was to build company awareness and, at the
same time, generate business. Their message was clear in their promotions
and, in all fairness, proved to be very successful for their business.
When I came on board, they wanted to take that same approach of increasing
awareness and lead generation and utilize it on the web. I strongly
disagreed. Here's why: It should first be noted that their market is
regional (they practice law in a localized region). With that said,
if their local region is not a heavy Internet user area (which it was
not) then how effective would a lead generation/awareness strategy be?
Not very. What I proposed was to put a greater focus on servicing the
current client base, with a secondary objective of creating overall
awareness. I believed by offering their clients solid customer service
through the web (up-to-date information and 24 hr on-line service) the
company awareness level and client leads would increase (via word-of-mouth
and local PR). This targeted objective resulted in stronger client relationships
and increased business in a cost and time-effective manner. For this
company, at this point and time, that was the Internet at its finest.
Small businesses
are jumping to the web in droves. The big media push for E-commerce
has begun to brainwash businesses into believing that their company
has to be selling their products/services on the web. While there is
some validity to that, there are too many other positive reasons that
a company should be on the Internet. Whether it's providing product/service
information, contact information, servicing current clients or providing
company updates, there are many other reasons for a company to establish
a web presence.
With that said,
I would like to give some helpful advice to the small business web community.
No matter what you decide to do on the Internet, always define your
objective first. Whether you plan to sell your products over the Internet
or offer superior on-line service to your customers, the opportunity
for success is wide open if you plan accordingly. But before you start
creating your new company web site, I have provided some design tips
that are essential for small businesses entering the on-line world.
They are free and proven effective.
- Descriptive
title (Approx. 6-8 words)
- Use of meta
tags
- Use of HTML
text within the document
- Avoid frames
when possible (unless you can navigate the site within one frame.)
- Register with
major seven search engines (Yahoo, Infoseek, Lycos, Hotbot, Excite,
Webcrawler, AltaVista). If you don't register no one will know your
site even exists. Also, search for trade directories covering your
specific industry.
- Analyze the
site's download time, the content available on the site, and the user
interface. These variables are a matter of life and death when it
comes to satisfying the end user
The web will continue
to grow and affect all markets across the world. Some companies have
succeeded thus far and some have failed in terms of the Internet. For
some web sites, only time will tell. But before you post your new web
site, remember
. . . Stay Focused!