The Internet allows you to compete equally with companies that are 10 times larger than yours. It gives your prospective customers access to the most up-to-date information about your products and/or services, 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, from all over the world. The Internet also reduces your need for expensive printed literature and advertising.The time to be on-line is now. Even the skeptics have realized the growing market and 24-hour convenience of the Internet. Maybe you're not convinced.
"The web is a fad, a shooting star," you say.
Maybe you're a pioneer. You've staked out your little piece of property in cyberspace, only to find that it's remarkably useless. Your pitiful counter at the bottom of the page reminds you that you've only had 112 visitors (and 97 of them were you!)
Don't be discouraged. The web is here to stay. And, designed properly, your web site can become an integral, revenue-producing part of your marketing plan.
When deciding who will create or redesign your web site, remember that the web is a legitimate marketing tool -- just like print ads, brochures or videos. To create an effective web site, you need professional help.
Four elements of a successful site
You can beat the odds and have a killer web site. The key is in four essential ingredients: the message, the front-end, the back-end and the marketing of the site itself. A successful site excels in all four of these areas.
The "message" is the voice you use to sell your product or service. It should be an extension of the messages you use in your print ads, direct mail or other communications.
The "front-end" is the look and feel of your site. Graphics, animation, sound and the organization of the site are all part of the front-end. Aesthetic use of these elements can make or break your site. The "back-end" makes your site useful. Search capabilities and feedback engines give product information to your users and user information to you. Integrated databases, client tracking and interaction, and financial transactions make your site more than an on-line brochure.
Marketing the site includes your strategy for visibility on the web. Your site should be publicized through links, search engines and strategically-placed banner ads. Traditional means also play an important role in marketing your web address through mention in printed and broadcast media that you already use on a regular basis.
Putting it together
Now that you know what you need, who can deliver it? Software companies would lead you to believe that anyone can create their own web page. And to a certain extent, they're correct. Just take a few minutes to browse the web. About 90 percent is fashioned by amateurs. You know how you can tell? It looks like it.
If someone tells you they know how to "write HTML code" or that they have "done their own home page," be concerned. Be very concerned. Just because you own 3-D animation software doesn't mean you'll land the contract for "Toy Story 2." Web-site design requires more than knowing how to operate the software.
Programmers/Technicians
Some of the most effective web sites use complex languages like JAVA, Perl, Active X, CGI and others. Programmers can use these languages to hook databases to web pages and create complex actions that happen behind the scenes. For most programmers, though, their proficiency on designing the back-end is balanced by their lack of marketing finesse and design sense. Many sites created solely by programmers are extremely fast and useful, but unbearably ugly and clunky.
Web service providers
Many times, web-service providers will offer to design your site as part of a package deal. In some cases, they subcontract your site to an outside web-site designer. Some have designers on staff. Generally, you can get fairly good front and back ends, although they rarely offer you a unique identity. Often, the message is not a primary consideration, so sites may have a lot of information, but without a greater direction. Many of these firms have great ideas for publicizing your site through search engines and other on-line venues.
Web site designers
Unlike graphic designers, web-site designers have never designed a brochure, logo, annual report, interactive CD or other visual communication. Their front-end design is usually fairly attractive, but not message-oriented. Because they only work with the web, their sites can become very "cookie cutter" -- each site looking like the last.
Generally, web site designers are not very proficient on back-end development, creating inefficient and unreliable code if they attempt it at all.
Graphic Designers
With background and experience in design across many types of media, graphic designers can give you the best front-end possible. Their focus is on making your site attractive and entertaining. Graphic designers in general integrate your message better than other web-site creators. For the most part, graphic designers are totally useless on the back-end. Their sites can also be slower, since the emphasis on graphics is usually much heavier. This isn't a big problem as long as they properly compress the files.
As you can see, there's no one perfect solution. Every advertising or marketing approach can benefit through the combined effort of marketing, design and technical pros, brought together by an inspired team leader. If you use a design firm, make sure they have the right personnel to handle the diverse tasks that go into a site. If you choose a web- site design firm, make sure they have experience in marketing. If you choose to contract yourself, be sure to cover your front-end and your back-end. Focus on your message, and publicize your site.
Why Use the Internet as a Marketing and Advertising Tool?
According to
the recent U.S. Small
Business Internet Survey from Cyber Dialogue,
over 427,000 small businesses have gone online between the first quarters of 1998 and 1999.
The study also found that:
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