The internet is an extremely over-hyped area of opportunity
but here are several tested, proven, practical and almost
universally valuable uses.
To begin, you need to create a website for your business,
not so much as a means of acquiring customers via
cyberspace, but a customer service, education, and
information center. For example, your website could offer
answers to all the commonly asked questions, diagrams, etc.
accessible free, 24 hours a day. You could even make a
portion of your site "access restricted," for customers,
clients, subscribers, or "members" only, adding mystique to
your marketing, and adding perceived value for your
clientele!
This technique would work whether you have a brick and
mortar or internet based business. For example, a
restaurant could do this with "secret recipes" and special
VIP offers; a clothing retailer with etiquette and fashion
tips and special offers, and so on. Of course, you'll also
want a promotional area on your website designed for new
customers and you'll then want to add your website address
to video brochures, audio recordings and infomercials for
your advertising and marketing materials.
Second, begin collecting and organizing the email addresses
of your customers and collecting the email address of
visitors to your site.
With the list, you can do virtually free, push button
marketing anytime you like, as often as you like. You can
send out an email newsletter to your customers, or other
information like tip sheets.
Let's say you have a rather ordinary business; kitchen and
bath business, for example. Here are a few of the things
you might transmit by email to your customer list:
1. Resources to upgrade your countertops to granite or
marble
2. Cabinet grade tips and suggestions
3. Special offers for new plumbing fixtures
4. Tips on determining the grade of cabinet materials
5. New product information
Keep in mind, regardless of your business or product you
can use the above techniques for creating and marketing
your website and business.
Third, in seeking publicity from the media, being able to
fax, email or mail very brief, provocative news releases
that refer the recipients to your website for more
information is very useful.
Everybody in the media is online. And, some are lazy, so if
they can research a story without leaving their chair,
believe me, that's the way they're going to do it. If you
go the route of writing articles for publication in your
industry journals or article forums, you can even post a
whole collection of them on your site, and invite any
publication to download and use whatever they like.
In summary of my advice to most business owners about the
internet: do Not be seduced, do Not buy into the hype and
expect miracles or invest inordinate amounts of time or
money. Do Not let the internet take away from your
commitment to more reliable, predictable,
results-measurable advertising and marketing media. But DO
get involved. At whatever pace is comfortable for you,
begin learning about the internet, getting your business on
the Net, and experimenting with practical applications like
those just described. Proceed calmly, deliberately,
strategically.
Above all else, Just Do It!
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Setting up your first website can be a daunting task, a
crucial point which Marketing Prophets
(http://www.marketing-prophets.com/ ) understands and
teaches all franchise members. It is the first step to
making money on the internet.
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