How to Market Your Products on the World Wide Web
by Cliff Allen, President of the Web personalization company
GuestTrack,
Today's businesses are growing rapidly, and to stay on top of this competitive
market you must be aware of the growing trends. One of the most popular
and ever increasing trends of this decade is the Internet's World Wide Web.
On the Web companies can advertise their services and products, as well as
explore what the competition has to offer. This makes it easy to stay one
step ahead of your competition.
The steps to creating a presence on the World Wide Web are straightforward
and similar to traditional advertising. As with any effective marketing
technique, it takes understanding how the market evaluates and purchases
your products to create the most effective Web presence.
While these six steps may sound simple, there are many tasks involved in
each step.
Determine what marketing information prospects need
You are probably already providing a variety of information pieces to
prospects. Some present an overview of your products, while product
brochures or catalogs provide detailed information. You might also send
"white paper" documents, user manuals, and other expensive materials.
You have probably wondered what is the exact combination of information
needed to turn leads into prospects, and prospects into customers. There is
no single answer for all leads because there are so many different levels
of interest, based on their current position in the product evaluation
cycle.
If they are gathering information about future projects, you want to
provide overview information and keep them on your prospect list.
If they are evaluating specifications for an upcoming purchase, you want to
provide detailed product information in addition to overview material.
If they are about to buy a product, you want to give them whatever
information they need to decide that your product is best for them.
By providing the product information they are looking for when they need
it, your Web pages increase your awareness in the market and your sales
conversion rate.
Prepare information in Web-ready form
The preparation of your Web promotional material starts by gathering the
art for your existing literature and promotional materials. By building on
your existing inventory of electronic and physical art, we are able to keep
costs down and integrate your "corporate look" into your Web promotional
material. The process of creating attractive, attention-getting Web pages
includes:
- Add Web codes to existing text files
- Scan existing photos and illustrations into disk files
- Convert graphic files to appropriate file sizes and color palettes
- Create additional graphic elements, such as illustrations and technical drawings
- Add hypertext codes to link documents
- Load files on the Web server
- Test all text and graphic links
Select information for inclusion on the World Wide Web
One of the biggest differences between the Web and traditional marketing is
that the space considerations are different. With a Web server, you have
much more space to work with and can include more details, graphics, and
examples to support a description of your product.
An excellent way to take advantage of this space is by providing materials
that educate as well as sell. A company that sells power supplies could
provide a paper discussing the most common types of power outages and line
surges. A company that sells accounting software could provide a fact sheet
outlining the differences between cash-based and accrual accounting.
The best type of educational material is the kind that complements the more
sales-oriented Web content, building a picture of a company that can offer
knowledge and solutions as well as merely provide product.
Select and load a Web server with information
Selecting a Web server requires balancing your needs with the different
ways there are of placing material on the Internet.
Basically, you can either rent disk space with an existing Web server
company or you can buy a computer and connect it to the Internet. If your
information processing department has experience connecting UNIX computers
to the Internet, then you should consider handling your own Web server. If
your company is just learning to use the Internet, then you may be better
served by renting space at a Web server company.
Once we have determined what Web server computer will be used, we will
upload your text and graphic files to your secured directory. We will also
work with the administrator of your Web server to register your Web address
with the Internet administrators so any user in the world can connect to
your marketing material.
Promote your Web site
Here are five ways we help promote your Web pages to your target market:
- List your Web site in on-line directories with live links
- Post announcements in appropriate public discussion areas and mailing lists
- Distribute a news release to editors of print and on-line publications
- Assist you in answering questions on-line that lead people to your Web site
- Include your Web address in traditional marketing materials (e.g., advertising, literature, etc.)
By developing an on-going promotional program, your Web pages stay in front of your key prospects, generating inquiries and orders.
Prepare to receive inquiries and sales
After you have generated awareness and interest in your Web pages, and
after consumers have decided that your product is best for them, the next
step in your Web marketing program is to:
- Respond to inquiries
- Accept orders
While these steps may sound easy, it takes proper implementation here to
ensure that you receive the full benefit of your marketing program.
Respond to inquiries
When on-line consumers find a product they like, they want to move from
high-tech to high touch -- and ask a human a few questions. Sometimes
you'll receive e-mail. Sometimes you'll receive phone calls. Either way,
you must respond to these questions quickly and intelligently.
Why quickly? Because the speed of providing information on Web pages
conditions people to expect quick answers to questions about their unique
needs.
Why intelligently? Because the information you provide prospects on Web
pages has taken them further through the product evaluation process than
any other marketing process you've used. While this reduces the time your
sales staff spends with unqualified prospects, it increases the level of
expertise needed in your sales staff. If they can't quickly answer
technical questions about your products, you'll lose sales that were
already yours.
Accept orders
The question of how to accept orders from Internet consumers is quickly
changing. When the Internet was sponsored by the government, commerce on
the network was restricted. Since the government has discontinued paying
for the Internet, business activity has increased quickly.
If you sell to other businesses, then you'll want to receive purchase
orders through the network. You might be interested in electronic data
interchange (EDI) as a way to link your company to your customers.
If you sell to individual consumers, you'll want to investigate accepting
credit cards through a secured system involving banks and clearing houses
on the Internet.
Cliff Allen is the co-author of the book
Internet World Guide to One-to-One Web Marketing,
published by John Wiley & Sons. Cliff is president of GuestTrack, Inc., publisher of the
GuestTrack line of Web personalization software.
