Tips on "How to Market successfully on the WWW / Internet"

Why? Not because of the WWW and its potential capabilities, but over hyping and over simplification have resulted in the misconception that it is easy to achieve success on the Internet /WWW.

Some of the more common problems associated with the Internet / WWW are :-

1.A lack of models for success leaves many to fall prey to the over hyping and over simplification, and following unproved theories.

2.One shot attitude -- put a page or site up and it will do all of the work from then on! Viewing the WWW like a billboard -- as if one has a captive audience driving by does not work on the Web. First one has to get customers to a Web site / page.

3.Pride in doing it one's own way. Some will accomplish it this way. But, the overwhelming majority will not!

4.The biggest problem -- "not devoting sufficient resources." Simply not devoting enough time and effort."

The question is -- is the Internet / WWW a tool for SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises)? DEFINITELY -- when properly applied! But, a lot more complex than the simple concept that you put up some pretty pages, register with some search engines, and sit back and wait.

A look at the sheer no.s of pages on the net will tell you that your percentage of being found is absolutely minuscule. Equally important is after you have gotten others to visit your site -- why would your site and what you have to offer standout above the other businesses that offer the same as you do.

Keys to success: 

Can SMEs be as successful as large companies on the Internet / WWW? Yes!!

What does it take for the smaller businesses to be successful? A commitment to devote the necessary amount of resources that it takes to succeed. This is not what many people want to hear or what many who sell Internet / WWW services want you to believe, but it is the realism of the situation.

Simply put the Internet is like any other aspect of business -- you cannot short change the effort that is required.

1.Content:

A site's content must be interesting enough to make the visitor stay at one's site, and keep coming back. This can vary considerably depending on the target audience.

Remember the "no. of hits" approach is not for everyone. It is great for those who want to sell advertising space on their page for mass audience type products, e.g., soft drinks, toothpaste, etc. BTW - On the Internet those who buy computer and software related products can be considered the masses.

If one serves a niche market it is important to attract that niche's customer, and not just any surfer. Attracting the masses (curious surfers which the WWW is mostly made up of) will just load your site down making it slow and annoying for those you want to attract.

2.Keeping the content fresh -- this is probably the most common failing of people maintaining pages / sites on the WWW. To see what this means go to one of the major search engines (that provides dates). Do a search on a subject and see what the date is for the last update of the sites that come up???

3.A continous effort. Have a disciplined and scheduled approach. Not a "when convenient approach."

4.Quality and appearance -- versus -- download speed. Again this depends on the audience. Many "curious surfers" like the graphics and are willing to wait.
Most business people have better things to do with their time, and want to get that which will benefit them.

5.Create an IMAGE. A combination of many things, but essentially your business

is one that conveys that your business is serious.
takes a long term approach.
takes pride in the image it projects to the public.
cares about the validity of the information on its site.
has knowledgeable and responsible individuals maintaining its site. and most of all that one can be trusted.

Does this sound gloomy and to the point?

Well, it should!! You would not have read this far unless you feel you need to learn some more, and you may even be dissatisfied with a site that you are

responsible for. 

One solution for SMEs: 

 
Can all SMEs afford (within their own resources) the time and effort it requires to properly utilize the Internet / WWW?? Probably not all! Reason? Lack of the necessary resources.

Hopefully we have made the point that success on the Internet definitely requires spending a considerable amount of time.

One approach for SMEs is to make it affordable by cooperating with other similar businesses. Cooperating together to share resources. For many SMEs this  means joining together in small groups (in most cases no more than 25) and share a site that the group as a whole can properly create and keep fresh an attractive content.

It is very important that those businesses that join together would all benefit from common content. In some cases the businesses that join together may be competitors in other case not. They may all sell the same product or service, but serve different geographical markets. However, look at the real estate multiple listing services where competitors have actually join together in a way that benefits the customer, and the agents benefit as well.

One example, businesses whose target customers are those in households that purchases groceries. Common content may be articles that provide tips on selecting healthy food, determining freshness, projected pricing trends in staples, etc.

Questions a business should ask: 

1.Is it cost effective for your business to go it alone??

2.What is more important to your business?? Doing it your way, or increasing your business by sacrificing some control?? Each business has to
make that evaluation.

3.REMEMBER -- It is not a matter of your business's capabilities, but of recognizing resource limitations.