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Copyright Richmond Newspapers, Incorporated Nov 15, 2004
POINT OF VIEW. TALKING BUSINESS
It's hard to believe it has only been slightly over a
decade since the Internet, as we know it today, was launched.
In just that short span, the rules of marketing have been
changed forever.
For many small businesses, the Web site is the business.
For brick-and-mortar companies those with physical locations a Web site adds
a dimension.
Of especially good news to small-business owners is that
the Internet has leveled the playing field and created opportunities that
were undreamt of in 1990.
Just 15 years ago, customers searching for business
services or products were most likely to pick up the Yellow Pages to find
what they were seeking. While that still may be the case today for many
older consumers, the preferred method is via Internet search engines. The
difference between the two is dramatic.
To stand out in the Yellow Pages, a business must make a
monthly financial commitment that can be substantial. Ad size matters, so an
effort to stand out from competitors many listed on the same page becomes a
question of affordability to smaller businesses.
On the marketing side, there is only so much that can be
done with one-*or two-color copy. Content cannot be time-sensitive: Once the
copy is printed and distributed, the business is stuck with it until the
following year.
An unexpected move or change in phone numbers can be
devastating. When a business is in the Yellow Pages, the first contact is
the advertisement. The next contact is simply a voice when the call is made.
A customer's initial perception of the business is forged largely by that
advertisement and that first voice.
Contrast that with a properly developed Web site. Full
color, pictures, motion, interactive content, shopping carts and up-to- date
information are but a few of the benefits.
That first contact can provide exactly the "picture" the
business wants to portray. Here, the customer can visually meet the
employees, see the building, peruse the products. The business becomes
"real."
Of equal importance to the business owner is the ability
to track the number of hits on the site, thereby allowing a business to
track the effectiveness of marketing efforts. Ineffective marketing
campaigns will become obvious in a very short time, allowing funds to be
allocated to programs that work.
Therefore, the most successful companies in the coming
decade will be focusing less on providing material content within the
printed ads, be it Yellow Pages or other printed media.
The real marketing focus should be to get the consumer
from the printed media to the Web site, where the transformation from boring
two-color copy explodes into whatever vision the business chooses to
display.
Better yet, once the Web site is built and launched, the
ongoing costs are minimal, usually less than $20 a month.
There is an old business adage that goes: "You are not
necessarily what you are, but what you are perceived to be."
A great Web site can mold those perceptions into any
vision of the company desired by the owners. In cyberspace, reality becomes
blurred.
Small-business owners need to understand that a Web
presence today may be more important than any other initial point of
contact. That includes the physical location, the receptionist, the sales
personnel and even the management.
The Web site just may make the difference on whether a
customer chooses to go on to the next step to meet any of the above.
Welcome to marketing in the 21st century. Are you
prepared? |
