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Who are you? As a company or organization what is your purpose? Where do you come from? Where are you headed? What are your corporate needs and goals? You have probably addressed these questions in the past when implementing other marketing tools. It is worth thinking over again before you create a Web presence. Unlike other advertising media (Yellow Pages, newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, business cards, brochures, stationery, etc.), the Web can present your products and services in full context, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. And that is just the beginning of what it will do for your organization. Do you need it? As a purveyor of Web solutions I am hard pressed not to say Yes!.. No doubt about it!.. But let's be practical. If you are just starting a new business, that is not information based or if you are a non-profit that is under the pressure of heavy budget cut backs, you would probably be wise to wait until conditions stabilize before pursuing any new marketing avenue. If, however, you have an established and sustainable budget, there is no marketing plan that a Web presence cannot enhance. Read the next two segments below. This is not about spending more. It's about spending smarter! What can it do for you? Building and marketing a Web site is a lot different from buying an ad package from a monthly magazine or a block of slots with a local TV station. People logging onto the Web won't come across your ad on the inside cover and you won't be on the Six O'clock News every Thursday in August. For people used to traditional marketing strategies this seems a drawback. It isn't. The Web is interactive. People come to your Web site by choice. That means they are already "qualified" when they get there. And your Web site can be much more than an ad pointing to your store. Your Web site can be your store! A Web site is an integral marketing tool piggy-backing on every marketing device you already have in place. Put the address of your site on your business cards and every bit of stationery, in every ad (print, radio, TV), the Yellow Pages, even on your company vehicles. People are interested in the Web. Many will key in your site and when they do, they are in your store. (And we haven't even touched on online marketing yet.) A properly designed and marketed Web presence is an intelligent investment in your company. It can --
How much should you spend? For traditional businesses with established overheads, savvy marketers suggest re-assigning 10% of the current advertising budget to maintaining a Web presence. This is a handy and prudent rule of thumb for most established companies with a working business model. There are many companies, however, for which this guideline does not make a lot of sense. If you are an information based business (financial planning, marketing, research etc.) you might be wise to raise this percentage initially and increase it by increments based on the results you achieve. If you are a professional service (accounting, legal services etc.) your new clients probably come from personal contact and referrals. Your emphasis should primarily be on enhanced customer service and internal cost savings and you should budget according to those considerations. If you are one of the new breed of network marketers you may find that your Internet presence replaces nearly all your former means of profitable communications. It all gets back to question #1. "Who are you?" and what is the vision you have for your company's future. |
Tiptoe's services --
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2480 West 51st Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V6P 1G1 phone (604)263-1759 webmaster@tiptoe.com |
