Page 98 - Duct Tape Marketing

82 Part II: Sharpening Your Marketing Focus

In designing your business environment, balance your operations and inter-
nal needs against the wants and needs of your most important asset: your
customers.

Online encounters

To cyberspace customers, your Web site is your business. The big difference,
though, is that you can’t be there to personally welcome them or to right
wrongs should something go awry. Instead, your Web site needs to do it all.
As you build your online presence, be vigilant about adhering to your com-
pany’s image while creating a site that works flawlessly and efficiently — just
as you would expect your physical environment to work.

Chapter 16 is full of information to help you achieve your marketing objec-
tives online. Here are some quick things to keep in mind as you develop an
online presence that supports your business image:

ߜ Your Web site will rarely make a first impression for your business.
With more than four billion Web pages and some 50 million Web sites
out there, the chances of a customer randomly wandering onto your site
are remote. Plan to lead people to your site through your ads and mar-
keting materials, through online links to your site, and through efforts
that maximize your site’s performance in search engines.

ߜ Your Web site can make a final impression for your business. If it
crashes, is slow to load, or is too confusing to navigate, visitors won’t
return.

ߜ Be aware that people arriving at your site may not know where they
are. They may be coming from search engines, referrals, or links, and
they may not know that they’ve arrived in your Web space. Or they may
arrive at an internal page of your site, so be sure that every page fea-
tures your name or logo along with a link to your home page.

ߜ Remember that online customers are like any other customers. They
are not of another world; they are not isolated to online encounters.
They are the same people who see your magazine ads, walk by your dis-
play windows, find you in the Yellow Pages, and meet you at dinner par-
ties. If you want your Web site to work for your business, make it part of
your business. Integrate its look, content, and offerings with the rest of
your marketing program, right down to the style of type you use, the
kinds of messages you present, and the way you display your business
name and logo. For more information, turn to the advice on establishing
and maintaining a consistent image in Chapter 7.