Page 174 - Social Media Marketing

Creating and Maintaining Your Own Web Site 159

• Information request form: To gather contact information from
prospective clients, offer to mail or e-mail them additional
information. In exchange for this valuable information, the per-
son must supply his or her e-mail address.mailing address,
and!or phone number. If you have a newsletter, you may
require visitors to register in order to receive it. Again,
several tools on the Internet can help you design forms for
your web site.

• Feedback form or survey: With a feedback form or survey, you
can ask clients for their opinions on products and customer
service, so you can continually improve.

Your hosting service may provide the tools you need to create
special components for your web site, including forms, a shopping
cart service, discussion boards, a FAQ (frequently asked questions)
list, auctions, calendars, polls or surveys, and much more.

You might also want to consider adding multimedia content in
the form of a podcast or video podcast:

• Podcast: A podcast is an audio file that Internet users can down-
load and play on their computers or transfer to a portable music
player such as an iPod. With a microphone, a computer, and
recording software, you can transform your office into an audio
recording studio and create your own podcasts.

• Video podcast: A video podcast (vidcast or vodcast for short) is
a video recording that Internet users can download and play
on their computers or transfer to a portable video player such
as a video iPod. With a digital camera, a tripod, and video
editing software, you can create your own video podcasts to
feature products, distribute how-to videos, or simply deliver
your message in a more personal format.

Video is a very effective medium for delivering home tours and
product demos. If you are no videographer, consider hiring a local
videographer who specializes in helping businesses develop video
for online use.