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Launching a World Wide Web Site
by Bill Sweetman, June 1996
Does having a Web site make sense for your business?
Thought for the Day
This is not about building Web sites. This is
about communicating with your customers using an
interactive medium.
Far too much attention has been paid recently to
the hype and technology surrounding the World Wide
Web. Forget the Web for a minute. Think about what
communication needs you and your customers have now
and might have in the future. Are you able to fulfill
them using your existing technology, be it phone,
fax, or E-mail? If you can, great. You just saved
yourself a whack of money because you do not need a
Web site. However, if you or your customers have
identified some room for improvement, then perhaps
establishing a presence on the World Wide Web is the
right move.
What are Your Web Site Objectives?
- create new business opportunities - The
Web can be a terrific way to experiment with
new ideas and product lines. Showcase a
product prototype online and sample surfers'
opinions.
- generate business leads - Make it
easy for people to find you, and find out
about you. Some companies are conspicuous by
their absence from the Net.
- build store or business traffic - Your
online "storefront" can be open 24
hours a day, 365 days a year.
- create new revenue streams - Do you
have a product or service that can be offered
over the Internet?
- reduce distribution costs - Let's
use the example of a typical corporate
brochure. How much does it cost to print the
brochure, stuff it in an envelope, address
it, and put a stamp on it? What if you could
deliver similar information, immediately and
internationally, via the Web?
- provide latest information regarding new
products or services - Can you afford
to phone, fax, or mail your customers every
time you want to let them know about one of
your new products or services? Changing the
information on a Web site makes much more
sense.
- provide directions to consumers - Put
your instruction manuals online, and update
them based on customer feedback so that the
manuals are always the latest version.
- survey customers or prospects - The
Web is a cost-effective way to qualify
potential customers and get valuable feedback
from existing ones.
- build a database for organization mailings
- Give visitors to your site an incentive
to provide you with their E-mail address and,
assuming that you have gotten their
permission, you can send them inexpensive
E-mail updates on your company's products and
services.
- increase international distribution and
penetration - Rather than setup an
office in another country, consider breaking
into that market using the international
reach of the Net.
- electronic commerce - As secure
online payment becomes a reality, you may be
able to complete a sales transaction without
the need of any traditional go-betweens.
- interactive customer service - 1-800
phone lines are very expensive for a company
and often frustrating for their customers.
You could save a fortune by moving this to
the Web.
- support existing advertising, promotional
efforts - TV commercials are great,
but what if they work (heaven forbid!) and
the viewer wants more information about your
products or services? The Web could be the
perfect way to satisfy this potential
customer's thirst for info.
- real-time order processing - Is
your current method of fulfillment expensive
or inefficient? Maybe the Web holds the cure.
- recruit new employees or post job
opportunities - Has anyone priced a
classified ad in the newspapers recently? No
surprise a lot of companies are turning to
the Web to find talented, pre-qualified
employees.
Bill Sweetman is MultiMediator's Founder.
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