THE HIGH PROFIT SECRETS OF DOING BUSINESS ON THE INTERNET
The most widely available and used service on the internet is e-mail. With almost every
FORTUNE 500 company and nearly 40 million individual "addresses", e-mail is
almost as common in business as a fax machine. To be competative, the ability to send and
receive electronic mail is almost imparative. It is suggested that including an e-mail
address on all business correspondance might improve the business image because it shows
that a business is trying to improve customer service and the speed of response. A few
pointers should be noted. First, you should select your internet service based on your
business plans. This includes if you intend to travel alot, place a future web page or get
your own "domain name". We will discuss web pages and domain names later. If you
intend to use e-mail to keep in touch while travelling, then it may save money to look at
one of the national service providers, since they are more likely to have "local
access" phone numbers in the cities where you travel and that can save money on phone
charges.
The next point of discussion is how to respond to electronic mail. I will suggest that
someone retreive electronic mail at least every other day and preferably several time a
day. I also suggest that some kind of response be given at that same time, even if it is
only an acknowledgement of the receipt of the message.
Also, don't forget that electronic mail can be an excellent sales tool. You can employ
I few basic stratagies to improve your marketing. The first is to ad a short
"signature file" at the end of every message with your "web" site
address and a 2-4 line plug for some new product or service. But remember, many people pay
for their internet service so keep it short and suggest they request more information and
tell them how to get it. Such as:
Thank you for choosing JOES COMPUTERS for your computing needs. This months special is
16 Megabyte memory at $10 per Meg For information on this and other specials our
"web" page is at "www.blahblahblah.com" or call 1-800-good buy.
If your business is a type of business that has new products or specials on a regular
basis, then you might also want to create a "mailing" list. Unwanted electronic
mail (junk) is just as much a nucence as paper junk mail, give the customer the choice to
be on the "mailing" list and give incentives for them to be included such as
special discounts or having a price drawing at the end of the year. Even if the customer
agrees to be on the list, don't overwelm (too much) or over send (too often). A good rule
of thumb is 1 or 2 typewritten pages not more then every 2 weeks. But also don't forget
those that that weren't included, sending 1 or 2 notes per year whould not be unreasonable
if only to thank them for their business.
An additional way to get information to your customers is by a new technology called an
"auto-responder" or "mail-bot". This is a service that most
"full-service" internet providers have available. It allows a customer to get
information on a product or service "mailed" back to them by requesting it using
a "key-word" in the subject or message line of an e-mail message. This method
gets around the limitation that many businesses have placed on their internet connection
that allow e-mail but not "web" browsing.
These are generaly continuing discussion groups. Some are "moderated"
controlled discussions that have a person or people that control what is posted.and keep
to one subject. Others are nearly free-for-alls where almost anything goes. There are
nearly 15,000 different news groups on the internet today. One for almost any interest or
divertion. These news groups can be a good source of information or new customers. It may
take some time to find the correct group to join for your desired interest, however you
will find people with a pre-defined interest in the subject and who may be more receptive
to your message. This type of marketing may take longer, but is generaly more productive
then the old way of sending your message to 10's of thousands of the general public then
hoping for a 1% response. The key to using news groups for marketing is to keep to the
subject matter and respond to peoples request for information. Use a "signature
file" as in e-mail above. DO NOT DO A BLATENT ADVERTISEMENT UNLESS IT IS A "FOR
SALE" OR CLASSIFIED TYPE NEWGROUP.
The hottest craze on the internet at this time is to have a "web" page. But
as in every other type of publishing there are rules that must be followed to make it the
most effective. The first rule is to give away something information is what people are
looking for when they first visit a "web" site. Next, make it easy for them to
find you. Post your "web" site address to all the "search engines"
using the most discriptive "key-words" as you can find. If there is more related
information on other pages on your "web" site post those also (no one is
restricting the number of postings you do as long as its not redundent information or a
different subject). Make it easy to "navigate" your pages (include page to page
hotlinks) and trade links with other related "web" sites. Make it an interesting
place to come back to. Yes, do include colorful graphics, but keep them small (<40K
bytes) discriptive and to the point. Use thumbnail images that point to more detailed
images and give your visitor the choice of whether or not to take the time to download
them. Do the same with large document files. Place a "hotlink" that allows them
to be downloaded and include an indication as to how big the file is. A page that loads
quickly (something visible with a few seconds) will keep people from going elsewhere.
Should I have my own domain name? "www.mybusinessname.com". That is a
question many businesses new to the internet are asking. If you have a unique business or
business name, the answer is yes. Because domain names are given on a first-come
first-serve basis, you should register your business name as a domain as soon as possible.
It also allows you to move between acess providers, if the need arrives, without having to
change your e-mail or "web" site address. The downside is it costs about $75 to
$150 per month to have a "virual" "web" address. The charge to
register runs about $100 for the registration and about $50 per year with the first 2
years paid in advance.
If I already have a "web" page should I also place a "storefront"
on a mall. Yes, by all means, if the perpose of marketing is to get the best exposure of
your product or service to the most people, then an established internet mall, such as the
IMALL, like a physical shopping mall is a good place to put any type
of advertising from classifieds to full "storefronts". Customers have already
come to the all looking to buy, make it as easy for as possible.