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Marketing on the Worldwide Web

Presentations

Bio

CedMA

Introduction

Facts and Figures

Factors that Will Impact European Adoption

The Range of Internet Business

Key Factors of Internet Business

Mass Marketing

Changing the Way We Do Business

Loyal Customers the Ideal Community

Business Processes Should Impact Your Customer

What do you think? How does this apply to you?

Examples and Resources

State of Grace

Introduction

This presentation was made to the European ITTA (Information Technology Training Association) membership. Europe is gaining momentum in web usage, nonetheless it is a year or two behind the United States. It attempts to give the audience a comprehensive view of using the web to market. It is generic in nature, not necessarily specific to the IT training industry, but sites potential examples in the training industry. The premise is that training, like any other business has products and services to market.

Using the worldwide web to market your product is not as simple as paying for advertising space. Yes, you can place a banner on the most popular and most visited web site, but I can guarantee you that this is not the kind of value you are looking for, nor is it the kind of value the web can offer.

Never has there been a time that so many knew so little about so many things?

This is definitely true for me! Through this wonderment, I have become a keen observer of the fascinating business of the worldwide web. This document attempts to impart some information through facts and market data, from lessons learned and some case studies.

Simply consider this document as an information source. This document won't give you specific instructions on what to do, or how you should do it, but hopefully it should give you a bit more information to help you make your own decisions.

An essential component of the emerging global culture is the ability and freedom to connect - to anyone, anytime, anywhere, for anything. In my view, the Internet, by nature, is a global tool. As a natural course, it means different things to different countries at different points and times.

Facts and Figures

 The growing on-line population making Internet 'mass media'

Source: Intelliquest, 1997

Internet services and software is expected to gross $3 billion by the end of 1997.

Netscape and Microsoft can look forward to a growing server market. An estimated 1997 base of 1,330,000 installed Internet servers is projected to grow to 2.3 million by 2001.

See Market Data, State of the Art in Web-based Training

Factors that will impact the adoption of the web in the European market

Slides 4-5  

It was former European Community President Jacques Delors, who made headlines with quotas in the European Union's policies regarding the telecommunications industries. But as you know, today, Europe is considering the privatization of large telephone companies. We know that the majority of European business is conducted by phone and fax. We know that the Internet requires dedicated phone lines. While most offices are already linked, Europe suffers a lower quality of phone service than the US, greater difficulty of access, and higher costs (calls charged per minute) Currently those who have access are restricted to a few businesses, and a sampling of students.

It is only a matter of time, however, that the problems of affordability and the ease of access are addressed. The last major block is awareness and that is the key to finding an audience that will put this electronic information to use.

Therefore, it is not the producers of software and hardware and current users of telecommunications and computer technology who should learn about the existence and potentials of the Internet. The general public will need to have a basic understanding as they will be the consumer market and future audience as computer-mediated communication becomes integrated into society.

As leaders in IT training, we have a public duty to keep informed and updated on the progress of technology in order to impact the necessary changes that will lead to public awareness and the dispelling of technophobia, maximizing the utilization of the web.

Although taking a little longer than the US and Japan, European leaders have set forth an aggressive agenda for regaining lost time and lost ground since the "Group of Seven" most industrialized nations convened in Brussels, Belgium with the heads of 45 international high-tech corporations and political "cyberspace activists" for the first conference of the "Society of Worldwide Information" in 1995.

The Range of Internet Business

There are three types of Internet businesses. The first and foremost is what the Internet was widely used for before it became commercialized-INFORMATION. The quest for information is why the "search" companies like "Yahoo" and "Alta Vista" became such viable Internet businesses. There are sites specializing in any given topic you can think of; travel, dogs, health, etc.

The other is selling over the net. "Virtual Malls" or shopping centers are the alternative to catalog retailing or telesales. As the fear of credit card theft over the wire dissipates, we see this gaining a lot of momentum.

The last, but I think most compelling, most promising and most important (in my opinion) is using the Internet for participatory interaction, such as learning online, playing games, immersing the participant in the experience and remaining there for long periods of time. Returning there because this has become part of their daily landscape. This is the virtual community

Key Factors

 Slides 7-11

The customer dilemma is that they have so many choices to make. It is important to keep your customers happy-this is the key to effective market strategizing.

We need to have a clear and vivid understanding of our own business and marketing objectives. Are they strictly direct marketing in nature? Do you have branding goals? Are you looking to ensure that your target markets are actually receiving the messages?

In recognizing the inherent strengths of the worldwide web make sure that in each of these you are achieving your particular objective-whether it be branding, direct marketing, or some combination.

• Users can find what they want quickly and allows a short response cycle. They can make decisions based on easily available information and be able to conduct electronic transactions.
• The Internet can measure on line behavior of its customer being able to evaluate and assess its effectiveness.
• This information can be used to address your target audience of well-qualified customers.

Serve applications that immerse your audience in some interactive and dynamic activity that engages them for longer periods and is compelling enough for the customer to return. Make a visit to the site a part of your customers' business process.

Mass Marketing Won't Work for the Worldwide Web

The idea that marketers can burnish a brand image in the minds of millions is fine for a TV advertisement or a print campaign. But its an unrealistic fantasy in this new medium."

Users surf the web, seeing information. The "server" understands the users behavior and directs the ad message, the user is attracted, clicks on it and buys more. User seeks product or service and finds a place to buy and completes the purchase. Both require the user to browse and surf, moving from place to place and its success highly depends on this surfing behavior. This strategy is excellent for direct marketing, accomplishing the objectives.

It is not, however, the best use of the media. The marketing potential of the Internet is using it as a branding tool in an "immersive" application.

Changing the Way We Do Business.

I am not against web advertising, in fact web advertising revenue in the US first six months totaled $217.3 million a 256% increase since last year. It is good business, but generating revenue from advertising does not in anyway tell me that the advertising successfully generates revenue for my business.

I'd like to talk more about how you can use the web to make it easy and compelling for customers to do business with you.

• Online we go after service, support and utility. The web offers customers a deeper experience of your organization, or your product. Conventional advertising gives you a brand veneer, the web gives a new middle ground where a customer can actually engage with the company or product rather than just read about it.
• The web gives you an opportunity to add some attributes to what your organization or product has meant to people in the past. Not just show schedules and descriptions of courses informing your audience that you train, consult or develop courses, but to empower your customers to communicate and learn using you as a facilitator.

This is a good opportunity to sell to an existing, concentrated and motivated customer community. You already cater to a specific clientele - create links to other instructors, content developers, candidates, and students. They will all benefit professionally from networking, sharing information and advice. Mostly, it will grow the community.

Loyal Customers, the Ideal Community

  Slides 14-15

• Business 24 hours
• Know your customers
• Customers know each other
• Integrity
• Easy and fun

Make it easy to do business, make it available, cover all media (not just the web), list email, phone, fax, and by all means use all of these methods to facilitate the most ideal transaction which is face-to-face. Offer easy and convenient access, etc.

Create opportunities for your customers to meet and learn from each other. Discussion groups, chats, web events, user groups, etc.

Know your customers needs and buying habits.

Keep your arms around them.

Keep it easy and pleasant to do business with.

• Target the right customers
• Own the customer's total experience
• Allow customers to help themselves
• Help them do their jobs and be more productive

Know customer's profile and personalize

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