The Black Hole in your Marketing Plan

In the years before the Internet, marketing strategies were easily planned and executed. Companies spent umpteen dollars in print and/or broadcast advertising geared towards getting the prospect to call or visit for more information. In was relatively simple. Create an eye-catching ad and supply the prospect with your phone and fax numbers. If the prospect needed more information, he had to make contact with the company and was referred to a sales professional who would close the deal.

Then came the Internet. Companies continued to spend umpteen dollars in print and broadcast advertising, but the prospect now had a third option to acquire more information — the company's web site. And there lies the problem.

Few web sites are geared towards "closing the deal." Most companies are still struggling to determine what content should be at their web site unaware that they aren't getting the opportunity to make contact with the prospect, and yet they continue to pour thousands of dollars into off-line advertising geared to send prospects to their site!

Most small to mid-sized companies don't even spend $5,000 per year on their web site. Worse, many are "do-it-yourself" sites that do not show the company at its best. While you may be very proud of little Johnny being able to create a web page - you're shooting yourself in the foot. Learning HTML or using an HTML program like Front Page, is not rocket science, but to expect little Johnny to know anything about marketing, copy writing, graphic design and layout, and scripting is simply unreasonable. Most company owners don't have all of those skills, why would poor little student Johnny?

Your web site is the first impression a prospect gets about your company. If the design screams "amateur," your company is likely to be dismissed by serious prospects, much as you would dismiss the guy who approaches you on the street trying to sell you a "Rolex" watch.

Here are just a few things a professional designer considers when designing a site:

Does the client want to look like a big company?
This may give the impression that the goods or services are expensive, but well worth the money. If the answer is "yes," then the designer strives for a corporate look. If the answer is "no," then the designer strives for a more intimate look - a feel that a company is professional and able to give personal service.

Why would a visitor come to the company's site and what would they expect to see?
It never ceases to amaze me how companies bury their products and services at a web site. It's not uncommon to see menus like: Contact Us, Products, About Us, etc. So, let's see what happens when a visitor comes to a site like this.

1. The visitor types in the domain name given in the ad, looking for more product information.
2. Click #1: He now has to click on "products" to find a specific product. Chances are he is now coming to an index of products.
3. Click #2: Now he has to click again on the specific product or product category.

   Get the picture? The visitor has to click a minimum of two times to view information on the product he is seeking (more if there are a lot of products grouped by category).

   Now, change the main menu to include either the specific products or product categories, and you've eliminated at least one click. There, on your home page, is the product he is seeking! No reason to leave this site without the expected information.

   What does the company want the site visitor to do?
   Does the designer need to create an online store, quote system, live help, or a specifications library? How much information is the company willing to share on the Internet? Tough, but important questions. The visitor has to be guided to do whatever the company expects and it's the designer's responsibility to direct him to this action.

   Conclusion
   Companies can continue to pour thousands of dollars into off-line advertising and see dwindling return on their investment, or they can wake-up, trim some of those advertising dollars back, and invest them into a web site that is professional, effective, and current. Partnering with a design firm, like Web-Kare, that has a solid sales and marketing background is the best way to plug that black hole in your advertising strategy.