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In the physical world, there are many, very separate job functions, of which marketing is one.
On the Web, everything that affects the visitor is marketing:
The Internet marketing plan is not an add-on. It should not be developed in isolation or put together after other business decisions have been made. It should be at the heart of the business plan.
Branding rules should not be developed and enforced separate from the Internet marketing plan. Graphics and logo-oriented branding programs -- legacy programs from the old era of print-based marketing -- have no place on the Web. And efforts to translate those rules into cyberspace often lead to page design templates and practices that wind up blocking search engines, and hence reduce the traffic to the site. Efforts focusing on attracting and serving the audience should come first.
Likewise, the design of the site should not be determined by what is possible with the latest technological gimmickry. Just because it can be done and is technically impressive does not mean that it should be done. The design must serve the needs of the audience. That includes, above all, making sure that all the content can be fully indexed by search engines, so the target audience can readily find the site.
Web visitors, except those who arrive randomly -- having clicked on a banner ad in a semi-conscious daze or having clicked on a link by mistake -- arrive with expectations. They may be looking for information or an opportunity for social interaction or might want to shop. In any case, they expect easy navigation within a site, clear explanations of what's what so they don't have to waste time, and quick satisfaction of their immediate expectation or at least handy customer service contacts that can help them get it.
When I pick up a brochure, I expect nothing, and rare is the occasion when I hesitate for more than a second before throwing it in the trash.
When I arrive at a Web site, I arrive with a purpose in mind. Yes, I'm impatient. Yes, I can with a click go somewhere else. But because of my expectation of satisfaction, I am willing to suspend disbelief for a brief while and poke around a bit to see if I have in fact made a mistake or if what I want is really there.
The concept of visitor expectations -- making sure that everything you do to attract visitors sets the right expectations, and also making sure that the satisfaction is easy to find, and that help is also easy to find -- should be foremost in the mind of Internet marketers. This is extremely difficult, and in many ways unrelated to the activities of marketers in the physical world. It is also a remarkable opportunity so long as you approach this task with the right attitude. Your job is to serve and to satisfy. The role of your Web site is not as a replacement for printed marketing materials, rather, from the perspective of visitors, it should do something. To visitors the site itself is a service or product that they are paying for with their time and attention.
To be effective, the person in charge of "Internet marketing" needs to be able to control or at least strongly influence all factors related to the visitor experience and coordinate them. That person needs to be more of a ringmaster than a traditional marketing person, with heightened sensitivity to the interests, concerns, and expectations of the audience and how to bring together the full resources of the company to meet them. Do that right and many target visitors will find more useful information than they anticipated and will linger and explore, or they will become engaged in useful and pleasurable activites that they hadn't imagined. They will want to return again and again and spread the word. They will want to help you succeed, because they value your service. And if you provide ways to let them help you (through online discussion, affiliate programs, etc.), they will become not just visitors, not just customers, but volunteer partners, increasing the value of your business.
This site is Published by B&R Samizdat Express, 33 Gould St., West Roxbury, MA 02132. (617) 469-2269. seltzer@samizdat.com
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