It Takes More Than A Pretty Face On Your Interface

Recent studies of the ways in which businesses are using the Internet indicate that, while more and more companies are rushing to establish a presence in cyberspace, many of them are failing to understand and exploit this vital new medium to the fullest.

MANY BUSINESSES FAIL TO EXPLOIT THE INTERNET'S POTENTIAL

According to top industry experts, many organizations have developed Web sites primarily because it's the thing to do or because their competitors have sites. But rather than utilize the Internet's potential for effective, targeted marketing, they're doing little more than mirroring their corporate brochures and porting existing traditional media marketing campaigns to the Web.

This sampling of comments from some of the reports should stir any business out of its cyber-complacency:

"While companies are spending time and money developing Web sites, they are frequently inadequate and even counterproductive to the company. That is, they don't serve their client base, their investors, the general public or potential employees."

"They create static websites, with big lumpy graphics; websites that don't even interact with the staff within the organisation, let alone the public."

"(corporations) see the Internet as a thing you do when the pressure is off in other areas, which gets left-over pieces of budget, and which really doesn't have anything to do with the important job of doing business and making profit."

"Corporate Web sites do not serve the audience they are designed for, nor do they reflect business strategies of the companies that create them."

THE INTERNET IS A PLACE WHERE RELATIONSHIPS ARE DEVELOPED

It is essential that businesses understand that the Internet is more than a new technology. It is a place to be inhabited, a space in which companies and customers interact and establish relationships. Successful Internet marketing demands an awareness and implementation of these new Internet-specific revenue strategies - in short, it requires new ways of thinking about the business of doing business. According to Don Peppers, one of the high gurus of online marketing, "Only companies that interact with, learn from, and personalize their products and services for their customers - in other words, only those that build relationships - stand a chance of weathering the customer free-for-all that lies ahead."

IN CYBERSPACE, PRODUCTS ARE BOUGHT, NOT SOLD

The first step toward creating a successful marketing site is to understand that traditional buying/selling models have little relevancy in cyberspace. On the web, products are bought, not sold. Potential customers go to a Web site because they want information about the company and its products, not marketing hard-sell. Their interest may have been initially piqued by traditional media advertising, but now they want the facts they need to make their purchasing decision. They expect the information to be easy to find, up to date, and relevant to their interests. If they don't find the specific information they want, they expect to be able to communicate their questions to the company and receive a prompt, personal response. A company which can fulfill these expectations will be in a position to make the most of the extaordinary opportunities in e-commerce.

Graphical Planet can provide the expert guidance you need to realize the full potential of doing business in cyberspace. We're a lot more than a Web site developer or a new media design firm - we're also an educational institution for successful commerce in cyberspace.