Do you belong on the Web?
Warning: If you think web sites are marketing bla-blah commodities or that blogs are self-indulgent drivel - you probably won’t like this post. If you’re still learning your way on the Web and want to really move ahead, read on.
I still run across otherwise smart people who “just want an on-line brochure” (and want it cheap.) Then they complain they never get results from their site. Of course, they’ve also not spent any time working on the site - looking at their stats, adding new content, getting quality links, posting on blogs to increase visibility, etc. Of course, we all get busy and life happens. My own site has been scheduled for “renovation” for months now and it may finally happen in January. Yet, I do freshen up the content regularly, including posting on this blog almost daily. I know that I need to treat my web business investment as just that - business. Which means I block out time to work on it and learn about new opportunities (and new technologies are opportunities…with more happening every day.)
Think about it - you wouldn’t lay your brochure out on the counter at the post office (even at this time of year with the ton of people “hitting” the place) and expect a flood of new customers. And, nobody would build a store in the middle of the Mojave desert and expect tons of traffic. Yet, this “build it and they will come” mentality is still way too prevalent in the virtual marketplace.
Further, we all (Aries only child me included) must remember that others don’t know (or care) how gosh darn special or unique we are - they care about how special and unique they are. So, simply putting up a web site - no matter how unique - isn’t going to get you business.
So, do you really belong on the Web? Here’s a couple of questions for you:
1. Are you Web 1.0 or Web 2.0? If you don’t know what I’m talking about and aren’t curious to find out, you don’t belong (sorry).
2. Do you not have time “to learn all that techy stuff?” If that’s your thought - sorry - no Web biz for you. Sure, we can’t learn “all” the techy stuff but we should be informed, engaged participants. Plus, you’ll be able to - like, wow, man - have an actual conversation with your kids, the MySpace generation.
Seth Godin’s e-consultancy interview gives more food for thought (Although I’m still not sure just how the Squidoo is different than what already exists, but we’ll see. It is still in beta, after all.) One point in particular to keep in mind if you’re serious about your Web business.
“…10. I guess that the majority of online marketers still perceive the web as an acquisition channel, rather than a customer relationship channel. Would you agree?
I would agree that they perceive it that way, and of course, they’d be expensively and dangerously wrong.”
And, you don’t build relationships with brochures.
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December 15th, 2005 at 8:26 am
I agree that you don’t build relationships with brochures or blogs, but used properly - they can assist in building the relationships. As you note (and practice), it’s about continued communication.
Too many times I’ve seen brochures gather dust on the counter. They need to be handed to customers on the way out the door, with suggestions on how to use the brochure..or sales card, etc. Until I started suggesting that to clients, they thought it was just poor writing or the design.
December 15th, 2005 at 9:45 am
Mike,
I actually do think one can build relationships via blogging…I’m meeting people all over the world, without ever leaving my office. Of course, as you know - it’s like everything else - blogging can’t be the only thing we do.
And, haven’t we all seen closets full of brochures that never got used - because they “were so expensive - we don’t want to waste them.” Better to hand them out than to just throw them out. And, suggest the brochure needs to talk real-world, customer examples, things the prospect can think about and use, even if they don’t buy from you. Brochures are tools, as you note, and should be used as such.
December 19th, 2005 at 2:36 am
Hi, I do belong to the Web, definitively. In my opinion Squidoo is going to be something big and will test again the power of word-of-mouth marketing. Re. brochures, what customers are looking for now are more personal and personalised deals, the brochure will work as far as there is a real and warm face behind it.
Thank you for the tips Mary.