Posted by: Stephen Sutherlin, Internet Director

There a number of key objectives that a business needs to consider when developing their website:

eCommerce / Interactivity – Depending upon your business model the best way to use the Internet is as a 24-Hour salesman who can service your customer anytime. If online sales is not one of your objectives, make sure your site is Interactive and has easy to access information.

Permission to market further – Seth Godin, in 1999, wrote “Permission Marketing”, still one of the leading Internet marketing books available. The single most important thing that a business can take away from a visitor interaction on their website, is the identity of the user. This can then be utilized to further your marketing with a visitor.

Research – The longest part of the “Buying Cycle” is research. This is also the point in the buying cycle where you will get comparison shopped. How does your site stack up against your competition?

Comparative Information / Savings – While you don’t have to be a discounter to be successful online, web shoppers do like  to find a deal. Make sure your site is strong informationally. Look at your competitors sites and make sure you are providing enough information. The web is also a great place to distribute / track a coupon offer.

Content Publishing – Being a valuable resource is the best way to drive site traffic and earn the trust of your customers. If you are going to get into the content business, however, you are going to need staffing and resources.

Posted by: Stephen Sutherlin, Internet Director

Probably the biggest misconception out there is that the Internet is cheap or free. While there are a number of these types of opportunities available for marketers, they are part-of-the-mix, not the staples.

First and foremost, businesses need to focus on their own websites. You need to create your site to meet your objectives. This certainly won’t be free and depending on the objectives, it may not even be cheap. But, it is the single most important investment you will make for your business in the next few years. Even if you need to table some of your other marketing initiatives this year, this is one area you need to focus.

Once you have addressed your site, you need to market it. This begins at the ground level and includes all of your mass marketing efforts.

Include your Website in all media purchase. People remember websites more easily than they remember phone numbers and addresses.

Yes, you first need to buy in to the fact that the Internet is with us for the long haul and it is a viable and valuable part of your media mix. As of Q1 2007, Internet expenditures have now overtaken Radio spending nationally.