What if You Give a Party (Web Site)

What if you give a party (Web site) and Nobody comes….

You spend a lot of time and money getting your Web site designed and operational. Finally all the glitches are worked out and it’s looking good. Then you go live… sit back … and wait for the business to roll in. Right? Wrong!

Claiming your piece of cyberspace is just the beginning. Just as you need to plan the content of your site to make sure it reflects your goals and objectives; you must also identify whom you want to bring to the site, how you’re going to bring them, and how you plan to keep them there long enough to do business with you. This is not a trivial matter. Leaving these issues to chance invites disappointment.

Some web marketers are fortunate enough to have a built-in audience just waiting for their Web site. They may not have to work at developing an audience at all. They just provide their current customers with the URL. One of my clients, for instance, is a furniture manufacturer wanted an online catalogue showing their latest model sofas and sectionals. They didn’t have to do any audience development because their customers – interior decorators and furniture retailers – were already waiting for the online version of the catalogue. They do not want to be found by people like you and me because they do not sell to the public.

Most of us are not this fortunate. We want a Web presence to attract new business in which case we need to plan the site to be part of our marketing strategy (who are we trying to reach with what message?) and we need a Web promotion plan before launching the site. The costs of promoting your site should be estimated along with the costs of developing and hosting the site so the later does not crowd out the former.

These are some standard ways to develop your audience:

1. Search Engines and Directories
2. Online Communities
3. Special Online Promotions
4. Public Relations in the .com world
5. Web Advertising
6. Shopping Directories

TIP: If your market is strictly local and you are not using your site to market beyond geographical barriers, you may be able to promote your Web presence through ads and press releases in local media only. These other methods for promoting your site online may not even apply under this scenario!

There are books written and companies formed that specialize in these audience development methods. Here is a brief overview of each so you can begin to think about which may apply to promoting your site. Part of the art of Web development/promotion is to be able to think about the most cost-effective promotion strategies for a given Web site.

1. Search Engine Optimization and Directories - YAHOO is by far the most popular navigation guide among Internet users. After YAHOO, a variety of search engines and directories such as GOOGLE, MSN, Lycos, Alta Vista, and many others are jockeying for usage and popularity. You need to think about in which Engines and Directories you want to be found. There are guidelines for submitting to each that need to be researched. Some offer the option of paying in order to get listed faster. Some require a submission of your URL periodically as they update their listings. There are local directories, too (e.g. NH Business Directories, YourTown Business Directories, etc.) Know your market and you marketing strategy so you can make wise choices about where you want to be found.

HTML Meta Tags and keywords on your Web pages are important tools for getting recognized by Search Engines.

2 - Online Communities or WORD of WEB - If you have interesting news to get out to large specialized audiences, newsgroups can be a way to get your message disseminated. But these groups are very sensitive to getting "spammed". If it’s really news, go for it; if not, think of another way. Try to create reciprocal links between your site and others that reach the same or overlapping audiences.

3 - Contests, Sweepstakes, Give-Away’s, etc.- Everyone likes to get something for free. Promotions can include contests to name a new product, free electronic newsletters sent to prospects with important industry information and updates (with your URL and links included), drawings for tickets to an important event, etc. The point of these exercises is to generate GOOD leads. So be careful about constructing your freebie offers.

4 - Public Relations in the .com World - Promote your URL as you would the company name. Every time you submit a press release, make sure your URL is prominently included. Get stories about something in your area of expertise published throughout your target market. Remember, what’s news to you may not be news to the media. Find a way to demonstrate that your venture satisfies an important market need.

5 - Web Advertising – A widening array of banner ad styles is available for both branding and direct response. Because of its complexity and reliance on up-to-date research and analysis, Web advertising is best left to professionals who can steer you toward the best return on investment.

6 - Shopping Directories – If you are in the retail business, there are innumerable shopping directories that will help market your products. Some specialize in types of products such as fine arts or crafts; some work on commission; others on a monthly subscription charge. They take responsibility for getting traffic to your site and some provide supporting retail services (e.g. credit card verification, etc.). Joining such a service can result in instant visibility but shop carefully for the service that will best meet your needs.

© Copyright, 2001 - Susan Levin Wessels (The Mighty Pen) has been a marketing writer in a Fortune 50 Company and has - over the past fifteen years - helped many public and private organizations create their image and promote their products and services through print and electronic means. She is a founding member of Freelance Writers Direct