The Internet Adds Tremendous Marketing Power
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Ceiling on the way to the Museum of Glass. |
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to small businesses.
Suddenly, small companies have found that they can do business with
a national or international clientele at a price far below the costs
of other advertising media. Here are a few questions which pop up
again and again as business people explore the potential of the Internet.
What is the Internet?
Does my computer need to be on all the time?
Who pays for the long distance calls?
How do businesses use the Internet?
What kinds of businesses benefit from
the Internet?
How does a business get started on the
Internet?
How do people find my business on the
Internet?
How do people pay for goods or services?
How
do Web pages work?
What is a Web Presence™?
What is the Internet?
The Internet is a world-wide network of tens of thousands of large
computers, all connected to each other. Individuals and businesses
get on the Internet
by obtaining an Internet account through a local Internet Service Provider,
offering access to e-mail (electronic mail) and the World Wide Web (an
information access system). The "Web" allows potential customers
to "visit" a business's storefront to the world, and view the
company's on-line color brochure stored in "pages" or files
which can be viewed in both text and pictures.
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Does my computer need to be on all the
time?
No. You place your business's Web pages in your host computer's storage banks.
The host computer needs to run 24 hours a day, not yours. There is no danger
of hackers getting into your business computer.
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Who pays for the long distance calls?
Your only telephone charge is the cost of a local call to your Internet Service
Provider. Messages then are relayed to other large host computers via leased,
high-speed phone lines and satellite systems. Their phone costs come out
of your flat monthly Internet Service Provider fee.
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How do businesses use the Internet?
This form of advertising is used to build a company's
image, provide customer support, make available technical and troubleshooting
information, develop
a prospect list, conduct customer surveys, offer products, and take orders.
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What kinds of businesses benefit from
the Internet?
Businesses with a local market area are seeing
the largest benefit right now. More than ever, people are looking for
local companies over the Internet. Regional and national businesses
stand to gain much as well, since 15 to
35 million
Americans on the Internet
now become potential customers, with that number growing by 10% each
month. Mail order companies and import/export firms have special
potential.
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How does a business get started on the
Internet?
You can obtain access to the Internet through a
local Internet Service Provider. If you want to have your business
Web pages "hosted" on the Internet, expect to pay another
$30 or more per month. Also contact a professional Web page designer
to help you prepare Web pages which will display your goods and services
to the world. Expect to fees starting at $500 and up, depending on
the complexity and number of your pages.
Of course, for South Puget Sound companies, there is no better place to go
than right here.
Call us. 253-44-55-777.
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How do people find my business on the
Internet?
A dozen or so {major} indexing systems are available
on the Web called "search
engines," known by names such as Google, Yahoo, Lycos, HotBot,
AltaVista, and Web Crawler {there are actually hundreds of search
engines, but only a dozen or so major ones}. With the help of a Web
page designer, you register your company's Web site
with
these
indexes.
Then,
when
someone
searches for keywords such as "electronics," "air
conditioning," or "thermostat" they
find Acme Climate Control listed with similar firms. They "click" on
your company's name and immediately begin to view your Web pages.
You can also send an e-mail press release to services which track "what's
new" on the Internet, and make people aware of your company's
Web site by means of Internet mailing lists and news groups.
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How do people pay for goods or services?
Shopping carts are becoming more common, even with
small Web sites. Customers can order products directly typing
their credit card number into
an on-line form using a shopping cart the seller has set up. However,
they may be reluctant to do so unless the seller offers what is known
as a "SSL secure server" so
that credit information can't be intercepted by hackers. Of course,
businesses
can still offer to take orders via fax, phone, or what Internet users
call "snail mail."
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How do Web pages work?
The World Wide Web provides you with a way to introduce
your business to the world in a series of "pages" connected
by "links." When customers see something that interests them,
say a catalog of your product line, they "click" their computer
mouse on the "link," the blue highlighted words "Acme
Climate Control Product Line," and immediately they can view products
in your on-line catalog. An organization might have several "pages," all
linked to their main menu page or "home page." These pages
typically include information about the company and its history, products
or services, technical support information, and an order or feedback
form. Potential customers can view as little or as much as interests
them, and business owners can update prices and products at any time.
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What is a Web Presence™?
Intra-Designs™ does more than just design
a Web site, we create a complete Web
Presence™. This entails creating the site to your specifications,
then marketing that site to fit your clients. For instance, lets say you
teach Yoga classes in Puyallup and you want a Web site. We would design
the site
then set up the marketing so people looking for Yoga in Puyallup would
find your site. This is accomplished through the strategic use of the right
combination
of keywords. Keywords are how a search engine, like Yahoo or Google, organizes
sites. Call us for more information. 253-44-55-777.
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Thousands of new people are gaining access to the Internet each week,
and businesses are constantly opening new Web sites to market products
and services to them. For the right type of business, the Internet
opens up a vast market at a price unheard of even a few years ago.
