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Don't Lose Your Domain Name
With your domain name tell them what you really
do
Give Your Viewers the Appropriate Download Experience
Don't Kill Your Links
Effective Web Site Writing
Using E-mail Effectively
Tips for Using E-Mail in Your Marketing Program
One of our new clients recently lost their corporate domain name,
which the client had registered through a third party. Our client
did everything right. They diligently registered their corporate
name four years ago - with a coveted .com extension. When we began
to build their Web site this month, our staff discovered that they
had lost their domain name. Somehow our client's payment for renewing
their domain name was not received by the Internet registrar. When
our client's name reservation expired, another company purchased
it.
Remember you do not own your domain name (also called URL) you
are renting it from the Internet registrar. If your Internet registrar
does not receive your renewal payment, another individual or company
can purchase the name. Even large companies are having problems
tracking URL expirations. Microsoft almost lost its hotmail-related
domain. Upon noticing that the hotmail-related domain was suddenly
available, a Good Samaritan purchased it and sold it back to Microsoft.
To safeguard your domain name:
- Check with your registrar and see when your URL is set to expire.
You can use a universal database to review your record. On the
Internet, visit the following link and enter your URL in the search
field www.betterwhois.com.
- Make sure your billing address is correct (review your listing
in the whois database)
- If you really want to safeguard your domain name, you can now
reserve it for up to 10 years (visit the Network Solutions web
site for more info)
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More news on the domain name front. The folks at ICANN - the organization
that sets Internet naming policy - have recently announced the acceptance
of longer domain names. What does that mean? Prior to this announcement,
your domain name could not exceed 26 characters (including 4 characters
for the extensions .com, .net, .org).
Now you can have a name with 67 characters (including the extensions).
With these longer names, you can be very creative with the name
you select. If you have a well-known slogan, for example, that can
become your domain name. Or, if you have a particular niche such
as: AccountantsSpecializingInRealEstate.com (39 characters with
the .com), you can use your domain name as a marketing tool.
One of the first steps in establishing an online identity is to
acquire the ideal domain name. And, they're going fast. Industry
experts estimate that global domain name registrations will rise
to 140 million names by the end of 2003 from about 11 million registered
through the end of September 1999.
To see available domain names, check out the following resources:
- www.betterwhois.com
-- includes a database of the authorized registrars on the Internet
- so you can see if the domain name you want is available.
- www.targetdomain.com
- claims to be a place for companies and individuals to buy and
sell domain names under accepted industry and trademark practices
- www.hitdomains.com
- claims to be a place for buying and selling not only domain
names but Internet-based businesses as well.
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You should target the design of your site to the modem speed of
your target audience. What is that speed? It depends. For many markets
broad bandwidth remains a future hope. If you are targeting a consumer
market, you should plan on a strong AOL usage.
If AOL users are a significant segment of your viewers, make sure
you understand what the AOL browser does with Web sites. Web site
graphics, download speeds, etc. look very different through AOL
compared to Internet Explorer or Netscape.
Currently, Internet users have many choices for top speed Internet
connections. But, not all options are available in all areas. You
must understand the connection speed of your typical user. You can
gain good knowledge of your users with a robust traffic reporting
system. Many of the best traffic reporting systems describe the
typical modem speeds of your viewers. You should study your reports
and design your site accordingly.
If broad bandwidth is common among your viewers, go for it. Develop
a super rich site with compelling graphics and multimedia. If your
viewers do not use the highest available speeds, avoid excessively
large graphics and multi-media. Viewers will not wait for several
minutes for your site's elements to download. You can develop two
versions of your site (one high-end version and one version for
the slower-modem folks). Or, you can take the more economical approach
and target the lowest common denominator.
To know what's right for your site, you must know your audience.
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You have worked hard to get the top ranking within the search tools.
Know where you stand before you change your Web site.
Many search engines send out automated programs (called robots
or spiders) to harvest the keywords on your Web site. The search
engines determine which of your pages to place in their databases.
And, the search engines decide which key words to link to the pages
they select. With the right strategy, you can guide what pages and
keywords are selected by the search engines. Often, you cannot totally
control the pages that are indexed. You should, however, determine
the pages that have been indexed by the search tools.
We recently revamped a section of our Web site. Before we loaded
the new site directory files, we reviewed our position on the search
tools. In our research, we learned that one of the files (which
we were going to eliminate) had a top ranking on Yahoo. Since Yahoo
is the most popular directory on the Web, we did not want to lose
that ranking. So, we created a page under the old file name that
provided viewers with information on our new page.
How do you determine which of your pages have been indexed? You
should go to the top search tools and type your URL in the search
window (mycompany.com for example). Next, you simply activate the
search on that URL. The search engines will tell you which of your
files are linked in their databases. We discovered that the search
tools have indexed several editions of our e-newsletter. In one
search engine, we discovered 46 links to our Web site. In our redesign
strategy, we will be careful to protect your valuable links.
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With more than ½ billion people using it everyday, the Internet
is a powerful resource to generate new business. In today's crowded
marketplace, you need the most effective marketing tools possible.
By following some fundamental techniques, you can create a useful
web site that is also a marketing tool for your company. In designing
a marketing oriented web site, you should create a functional and
useful site to increase your business. If you want to generate credibility,
sell a product/service or strictly provide information, you can
use these tips to improve the effectiveness your web site better.
- Have one author (or editor) for the entire site. This ensures
the writing is logical, flows well and has good readability throughout
the site.
- Write Web pages with reader in mind. Learn about your audience.
Determine what information they are looking for and how they use
your Web site.
- Write short, concise pages. Viewers read Web pages differently
than written pages. Readers scan Web pages. By developing well-written
pages of pertinent information, you can readability issues. (Source:
Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity by Jakob Neilsen)
- Write following an outline form. Use head, subheads and summaries
to grab attention and guide the reader through the page.
- Create navigation that guides the reader through the site by
showing what information is available and how to get there.
- And lastly, Web sites are dynamic. You should revise your Web
site often to provide current, accurate and relevant information.
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E-mail is a powerful cost-effective marketing channel - if you
use it appropriately. To build an effective e-mail-marketing program,
you should follow some basic principles.
- Choose the Right Audience
As with all direct marketing programs, your list is the most important
factor for success. It doesn't matter what you say if you say
it to the wrong person. Make sure that you are sending your e-mail
message to people interested in your service or product. And,
you must use lists where people have asked to receive your message.
You can rent opt-in lists or build your own. If you send uninvited
messages, recipients may view your message as SPAM and they can
blacklist your e-mail address.
- Offer Value
You must offer value with your message. View your message from
the recipient's point of view. Quickly answer the "What's
in it for me?" question. You should clearly state your best
benefits first. If you want the recipients to respond to your
e-mail message, create a strong reason for them to do so today.
- Budget for Multiple Waves
Don't spend your entire budget on one campaign. You must be prepared
to "touch" your e-mail recipients several times.
- Track Your Results
Our philosophy in marketing is "feed what's working"
and "cease what's not working". You challenge is to
gauge the success of each campaign. So, you must track your results.
With an e-mail campaign, you can easily track response by simply
embedding unique URL codes into the message. You can then monitor
your traffic reports to see how many individuals have clicked-through
from your message. With some sophisticated programs you can even
tell which individual recipient has clicked-through.
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E-mail is a powerful cost-effective marketing channel - if you
When used correctly, e-mail is a very effective and efficient channel
for communicating with an audience. Here are a few tips for successful
e-mail marketing.
Build Your Own Opt-In E-Mail List
Allow visitors to your Web site to sign-up for your e-mail list.
To encourage subscribers, offer something of value (e.g. a free
"how-to" sheet) when a Web site visitor joins your list.
You should also promise (and abide by the promise) to not share,
exchange or sell names from your list. People are very fearful of
getting more spam. Once you have established your list, you can
send an e-newsletter on a regular basis. Or, if you do not have
enough to produce a regular newsletter, you can send valuable market
or product information.
For sending messages to your list, we recommend a great program
called GroupMail from Infacta.com.
Group mail enables you to customize your message and set-up subsets
of your list. If you have a large list and don't want to manage
the bounce-backs (returned e-mails), you can outsource distribution
to a commercial service.
Offer an E-mail Series or Course
You can deliver a free series of articles or information pieces
to people who request the information. Using an auto-responder you
can deliver your material in small chunks over the period of a week
or two. When you are providing information via e-mail, you should
provide useful information first. Your sales message can be subtly
placed within the context of your course. If you sell too hard,
your message will be viewed as spam and you will lose credibility.
Write Articles and Get Published
Many ezine publishers and site developers are hungry for good content.
Locate ezines that specialize in your target area. Getting published
in just one high-profile ezine can give you exposure in front of
thousands of potential buyers. To locate ezines that focus on your
target market, search dejanews.com
and talk to customers.
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