HOME
Internet Marketing Mainpage
Enquiry
|
Debunking Net Marketing Myths
by Gerry Robert
Can you really sell to 45 million people on the Internet? Is advertising allowed? Is anybody
making any sales? Can customers find you if you set up a World Wide Web (WWW) site?
Myth #1 : Nobody's Making Any Money
Many Internet entrepreneurs won't say how they're doing financially. Often, that's because
they're doing quite well and they don't want to tip off the competition.
I've seen reports by business people complaining that they have "tried the Internet and it
didn't work". Maybe they bought into some of these myths. Maybe they failed to apply sound
marketing principles in establishing an Internet presence. There are principles of marketing
in cyberspace, but to learn them takes research, participation, and time.
Of course, all the mistakes that people make in the real world are being duplicated on the Net.
Here are a few of the biggest mistakes they are making to hurt sales on the Internet.
- Too large graphics.
- Poor design concept.
- Web site which is nothing more than a glorified brochure.
- Too much focus on you instead of the customer's problems.
Will your company benefit from marketing on the Internet or the WWW? No one can guarantee
that. It's too early, and the medium is changing too fast to make predictions. A product should
meet at least one of these criteria to be a good candidate for direct sales over the Internet
now :
- Appeals to the technologically savvy.
- Appeals to a broad segment of the Internet user base (typically, but not exclusively, educated males under 40)
- Appeals to a wide geographic audience,
- Is a specialty item otherwise difficult to locate.
- Is an "Informed purchase" - the buyer responds to information rather than hyperbole.
- Can be purchased over the Internet less expensively than by other channels.
- Can satisfy the customer's need for information.
Myth #2 : Nobody Can Find You On The Internet
A variant of this idea is that it's difficult for you to find anything on the Internet.
The Internet is big. The WWW, dominated by commercial companies, is growing fast. To a
beginner, the Internet can seem huge, scary, and labyrinthine.
But the Internet is becoming easier for beginners to navigate. The WWW has made a lot of
difference. As long as you have the URL (Uniform Resource Locator, or WWW address) of a site,
all you do is enter the URL and your software will connect you to the site instantly. Once you
find a site you like, you can easily add it to the "hotlist" or "bookmark" list in your software.
This way you can call it up any time without having to retype it. So you can very quickly become
your own expert navigator.
Now to the next step: Many WWW site owners have set up directories, indexes, search tools, and
resource pages with instant links to the useful sites. Some of these "teleportation sites"
provide general listings with many subject categories and entries.
Examples are (see table): Enter these "top-end" sites in your own hotlist, and you immediately
gain all of their capabilities. These directory sites and search tools will continue to get better
and easier to use, so that even new users will quickly become crack navigators.
It might take a little work but you can quickly learn how to find your way around on the
Internet - and people can find you - if you set things up right.
To help people find your business site on the WWW, set up plenty of "pointers". Negotiate links
with other sites.
Make sure you're in the directories and navigation lists, many of which are free.
You can figure out how to make the announcements, postings, and listings yourself, or you can
have an Internet presence provider do it.
And be sure to promote your Internet presence through conventional offline channels - ads, mailings,
brochures, Press releases, company stationery, business cards, and packaging.
Myth #3 : You Can Advertise to 50 Million People Over The Net
Many of you might have received junk claiming to help you cash in on the Internet. They have
proclaimed fancy slogans like : "Advertise to 90 million+ for just $20 per month". That's just
one of the many wild claims I've read about how many people you can reach on the net.
Nobody really knows how many users there are because there's no central authority over the
Internet. No one owns it. It's a massive interconnection of computer networks, communication
lines, and switching equipment.
The Internet has been growing at 100 percent a year since 1988, so the numbers change fast. By
October of 1995, the Consumer Internet described by the survey should have reached about 27
million. So what do you think? 50 or 55 million by October 1997? Think of it that way, if you
like.
Nevertheless, this doesn't mean that you will reach millions of Internet users with your marketing
message.
Nor should you try to. The Internet is not a mass market. Don't try to send out mass unsolicited
messages to Internet users, whether through electronic mail (e-mail), mailing lists, or
newsgroups. People will be very annoyed and will let you know. There's nothing to be gained,
and you'll do much better by targeting your audience and making use of the Internet's interactive
capabilities.
Myth #4 ; If You Try To Advertise On The Internet, You'll Get Flamed
No, you won't. Not if you do it right - by respecting the Internet culture, participating in
the on-line community, advertising appropriately, and being a real resource for others.
I regularly get thousands of visits to http://www.salesmall.com, my corporate Web site. I do
that because I tactfully sell myself in the newsgroups and discussion lists where my prospects
congregate.
Sometimes a carefully worded signature can get all kinds of people coming to you. A signature
is simply a few lines (not more than four) which describes you and what you do.
Myth #5 : You Can't Advertise On The Net
The Internet is really a mosaic of many smaller virtual communities, each with its own history,
culture, standars, rules, and values.
In some of those communities, the words "advertising" and "marketing" have taken on meanings
different than in the mainstream business world. To people in some areas of cyberspace, the
word "advertising" is a four-letter word, but "marketing" is perfectly acceptable.
I would offer this statement: Certain methods of advertising are not tolerated on the Internet.
I say "tolerated", because there's no central authority to allow or disallow anything.
However, some Internet communities will not tolerate unsolicited advertising messages. They'll
respond vehemently if you try. In some moderated newsgroups or discussion groups, the moderator
will filter out promotional messages.
One of the best Internet marketing approaches is the "soft sell". Depending on your business,
you might try:
- Participating helpfully in newsgroups while casually letting people know what you do. Tacking a "signature" with contact information at the end of your e-mail messages and discussion group postings.
- Placing lead-generating messages in electronic mails and directories.
- Setting up a WWW site that offers useful information and resources along with information about your business.
- Offering a free special report that helps your prospects is always a good idea.
Myth #6 : You Can Make A Pile Of Money Fast On The Internet
Don't buy anything from anyone who tells you this. In any business effort, making money
requires planning, strategic marketing, a good product and offer, good customer service,
considerable shrewdness - and much hard work. Maybe you will make a pile of money on the
Internet. But you won't do it by buying into a get-rich-quick scheme.
Of course, many people have had meteoric sales quickly on the Net. Usually however, it requires
a lot of learning and hard work.
Myth #7 : You Can Make Lots Of Sales Without Working The Net
If you think for a second that you can simply put up a Web page or a ghastly classified ad and
think you will strike it rich, you're not only deceived, you're nuts.
Success on-line (or otherwise) requires effort. You need to devote a certain amount of hours
every week to learning about the Internet, on-line marketing, what your competitors are doing,
etc.
The other thing you need to do is budget time for promoting your Web site. You will need to
attract prospects. They just won't show up because you put up a site with some pretty pictures
of yourself or your product.
You will need to get involved in telling others about your site. This involves such things as
newsgroups, discussion lists, Press releases, net-working, etc. As Bill Gates said a Comdex,
"The Internet is a gold mine, where there really is gold. You can find it if you work at finding
it and avoid the mistakes so many seem to be making today."
|
This Website Designed, Hosted & Marketed By:
WWW.MALAYSIA-BEST.COM
Internet, Marketing & Business Resources
Note: This website is created with the aim of providing a place for
Marketing personnels, executives, students, entrepreneurs, CEOs, COOs, COEs, and
business owners to communicate, share and learn from each other,
marketing techniques and strategies, business ideas and opportunities.
Instead of the traditional "negative competitive mindset", we can all benefit more
from a new WINWIN paradigm we call "positive collaboration mindset".
Instead of competing with each other blindly, and wasting much precious resources,
we can instead work together to produce
better products and services that satisfy the increasing expectations and needs of our
customers. In the new millenium, only companies that come together to work together will
eventually survive and make profits.
Apart from business ideas and strategies, this website will under permissible circumstances,
offer reports and articles that help enhance our life. It is often said that we can change our
life for the better while at the same time build a better world, if we put to practice our new
mindset and make an effort to help others as well, while we are working towards our dreams.
Through positive discussions and exchange of ideas, we can all inspire each other to great
heights. The most important thing is that, we believe that we can all help each other in life
and to achieve our dreams. Yes, we can all make this world a better place :)
If you happen to come across any broken link on this website, please inform us. Thank you and please
come again.
This Website Best Viewed With 800x600 Resolution
Copyright © 1997-2000 MBC Marketing And Business Resources.
All rights reserved. All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.
Last Updated on March 15, 2000 Wednesday
For further information, please contact: webmaster@awesomelife.com
|
|
|
![[Awesomelife Logo]](../../alc-logo-med2.gif){kind=logo}
