Thinkers and their Opinions

An online presence is more that just a website, it says more about you than you can ever imagine. What is yours telling your customers? "Leaders, bosses and bastards" looks at leadership and the various forms it takes in shaping our working lives. The Problem, the Balloon, and the Four Bedroom House is a look at Project Management and how to avoid scope creep. Unless you're overloaded with resources and cash, there are some basic rules to follow that will help you make the most of what you have.

Back to basics

by Peter Barta

Whilst we have been through the so called tech-crash, the Internet continues to grow and it is rare these days to find a business without a web site or a person who has not got some form of Internet connection either at home or at work.

The Internet is used as a product/service evaluation medium, information source and a sales channel by consumers whilst businesses use it for promotion, e-commerce and sales generation to name but a few.

So, lets get down to some key principles. Most businesses, particularly smaller ones need to maximize the effectiveness of their existing resources to get the most out of what they have. That includes a web site if you they have one.

I think it would be difficult for most business people to disagree with the above proposition.

But, if you have an existing Web Site ask yourself the following questions;

• What is the Web Site being used for?
• Are there any strategies in place to make it a lead generator?
• How can I use it to decrease the cost of doing business?
• How can I use the site to promote the business to end customers?
• How can I use the site to promote loyalty or increased purchasing by existing customers?
• How well is my online strategy integrated within my overall business plan?

These are the questions you should be asking yourself and if you find you cannot answer them effectively, you have a resource there that is probably under utilized.

If you own a shop then part of your strategy is to maximize store traffic and general buyer enquiries. Similarly your web site should be doing the same thing so the following questions need to be asked;

• What incentive is there for people to come back to the site after an initial visit?
• Does the site add value to the customer or is it really just an online brochure?
• Have you incorporated an easy system to allow the publishing of new information with ease?
• How up to date is the current content?
• How is your web site currently marketed within the context of your overall marketing plan?

Think marketing, not technology. The technology can be looked after and unless you are after something quite complex, most solutions to technology questions can be found without being a rocket scientist.

Think applications like:

• How can I use my web site to run a promotional campaign?
• Can I develop a competition that allows me to collect email addresses of people so I can send them information?
• Can I develop an email newsletter?
• How can I use my web site to provide tips? Eg If I am in the baking industry I can offer information to kids on bread making helping to drive them (and their parents) in store.
• As a franchisor, can I use the Internet to distribute information to my franchisors.
• How can I e-commerce enable my business to save money and time on logistics and supply chain management.

Asking these questions may get you thinking about what your site may or may not be doing for your business so we feel it is a very necessary first step.