WebWhacked? Three Ways to Avoid Being Overwhelmed by the Internet
There’s no reason to feel intimidated by the Web. There is so much hype
surrounding this new medium that it’s easy to believe that you’re falling
behind. It’s just not true… yet.
The truth is:
· You’re not that far behind
· You’ve already got what it takes
· You can’t do any worse than you’re doing right now.
Here are three ways you can avoid getting paralyzed into inactivity by the
hype:
1. The Web is not all Interactive and E-Commerce Web Sites
There are lots of sites — some people call it brochure-ware – that give a
company a Web presence for very little money. These sites are easy and
inexpensive to put up and can attract lots of business for your company.
The truth is: only 20% of all Web sites currently offer real-time
transactions. And that number’s only slated to reach 33% by the end of 2000.
You keep hearing about e-commerce only because the media keeps focusing on
and hyping e-commerce sites.
So don’t let “e-commerce” throw you. If you find out you need e-commerce
technology — because you plan to sell in real-time on your site —there are a
number of Web hosts out there that, for a fee, will allow you to perform
real-time transactions (providing you qualify with a bank for a merchant
account). Bigstep (http://www.bigstep.com/), Yahoo store
(http://store.yahoo.com/), GoBizGo (formerly Sitematic)
(http://www.gobizgo.com/) are just three of them.
You’ve probably also heard a lot about the interactivity of the Web. There
are two things you should know. First, it’s all true. The Web holds the
promise of being the first truly interactive mass medium. Secondly, nobody
but the very well funded Amazon-sized Web sites are even beginning to
scratch the surface of interactive technologies. Most of the technology
behind the interactive Web sites to-date has been around for years —
databases, chat, forums, e-mail.
There are millions of Web sites out there. Very few offer the cutting edge
e-commerce and interactive tools that the press loves to write about. Don’t
let these stories scare you — there’s still plenty of room for you on the
Web at whatever price point you want to pay.
2. What You Already Know About Business Applies to the Web
It seems like everything about the Web is new, but it’s not. Sure there are
some fine points of technology to be learned, but business is still
business. What you know about promoting your products or services offline
applies to promoting your products and services online. The same copy will
find its way to the Web, the same target marketing, the same accounting
skills, and the same product fulfillment practices.
Take the time to find an online community that speaks the same language you
do. You’re likely to find that getting on the Web is
the same as entering
any new media. Think of it as if you’re buying your first newspaper ad or
radio spot:
· First find somebody else who’s already doing it
· Call them up and ask them how they’re doing it
· Do it the same way they’re doing it
Pad your budget for a few mistakes but, if you’ve been successful in other
media, there’s no reason to think the Web will change your success record.
3. The Web Is Very Forgiving
There are few mistakes you can make on the Web that will really hurt you.
The only two that come to mind immediately will bite you anywhere: bad
planning and bad manners.
Bad planning can cost you time and money — time to redo what should have
been done right in the first place and money paid for useless work. Like any
media, the Web can eat up your budget on pretty graphical treatments that —
at the end of the day — cost you money but do little to gain more business.
Be careful with your Web budget and shop around. Nobody really knows what to
charge, so you can find great talent for very little money. Remember, nobody
knows your customers the way you do, so don’t let a Web designer blind-side
you with a “That’s not how it works on the Web” line. Your customers are
still your customers, and you know how they think about your product or
service better than anyone else.
Bad manners can get you spurned pretty quickly on the Web. If found guilty
of spamming — sending out e-mail to people who haven’t specifically
requested it — you can get blacklisted and bad-mouthed across the whole Web.
In some states you can get sued. So make sure you follow the rules of
netiquette (http://www.workz.com /manage/CSEmailRes.asp/) (Internet
etiquette). It’s not too hard to find out what the rules are — they’re
posted all over the Web (use any search engine to find them).
As long as you keep your head about you, there’s no reason you should be
wary of the Web. In fact there’s only one big mistake you can make — missing
the opportunity.
The Web has become a new marketing channel. It’s easy to learn and easy to
get started today. But that might not be the story two, three, or four years
down the road. So you might as well get used to it now — get a site, start
small, and see what happens. Don’t listen to the hype — you haven’t missed
the boat — just do your homework, plan ahead, and keep your eyes open. It’ll
all work out.
About the Author
David Johnson is the founder, president and director of workz.com. He is a lifelong entrepreneur,
small-business expert, and Internet pioneer. Frustrated by the lack of small-business resources
available to help him launch and promote his own Web site he decided to create a trusted resource of
objective how-to information to help other small businesses.
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