Using web technology as a means to strengthen competitive advantage

Written by Alex Margarit


Continued from page 1

Product

Whilst observingrepparttar product part ofrepparttar 148968 marketing mix, an Internet portal can substantially strengthens you’re firm’s current product offering. Ways that a web site can enhance your product offering are many, ranging from offering new web related products through to establishing outgoing affiliate programs. Giving customers better services that bolsterrepparttar 148969 appeal ofrepparttar 148970 core product is a great way to effectively relate products to customer needs. This usually involvesrepparttar 148971 creation of secondary or ancillary products that can either be sold or provided for free. These additional offerings can help to generate higher, sometimes passive, earnings as well as increase a firm’s potential differentiation. Ways in which your firm can do this include:

1.Setting up a knowledge base that your clients can have access to that includes a FAQ or query function allowing your clients to query you for information. This helps them to userepparttar 148972 service better or more efficiently. 2.Using a feedback form where clients can offer their input as to their needs and product suggestions can help you to determine valuable information about your customer’s needs 3.If you have a product that is hard to operate, providing free or subsidized training can assist your customers to overcome difficulties.

Many firms actually charge their clients forrepparttar 148973 support component you will have to refer torepparttar 148974 existing competition situation to determine whether this is something that you can implement. Either way product enhancements could include increasingrepparttar 148975 availability of products and services by putting order forms and support forms on your website.

Price

The automation of some ofrepparttar 148976 firm’s functions using web technology usually equates to a significant saving of operational costs – that’s if you are doing it right of course! For instance having an effective inbound ordering form can reduce sales staffing costs. Because ordering online doesn’t require a sales representative to takerepparttar 148977 call and then effectively turn it around this costsrepparttar 148978 firm a certain amount per enquiry in staff time. Encourage clients to userepparttar 148979 web form as opposed to other methods of product ordering may be an effective means of reducing these costs. Ways that a firm may wish to do this is to reflectrepparttar 148980 reduced staffing cost inrepparttar 148981 price by offering a “better deal” to Internet customers. Also, this can help to establish a pattern of online behavior in your customers that can sometimes be translated to other online firm functions such as support pages.

These are just a few ofrepparttar 148982 ways in which an effective online strategy can turn your small web site into a virtual cost saver and income-generating machine. I challenge you to makerepparttar 148983 most of what is available and remember that constant revision of new web technology is always beneficial if you decide that it may or may not be for you. Naturally, not all web technology is suitable for every firm and it is important that you are conscious that ongoing development can be costly both in terms of time and other development and infrastructure expenditure. Effective development research as well as cost, change and market analysis is paramount to ensure thatrepparttar 148984 benefits of any change out way any given realistic investment cost.



Alex Margarit is a Marketing Professional from Brisbane, Australia. Alex specialising in providing Internet marketing solutions for information management, legal, fashion and music industry clients.


Make Your Mailing A Home Run, Not A Strike Out!

Written by Joy Gendusa


Continued from page 1

The copy onrepparttar front and back ofrepparttar 148967 card is designed to getrepparttar 148968 reader to respond, either by calling you or e-mailing you or visiting you or going to your web site. A response.

If your card accomplishes that, it’s done its duty.

How do you get it to do that?

Good design. Good copy. Assuming you have sentrepparttar 148969 cards to people who are likely to be interested in what you have to sell. (There’s no point sending a postcard selling raincoats to people inrepparttar 148970 Sahara Desert. They arerepparttar 148971 wrong “public”).

It is more cost effective inrepparttar 148972 long run to hire a professional to dorepparttar 148973 design and copy for your promotion instead of spending allrepparttar 148974 time yourself to learnrepparttar 148975 software. A little time spent improvingrepparttar 148976 design and copy of your postcards will result in much higher ROI (Return On Investment) for your postcard mailing.

Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998, her only assets a computer and a phone. By 2004 the company did $9 million in sales and employed over 60 people. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy. Visit her website at http://www.postcardmania.com


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