"Ten Tall Tales of Traditional Marketing That Cost You Tons" Tall Tale #8 “You need to be on Internet” By Jimmy Vee & Travis MillerThe Internet is all too often mistreated and misunderstood as a “place to be,” or “something to be on.” Many companies treat Internet like a billboard, but it’s not. People don’t surf by and see your web site. Your web site is a destination – but not ultimate one (unless you sell your product online).
Thinking of Internet as a billboard or a place causes companies to design web sites that have too much or too little information. For example, a web site that is nothing but a big advertisement is a waste – only people who will visit your site are people who already know about your business, so why big advertisement? And when people do visit, they’re not likely to return. On flipside, a web site that goes on and on and on about history, people, all of services you offer, can quickly contain too much information for it to be valuable.
Rather than thinking of Internet a place to be or something to be on, think of it as a tool. For most companies, their web site is not (or shouldn’t be) main thrust of their marketing efforts. It is one tool in arsenal.
The way to hone tool to be as effective as possible is fairly simple. Start by determining what your web site should accomplish for YOUR BUSINESS. What net output do you desire? If there isn’t really anything you expect to receive from your customers via your web site, you may not need to “be on Internet.”
Once you’ve determined what desired output is, ask yourself what site needs to do to yield that output. As a simple rule, if a piece of information doesn’t ultimately help you achieve your goal, don’t include it on your web site.