In today's hi-tech society, many commercial enterprises are trying to turn `bricks into clicks' but fail miserably. They make classic mistake of assuming Internet surfers will visit their site without them having to do anything. Wrong.

There are already far too many websites out there promising to let you in on marketing secrets of internet. I guess you've already visited some of them? And found them sadly lacking or wanting to sell you something?

Web Marketing Strategies

Strategy is not just a word for playing `buzz word bingo' in office.

Website marketing strategies need to address issues such as customers, competitors and market trends. The strategy needs to be proactive rather than simply reacting to latest trends - this way, it becomes responsive to your customer needs and commercial pressures around you.

Market orientation of your product or service is `holy grail'. How are you going to approach this?

- customer focussed?

- competitor focussed?

A marketing strategy aims to transform your business objectives into a competitive market position. In essence, you need to differentiate your activities or products by meeting customer needs more effectively than competitors. So, how do you do this?

Firstly, analyse your business environment and define specific customer needs.

Secondly, match activities and products to customer segments and thirdly, implement a programme that produces a competitive position superior to your competitors.

I recommend that you spend some time surfing web to get to really know who your competitors are.

How do they present themselves?

What are they offering?

What is there marketing and promotional angle? Need? Want?

Then spend some time thinking about your customers.

"Who is your customer?" - This is probably first question you need to ask yourself when deciding on your website promotional activities. It sounds simple doesn't it? It isn't. Simply responding "everyone on web" is too general; if `everyone' was to be your potential market, imagine how you would have to design your website to satisfy and interest them? There'd be

8 year olds 70 year olds gays men women transgendered disabled black white Married Single parents Divorced American Italian English Swedish etc.,

It's far easier and far more profitable to really hone in on precisely who is your customer.

Is it a 30something professional? Housewife?

Teenager?

Get picture?

To help you with finding out who regularly uses web, use some search engines and query on `internet use' or `consumer analysis'.

Okay, so now you know who your `target market' is. Ensure you design your website to suit them. Their needs, their tastes - not yours !

What is persuasive writing?

Simply put, it's art of using particular words and phrases with intention of having an impact.

Good examples of this can be found all around you. Just think of all advertising `catch phrases' you can remember. "Thorntons, chocolate heaven since 1911", or "mymate marmite", or a classic one from my childhood was "chef square shape soup shows how a good soup should be.”

So, what are secrets?

For a start, how are you going to advertise your website?

Thinking of submitting to web search engines? Increasingly, search engines are not offering free submissions - you have to pay. The one's that still allow you to submit your website for free do not offer any guarantees of its placement. It can take 6 months for your submission to be added and then you may find your entry on page 22 of search results! Research has shown that most web surfers do not look past page 3 of search results so you're not going to increase your web traffic much this way. Of course, if you are a commercial enterprise - or well paid - you may decide it's worth paying money to register your URL (universal resource locator/your website address) with them. However, there are other options.

Few people realise power of classified ads in local and national newspapers. Some quite large profitable companies rely on this method of promoting their goods and services without paying out £ $ 0000's for page and half page advertisements.

The key to their success is in wording....

All successful advertisements contain following eight elements:

1. gains attention 2. focuses on customer 3. stresses benefits 4. differentiates you from your competitors 5. proves its case 6. establishes credibility 7. builds value 8. closes with a call for action

Of course, not all advertisements need to contain all 8 elements in equal proportions. However, let's examine each element in more detail...

1. GAINS ATTENTION

Sex is certainly one way of gaining attention. Think of all ads. you’ve seen that contain pictures of either explicit sex and sexual activities or innuendo or, pictures of mothers and baby, health, abdominal exercise machines, women in swimwear.

© Doug Partridge - All Rights Reserved

I admit it. I'm a bit paranoid, especially when it comes to "public" facilities. For example, an unfamiliar public restroom has my mind racing with thoughts of cleanliness ... and hoping someone enters as I'm exiting (so I don't actually have to touch anything).

The story I have to tell began two years ago while on vacation in Mexico. Rather than enjoy my surroundings, foolishly I felt need to "stay connected." I found nearest Internet Cafe. All was well until my tranquility was suddenly railroaded with an *overwhelming* sense of computer security-related fears.

Why?

As all public computers seem to be, this was a Windows computer. From my computer security background, I knew that Windows computers require several security tools and settings for thorough protection against numerous threats on Internet. "Out of box," a Windows computer is not in good security shape.

So, what ripped me out of my peaceful serenity was sudden realization that I didn't know how many, if any, security measures were applied to this particular computer. Really, when using public computers, how is anyone to know how protected they are?

Cleanliness aside, what exactly are dangers faced when using public computers?

Of course viruses are always a concern when using unfamiliar computers, but if I could pick one thing to highlight above rest, it's Spyware. If you're unfamiliar with Spyware, it's quickly becoming one of most menacing threats on Internet.

What does Spyware do? The less harmful varieties like Adware observe your web browsing activities and based on this deliver targeted advertising usually in form of web pop-ups and Spam.

The more serious forms of Spyware like "keyboard loggers" (programs that record everything you type) will sit quietly in background recording information about you. If you shop or bank online, this kind of Spyware is absolutely your worst enemy.

Public Internet computers are in no way immune to this threat. In fact, opposite is true.