The Advantages of the Internet

WHY INVEST ON THE INTERNET?

1. Internet Advantages:



1. 24 hours a day - 7 days a week - 365 days per year


Even if no staff were to be in your office, visitors will come to your website. The website NEVER closes.


2. Structural


An advertisement in a newspaper is worthless the day (perhaps two days) after. Participation at a fair or conference doesn't reach anybody, once it is over. Apart from things like dates and prices, much of your website content will still be valid years after you've done the work to have it there.


3. Measurable


You can measure anything; how many people saw your advertisement banners, how many clicked on it, how many asked information or a price quote and how many sales on resulted from that campaign. You can measure how many people came to your website through certain key words in a search-engine and calculate the profits per 1.000 visitors on THAT specific keyword. How many pages did people look at? What section of my content is more popular? What is the "normal route"? What it the most frequent "exit page" (from where they leave your site". How many visitors are NEW to the site and how many are repeat-visits?


4. Interactive


Visitors can do a test, they can get an automatic price-quote through a form, they can participate in a forum, ask a question through different feedback systems (including online).


5. Community building


Invite people to contribute things themselves; evaluations of the product/ the service, tips for other users, use newsletters.


6. Low cost


Just compare the costs of sending out physical mailing to 25,000 addresses, with the costs of an e-mailing to 250.000 e-mail addresses.


7. Reproduction at "zero cost"


Whether 1,000 visitors come to your site or 25,000, the increased cost is marginal. Compare that with printing more brochures, producing more videos or using a call centre for another 2,000 calls.


8. Saves time (counselling on product and service information / administration)


Visitors can access "frequently asked questions" to help themselves, which saves you time. People can BUY online, without any member of staff having been involved.


9. Allows for new business models (CPM, PPC, PPL, affiliate)


Pay for every time someone SEES your advertisement, or only when they CLICK on your banner advertisement, or even only when they fill out a form, that identifies them and makes them approachable OR even ONLY pay, when you actually get a SALE from another website.


10. Low "hassle" environment


Apart from "pop-ups and pop-unders"; Many possible clients will find it "safer" to look around on a website anonymously, rather than asking a question to a real life person.


2. How to set your budget for Internet activities?



• Project sales potential as for a new business


• Project your share, as for a new business


• Commit yourself to "making it work", accepting the learning process


• Accept investment losses in the first or second year


• Spend 50% on BUILDING the website and 50% on promoting it. Without budget for attracting visitors, you'll stage a beautiful party with live music, cocktails and buffet, but forget to send out the invitations.