So you've got your business idea, the technology is being tested, the funding is on the way, but you still need a marketing and communications strategy to complete your business plan and move into action. Where do you start? What do you need to do?
Is marketing an Internet brand the same as a brand from the offline world? Yes and no. Many of the questions and disciplines remain the same, but the priorities are slightly different.
'Strategy needs to be created from the future backward, not the present forwards'. Because many of the Internet companies are start-ups, they are less weighted by the past and can therefore avoid the old structures and invent a better solution. Although the dot.com brands have a greater freedom to re-invent the established rules, the rush of new companies means that those looking for long term business success may find they need an even deeper understanding of their potential customers, their needs and motivations, than was the case for traditional brands. Probably the greatest difference introduced by online businesses is the amount of time taken to move from brief to finished ad. Conventionally, the process might take months of research, analysis, honing, refinement and deep thinking. With the dot.coms, the timing is more likely to be in days, rather than weeks or months. In itself this is transforming the traditional communications companies, who are having to re-think how they do business.
These time pressures demand a new way of working. No longer the old fashioned silos of responsibility. Such a compression of usual timetables requires a more co-operative approach; clients and their agency/business partners need to work together to 'co-create'. More fun for everyone, but it also requires a high degree of discipline in terms of who can approve ideas.
There may not be enough time to implement all of the different elements of the process in depth, but the questions and issues remain the same. This article seeks to provide straightforward help and support as to how to develop a powerful and effective communications plan and execution.
Companies operating on the Internet are driven by energy and a 'can do' mentality. They are reintroducing the entrepreneurial spirit of small business into many larger corporations which, until recently, had managed to insulate themselves from this momentum. So dare to dream, and dream big. One of the most exciting aspects of the Internet is that all sorts of opportunities are now possible. In the past, they would have been unimaginable. The technology is creating new possibilities to connect with other people.
There is, however, a balance of the dream: dream your dream to the limits; and at the same time be very down-to-earth when it comes to implementation. One of the crucial objectives is not only getting people to the site, but making sure they come back again and again. The key task is to be clear about your goals and your brand vision, understanding as much as possible about your potential customers and how you can encourage them to spend the maximum amount of time and money with you. If you only have time and energy to ask one question, make it – 'why will anyone come to me; what do I have to offer?' And keep asking it of yourself every day.
There is a tendency with all technology to overestimate the speed at which change will occur and to underestimate its ultimate impact. And so it is with the Internet. As recently as 1995, many commentators assumed that this particular technology would never really catch on. Now the assumption is that every single aspect of life will be 'e-driven', leading to the end of shopping, the end of paper, and the end of the office. Probably not. For instance, the much predicted 'paperless office' looks ever less likely for all but the profoundly orderly (or memory-gifted). In the 1940s the introduction of vitamin tablets predicted the end of food. Perfect nutrition with a single tablet. But of course food has only a little to do with nutrition and a lot to do with sociability, nurturing, gratification and entertainment. The recently announced nutrition chip might well take notice.
This is a cautionary tale: think carefully about what your brand is really delivering to people. Understanding this can dramatically increase your chances of success. Many of the current business plans for Internet startups seem to by-pass any notion of their ultimate benefit to the consumer; the assumption is simply that people will flock there in their millions. In contrast, the Internet's much-hyped ability to transcend geographical boundaries, gathering the world's farthest-flung consumers into a single network, is already a proven reality. This, of course, raises its own cultural challenges, which must be addressed throughout the communications development.
How will you keep the relationship going? How will you keep talking and listening to your customers? If effective communications are a way of beginning a conversation, how will you then keep the initial conversation going and take it to new levels? This is particularly important for Internet companies, as the Internet facilitates ongoing conversation between provider and customer. People expect companies to understand the interactive basis of the net world and not just to treat it as yet another 'passively consumed' medium.
The customer relationship may come into difficulties very early in the process. This is evidenced by the many companies which manage their shipping through semi-personalised emails. The customer makes a purchase, and an email whizzes back to them, confirming that their order has been received and will soon be despatched. But then a further email arrives, announcing that their purchase is not available in the colour they want. So they email the company back, requesting the product in blue. And the customer hears… Often nothing at all. Because the person who apparently signed the customer's email doesn't actually receive any replies. So rather than deepening the relationship, you leave your customer stranded in cyberspace. If the customer could find a phone number for the company, then they could pursue the request further, but even if there is a number, it is more than likely to leave the customer in 'voice-mail hell'. Customer service is not an optional extra for an Internet company; it is the core business. Get this wrong, and problems will happen very fast.
As many Internet companies found this last Christmas when, having taken the orders, they found they could not deliver. For other companies, the Christmas delivery deadlines were only met because all available employees – from the managing director to the security guard (plus their families!) – spent the last few days before Christmas working like Santa's elves in the packing factory. A powerful testimony to their belief in the centrality of customer service to their business. Online relationships develop in much the same way as those in real life. They take time and effort. They go through different stages, each of which is fragile, precious and in need of constant care and attention:
Much of this relationship management will depend on how you develop your systems within the company. Data is vital – but try to think of it not just as 'data' or numbers, but rather as an invaluable memory of your customer. Strong relationships depend on the other person remembering who you are and what has happened in your life. Rarely the case with marketing relationships. So don't think of after-sales and databases as rather boring technical add-ons; they are your brand's memory. And memory is what makes us human.
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Note: This article was sent to us by: Arnold D. Ricks at 03172010
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