Web Site & Online Store Marketing Tips

The Web is not radio or TV, and it is especially not print. To make the most of selling online, you need to take advantage of the Web's unique strengths. So don't just shovel out brochureware by merely setting your existing catalog or sales brochures in HTML. Your two bywords for e-commerce should be innovate and integrate. At the same time, don't ignore years of direct mass marketing experience. Buy buttons should be prominently displayed on all online product pages. Use strong call-to-action language to draw the user's attention. OK is weak compared to buy.

Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs--sometimes termed referral, associate, or partnership programs--offer a way for you to easily put your Web site's traffic to use so that it begins generating income. Affiliate programs are generally used by companies which sell and promote their goods and services on the Internet. In exchange for you sending traffic to their Web sites, they offer to pay you commissions based on the sales you generate. Commissions range from 1 to 30 percent, and some are even higher. The best affiliate programs even provide online tracking, so you can see how many sales you have generated and what your commissions are. For more information on these programs check out CNET Builder.com's Affiliate Center. Don't Alienate Buyers With Technology Not all high-tech enhancements further your commercial goals. Some Web surfers avoid sites that use Java, for example, because of performance or security concerns. Use technology only when it enhances your selling message. Gratuitous use of plug-ins, for example, can discourage sales. If you must use a plug-in on your e-commerce site, always offer an alternative (if less interesting) method of seeing the product for folks without the right tools. It's a good idea to know what plug-ins ship with which browsers. While the latest browsers have some built-in technologies (including VRML support), you'll also need to learn which browsers your audience uses.

Payment Tips
Not long ago, Mobil gas stations started accepting a new payment technology called the Speedpass. When you attach it to your car and drive up to a gas pump in a participating station, the pump automatically turns on and activates your credit card number. With this innovation, Mobil recognized an important piece of the selling puzzle: make it as easy as possible for customers to buy. Sadly, many Web site operators don't seem to understand this. A few innovators like Amazon.com and Virtual Vineyards speed the ordering process by storing their customers' billing and credit card data, thus making second purchases easier. But many sites don't accept credit cards at all, forcing the user to break the online connection and call an 800-number. Still other places calculate shipping and taxes offline, leaving the buyer clueless as to the final cost of their purchases. Our payment tips can help you avoid these mistakes. Be Savvy About Credit Cards Buying on the Web should be easy, and that means your site should accept as many credit cards as possible. Incredibly, many e-commerce sites don't accept credit cards at all, requiring a fax order, a call to an 800-number, or some other offline process to complete the sale. While undoubtedly easier to implement, these systems simply do not meet customer expectations on the Web. While you do need to offer an 800-number for those Net users too nervous to submit orders online, you'll lose business if you make shoppers break their Web connection, write down or remember their orders, and then pick up the phone just to buy your product.

Banner Exchange, Button Exchange and Link Exchange Programs

An easy to implement, free way of gaining a lot of exposure for your website is to join a banner, button or link exchange network. In return for displaying banners, buttons or links from other sites your creatives get displayed on numerous other sites.

Here are several programs you might want to check out.

• ButtonXchange.com - Free, 88 x 31 pixel, micro button exchange. Nice little program dealing exclusively in the itsy bitsy buttons - see button to the right for dimensions - that don't overtake a web page.
  
  
• LinkBuddies - offers banner (468x60), button (88x31), text and box (90x60) link exchanges. It operates on a 4:3 ratio and gives new users 500 credits for joining. It also offers 5% of the impressions from anyone you refer to their programs. One of the better link exchange programs getting around.
  
  
• Free-Banners.com - is a great program that offers a 2:1 ratio but with many added benefits on top. They have a 3-level Webmaster Referral Network System where you can earn more banner impressions and each and every month your site will go into a draw to win 1,000,000 banner impressions. Lots of other tools and promotion ideas to boot.
  
  
• MLM ads - offers a 2:1 ratio and 500 credits on signup and also features a massive 15 level downline. Each level is at only 2% of referred users total impressions but if you have a site that generates good traffic and has the potential to sign up a number of referrers the numbers can stack up quickly. Features two types of fast loading text ads at 468x60 and 180x70.

For more information and links check out our Promotion Tools.


Pop Up Exchange Programs

Another advertising program that might be useful, although it might alienate some customers who hate pop-up ads.

• PopupLinks.com - offers a 4:3 ratio popup exchange program and guarantees 100% effective traffic for FREE. PopupLinks is a pop-behind exchange program. When a surfer visits your website, a new full sized webpage is opened behind your website. Likewise your webpage will be opened when another member of PopupLinks gets a visit.
  
  
• ExitPit.com - is a 2:1 exit pop up exchange featuring a 3 tier referral program. Your site will pop up in a new window once for every two times your site displays an exit pop-up of other member sites. Also includes the option to purchase additional site or banner exposures.
  
  
• GoPopUp.com - will double your website traffic every single day for FREE! - GoPopUp.com can increase your website traffic by 50% immediately and continually grow with this rate. Pop-Up Exchange is more effective than any traditional banner exchange. GoPopUp.com can bring you REAL web traffic instead of raw banner impressions.
  

Affiliate Programs

Affiliate programs are an ideal way to make your web site profitable. There is a huge number of affiliate programs now available on line and you should be able to find a few that will suit you and your type of business site. Here are some affiliate resources for more information: Affiliate Networks and How to set up your own affiliate program or Tools to help affiliates.

Additional words of advise

Once your site is up and running, take the opportunity to enhance it with value-added content. Like mints on your pillow at a fine hotel, it's the little touches that make customers remember you the next time they go shopping.

To get customers to your site, choose a Web address (URL) that's as close to your company name as possible. Always include the URL in your printed advertisements, and make sure it appears on all your other marketing collateral as well as business cards. As a rule of thumb, wherever you put an 800 number, you should put your URL.

Once you have decided to put your web site or online store in place, providing product information and sales literature at the virtual online community storefront can reduce the expense of shipping pre-sales literature. When printing, handling and shipping costs are combined, an average information packet today costs a company around $15. Making the same information packet available online eliminates this cost for the segment of potential customers visiting the Web site.

Many companies have discovered that customers use Web sites as an alternative to calling and waiting on customer hot lines for information. Frequently asked questions sections in the Web site can make use of graphics to explain difficult concepts. By posting frequently asked questions and then directing customers to the Web site, a company can significantly increase customer support and, at the same time, reduce expenses.

If customer support cases involve unique questions, companies should encourage customers to first contact them via e-mail.

Most experts agree that electronic commerce, including product sales, banking and money transfer will soon explode. Many Web-based businesses are planning and selling products and services now. Yet the barriers to successful and easy electronic commerce have not been easy to break.

Today the most common form of online payment is the credit card. Research continues to show that many customers have doubts about security. One of the most notable efforts under way is the Secure Electronic Transfer standard from MasterCard and VISA.

Copies of the SET specification can be found at http://www.visa.com or http://www.mastercard.com.
Antony Calvo is vice president of American International Market Corp. based in Washington.
From the November 21, 1997 edition

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