Use the Internet to promote dealerships, servicing businesses: A modest investment of time and money provides national exposure to potential customers and reduces the amount of time required for customer service. Use the World Wide Web as part of a carefu
The Internet is, unfortunately, subject to tremendous hype. It is touted as a cure for everything from poor corporate communications to keeping in touch with Grandma. Although it is not a miracle cure for a small business squeezed by competition, it is an exceptional opportunity for small (or large) business. Advanced communications, marketing, access to alternate sources for parts and components, and an enhanced business image are just some of the advantages of exposure on the “Net.”
Connectivity The ability to send and receive email across town, across the United States or around the world allows you to contact and sell to customers normally outside your reach. Consider it an adjunct to your regular marketing activities when budget time rolls around.
‘We’re open 24 hours a day’ The World Wide Web is the part of the Internet where commercial activity takes place. A global information warehouse, the Web is essentially a computer application continually running on the Internet.
An Internet service provider (ISP) can provide custom features for your business presence on the Web, allowing your marketing efforts to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and all for a relatively low cost. As with any other marketing tool, be sure you describe the desired outcome or set a goal for return: to increase sales by 5%, or to expand your brand name recognition out-of-state, for example. Another reason to set measurable business goals is to avoid the pitfall of equating “hit count” with business success. Anyone accessing your Web site will generate a “hit” but not always a sale. (As in your store, there are “lookers,” and there are “buyers.”) Merely having a Web site does not ensure increased profit.
Combined marketing efforts One radio-related, small business operator, with his common-sense approach to business, is a good example of Web marketing. Gary Nixon’s small company, License Certification Service, Fair Oaks, CA, sells FCC-approved replica certificates for licensees who desire a large, “frameable” version of their FCC General Radiotelephone Operator license or ham license. (By the way, Nixon checks your license information with the FCC before he sends the certificate.) Clearly, this is a niche market with a limited potential for sales. Nixon has included a low-cost Web site in his marketing plan. His three-fold method of communicating with customers includes:
* a Web site: www.quiknet.com/certs * an email address: [email protected] * a toll-free number: 800-792-3787.
All of these communications resources are priced at attractive levels and have given Nixon solid performance. The disk space for Nixon’s Web site costs him $100 annually, and the ISP includes email delivery in that service charge.
Customers can download an order form from the site to return by mail, email the information or call toll-free. Because this marketing effort is largely automated, Nixon can run his business as an extra income-producer.
After “talking” with Nixon via email (and ordering the certificate_which looks good on the wall), I discovered that his site was a do-it-yourself project. It really is fairly simple. For example, I teach a crash course on Web site building at the University of Alaska, with students producing a usable product after only four hours of instruction. The Net itself abounds with information for do-it-yourself types. If you have better things to do with your time_and who doesn’t_you can go to an expert and have a professional-looking Web site created for $100 to $300. [See the sidebar on page 76.]
In the budget plan, include the services of a “cyberbooster,” who will ensure that your site is listed on all the bigger commercial Web directories and “search engines” such as Infoseek or Yahoo!. (Search engines direct Net users to the information they are seeking based on key words or subjects.) Customers cannot find your site if you do not promote it on your own. (Confer with the cyberbooster if referrals to your site from some directories generate less sales income than others. You may want to drop that directory if it generates more browsers than paying customers.)
As part of my daily work, I often “mine” the Net in search of goods and services related to my training projects. Even those companies that I contact because of mailings or brochures often have Net-connected email addresses available. This is an important factor in business decisions. “Can I contact these vendors ‘after hours?'” Alaska is four time zones west of the East Coast, which makes it hard to reach vendors for a fast turnaround on a quote. Sources for parts, and that “odd” piece of equipment, often can be found quickly on the Net, rather than using the old-fashioned mail-catalog-mail routine.
Post a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ, pronounced “fack”) list that discusses your products or services. Manual or technical bulletins can be made readily available on the Net, which can save your expensive manpower from answering common questions time-and-time-again. A simple, text-based document will be readily accepted by most Net users. Conversion of existing product documentation (document files) to hypertext markup language (HTML) or Adobe Acrobat (PDF) formats (the communications protocols of the Web) is easily done. Inclusion of photos or line drawings, such as blueprints or a parts diagram, will add increased value to your Web presence, with minimal cost. Remember, content is king on the Web!
Connect the dots There is cachet in being a modern, connected business that comes with a Web presence. Buying a domain name is a quick and effective way to establish your company as a player on the Web. Gaining ownership of a domain name is cheap, usually less than $200, and it can be handled through your cyberbooster. Domain names are the part of a Web address (technically referred to as a uniform resource locator, or URL) that lies between the name of the computer server (“www.”) and the type of organization (“.com” for commercial, “.gov” for government, etc.); for example:
www.yourcompanyname.com.
If you don’t think this will put you up with the “big boys,” take a good hard look at some television commercials. If Toyota, ABC, CBS and Motorola think a domain name is an important marketing tool, maybe you should consider it.
A final caveat The way people access the Web may change in the near future. Unlimited Internet access for a small monthly fee is likely to become a connection-time-and-bandwidth-based fee structure. The information superhighway may change into a combination of toll road and pay-per-view. The traffic strain on telco facilities already is being felt in California, New York and even Alaska. A presence on the Web requires you to pay some attention to macro trends and to have a good idea of what you want the Web to do for your company. For now though, a little thought and a relatively small investment can provide a demonstrable return to your company’s bottom line.
Canyon State Communications, a land mobile radio dealer and Motorola warranty servicer with six facilities in Arizona and Texas, operates a comprehensive Web site for promoting its products and services. The Web site, with more than 40 pages of information, is located at www.canyonstate.com.
Chuck Potter, Canyon State’s vice president and chief operating officer, said the decision to build an Internet web site addressed management’s desire to reduce operating costs and to improve marketing and customer service. “For high-tech companies, especially land mobile radio businesses, a presence on the Internet demonstrates an ability to make the most of the latest technologies,” Potter said. “We believe a Web presence will help us work more efficiently and keep our customers better informed.”
Canyon State commissioned Bobby G. Thompson & Associates, Phoenix, to build the Web site. Thompson, the firm’s president, served for 33 years with Motorola’s national service organization prior to starting his own two-way radio and wireless communications consulting firm in 1996. Potter said Thompson’s expertise and understanding of the land mobile business, combined with his Internet knowledge, helped Canyon State strategically map out the various pages and components of their web site.
A corporate profile of Canyon State Communications and a detailed listing of products and services are included in its web site. Visitors to the site can make transactions online and receive answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs). A “What’s New” section also contains up-to-date announcements and offers links to other relevant Web sites.
Thompson & Associates works with both small and large land mobile radio businesses to establish Web sites. Pricing starts at $100 for setup and $20 per month in server rental fees.
www.cyberspace.com/~cerelli /htmledit.htm
www.cobWeb.washcoll.edu /htmleds.htm
These editors work with a normal word processing program, such as Microsoft Word for Windows. Don’t worry Macintosh fans, these types of add-on programs are also available for the Macintosh-, Liunix-, and Unix-based operating systems. Line drawings, photos or other images can be scanned to convert them into a “.gif” format to provide detail with minimum file size. Enjoy. _Donald E. Koehler
