|
Design, Technology and Strategy
Design, technology and strategy. These are the three pillars of the Web for business. If an organization wants to create a powerful and effective Web presence, deciding how to use these three elements is the place to begin.
Design
It's easy to underestimate the number of items that need to be designed when considering a Web strategy. The graphic design must have impact. There are only a few seconds to pull a visitor into the site. On the Web, small companies can appear large and substantial, depending upon how well they are portrayed graphically. Conversely, large companies can appear small, incapable, and even shoddy if the graphic design is lacking. In some cases companies are better off having no Web site at all rather than being represented by dated, haphazard or ineffectively designed sites.
Information organization, navigation and usability must all be designed to effect an optimal experience for users. For visitors to become customers the time they spend at the site must be pleasurable and productive. It's very easy for a visitor to become frustrated and leave when they can't find what they're looking for. The first rule of e-commerce is, "if a visitor can't find it, they can't buy it." Even a simple informational Web site will lose business for the organization if important information is too hard to find. The answer is thoughtful design that centers on the anticipated needs of the site's visitors. A designer must think from the user's point of view, determine exactly what their purposes are, and then provide the paths that accomplish those purposes to create the desired experience.
Technology
Technology, specifically interactivity, is what separates the Web from every other form of media. Other media can't provide capabilities that empower users to do things the way the Web can. Magazines, brochures, broadcast media, direct mail, advertising, etc. are all very good at getting a message out. But to convert that message into action by the reader or viewer requires putting down the medium they are in and starting again in a new one. Other media also require additional steps to be taken before something happens: an order must be recorded, a letter delivered, a phone answered, a process started. However, tasks like these can easily be accomplished by visitors at a Web site through Web based technology, usually at great cost effectiveness.
Interactivity involves the customer in the process. If a customer is happy to serve themselves, there's no reason to create infrastructure that gets in the way. When a visitor finds the product they want, or the information they need, technology gives them the opportunity to go to the next step. They can enter the order, download the information, track the shipment or ask a question at that time. They can accomplish all this with a Web browser, without having to go through telephone menus, engage a costly customer service department, or deal with unhelpful employees. And they can do it on their schedule. In addition, activity on the site can be used to update other systems, often in real time, including inventory, billing, purchasing, etc. Indeed, there are many efficiencies that can be created by moving even a small percentage of a company's customers to Web-based processes.
The key to implementing technology successfully is understanding the different strengths and weaknesses of machines and people, and then building systems accordingly. Machines are especially good at rote, repetitive tasks, or tasks that require high levels of precision. People are much better at problem solving, developing relationships and creativity. If an organization can differentiate tasks and processes into those that are "high tech" versus "high touch," they can implement technology in a smart way and reap the benefits of its power.
Strategy
Many Web sites fail because they are developed without a plan to incorporate them into the greater fabric of the organization. Without a clear description of the role it will play, a site simply becomes a collection of files sitting passively on a Web server, making very little contribution to the organization.
A good site will clearly communicate the company's message, offer features and information that visitors are looking for, and provide functionality that enables visitors to act if they choose to. As the site is being developed, plans for how it will be integrated into the organization must also be laid.
Using email inside and outside the organization will help speed communications as well as lower costs. Lists of customers' email addresses should be maintained and used regularly to communicate value, such as special pricing, new products, new services, or anything else that benefits customers or clients. Marketing "hype" should be avoided at all costs in these communications because no one has the time or inclination to read it. However, everyone wants to know about things that benefit them. Email messages, with links back to the site for details, provide a way to reach customers and prospects with beneficial information quickly and cheaply.
Because a properly designed site can handle the job of presenting the organization in the best possible light, targeted email lists, search engines, direct mail and even personal networking all become much more effective. All marketing efforts can now include a component to encourage prospects to go to the site to learn more. While at the site prospects will get the best and most detailed information because the company has the most control over its message there.
Relying on the Web in the sales process is cost-effective. A much larger number of prospects can be reached because the Internet is so widely available in the work place today. Inexpensive direct mail, used to lead prospects to the site, when targeted properly and communicating value can get very high response rates. Far more of these pieces can be produced and mailed than can other types of printed goods within a given budget. In addition, printed goods can only contain a fraction of the information that can be made available on the Web site.
|
