When should smaller companies start thinking about online advertising?
Harpointner: The minute a company registers, they should find a suitable domain name. In fact, they should find the domain name first, and immediately secure it because if six months from now they want to set up a Web site it will be confusing if they don't have the same [domain] name. Businesses that are around already can try to find some [domain name that is] similar.
The question really is: When is a business ready to start attracting clients? [Online advertising] is for growing businesses that want to communicate with a mass market, and it's any communications, even press releases. It's a customer retention program. If the marketing budget is cut, you can't do TV ads, but a Web site is up 24/7 and once it's up there's no cost to maintaining it. It's expensive to print brochures and if there's typo, it's all trash. The Internet serves a different need. Today businesses realize that a Web site is a business tool, and not just an online brochure. It can be used to attract customers, publicize events, anything happening with their company. The Web site is the center of the online universe and everything should link back to the Web site. It's beyond just a brochure. The Web site is a lot more functional. Visitors interact with a Web site. They want to write reviews, subscribe to newsletters and RSS feeds. That's what Web 2.0 is about -- interactivity. People don't just want to read, they want to be in the game. Those Web sites that offer users the ability to act, get the most attention.
What should smaller businesses consider when thinking about starting an online advertising campaign?
Harpointner: Smaller businesses have to ask themselves what their goals are. Are their Web sites are here to see or generate leads? They need a definition of success. They need to know what their goals are.
Figure out what the budget is for email, search engines and banner ads. Decide what is the most practical. Also, do they have a way to measure results? You can't manage what you can't measure. A lot of businesses don't have the tools in place. Smaller businesses need to acquaint themselves with terminology and also understand their target audience and how to design a marketing campaign for that audience. Is the goal to generate leads? Sell outright? Set proper expectations. Once they're in place, be prepared to make adjustments in place.
If a business just sets up a Web site, it won't just explode. You need to be prepared to remain engaged. It needs to be a committed effort. You can outsource the tasks but you need to interact with the service provider, review progress, evaluate results and be prepared to make adjustments. No company can put a plan in place that's perfect right away. Be prepared for the maintenance, not just the purpose. It's better to wait than to just launch without a real plan. On the Internet, your Web site is your business. If it's horrible it can damage your business. Many businesses tend to underestimate how critical their Web site is. You need a well thought out strategy. It should accurately represent who your business is. Even though it's less expensive than a TV ad don't underestimate [your Web site's] influence. Millions of people can visit it and it can stay there for many years.
An e-mail campaign can be forwarded to 10 or 20 people. If the wrong message gets out, it's a double-edged sword. Historically that's where companies fall short. You can look like you're really behind the times and its damaging to your reputation. Many businesses hire Web site designers but you can't have the designer without a business strategy.
What do you think is the most effective way to do online marketing?
Harpointner: If you do nothing else, you should do an e-mail newsletter. And it's never too early to do an e-mail newsletter. We can cite examples of little stores who built an e-mail newsletter list to thousands [of customers]. And you can have one on one communication, even with a small list. Subscribers don't know how big the list is. Beyond e-mail, [smaller businesses need to think about] organic search engine marketing. Their Web site needs to be designed properly. Otherwise you will lose business, and it makes the company look bad if they can't be found.
Naomi Grossman is assistant editor of bMighty.com.
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