Internet as  an Effective Marketing Tool  

Today’s economic times demand pragmatic spending. Businesses  need to find innovative as well as practical solutions that help them continue attracting customers and maintaining awareness among their target audiences in the market place. Your company Web site provides such a practical solution . The tight budgets and limited resources in today’s business environment, organizations are forced to closely evaluate spending especially when it comes to marketing. A Web site, however, is a tool that all businesses can leverage to help increase brand exposure, expand their target market and help grow their business. Today, India has over 81 million Internet users . According to industry forecasts, the number of Internet users is expected to nearly double to 1.8 billion worldwide through 20102. Being a part of this ever-expanding digital world starts with your Web site. Your Web site can be a cost-effective way to help pro- mote your business to various target audiences and communicate your business strengths. Think of your Web site as a calling card or an elevator pitch. It can quickly and easily convey your company’s offerings, its strengths and allow interested visitors to buy your products or services. It helps position your business as efficient to consumers, competitive to potential investors, and it can serve as the first introduction to people you want to hire. Uke most things, building your Web site into an effective marketing tool starts with the basics. The site needs to be easy to use, branded to suit your company image and have customer service response systems in place.

The right domain name A domain name represents your company’s brand andidentity on the Internet. To help boost your recognition on the Web, your domain name should be simple, easy to remember and something that people can associate with your company.  Selecting the right domain name helps increase your visibility on the net. A.com domain name is a good choice, since it is one of the most popular domain names on the Internet today3. It is by far the most likely extension most people try when searching for a Web site, and today’s Internet search engines are geared to recognize .com. If the domain name you want for your company is already taken, you can search for similar words or names, an interesting tag line, a product or service name, or consider a “Hinglislt” option. You can also u3e a domain name suggestion tool freely available on most .com registration sites.

You may also want to consider registering multiple domain names at this stage in order to increase the chances of your potential customers finding you online. These similar name domains can be possible misspelling and variations of your main domain name. These other domain names can be used to redirect your visitors to your main Web site.

 

A key factor to a successful Web site is good content. This requires effective planning and presentation of information based on an understanding your customers’ requirements. It is therefore prudent to determine your target audience and then build content that responds to their specific requirements vis-a-vis your business.

Good navigational design is an essential ingredient for any good Web site; navigation is the roadmap of your Web site. Visitors to your Web site need to know three essential things: where they are, where they can go, and how they can get back to where they came from. 

Helping people find your Web site on the Internet is also important. You should promote your domain name at every opportunity, from the business card to office supplies. This helps introduce your company to businesses who may not be familiar with what you do but have a need for the services.

(Courtesy:-excerpts from Financial Express-S. Kiran).

 

,