Webpage Sorcery

Sections

Reach a worldwide audience

More than 888 million people have access to the Internet worldwide of which 200 million live in the USA.

Do business with an affluent market

According to a study by the Georgia Institute of Technology:

• 82% are male, 16% female, 2% no answer
• Average age 35
• Average income is $69K (45% between 50K & 200K)
• 46% single, 50% married; 24% have 2 or more dependents
• 61% college graduates
• 36% in professional mgmt; 31% in computers; 24% in education
• 86% live in North America; 10% in Europe

No time zone barriers, you are open twenty-four hours a day

It's always daytime somewhere in the world

Reach consumers when they are ready to buy

Customers are looking for you when they are ready to buy.   You have their full attention  --  their eyes are on the monitor;  their hands on the keyboard.

Give customers information they want when they want it

A web page appeals to those consumers who know what they want right away,  to those needing a little more time to reach a decision,  to those who want a little more information through Email.

Open a new channel of distribution for your company

If you already have a place of business,  being on the Internet is like opening a store in every town.

......Or sell products only on the Internet

Many companies exist solely on the Internet because of low cost of entry.   Look at Amazon Books for example.

Offer lower costs to consumers and beat competition

Lower or even no additional costs of overhead with an Internet business.   You can reduce your inventory costs by ordering products only when they are requested by the customer,  and you can drop ship them too.   Your savings can be passed on to your customers.

Beat competition to new markets because they aren't online

With a storefront you may not be able to open up a new store up the block right away,  but on the Internet you are just around the corner wherever you are.   And by adding new links to your site or registering with Internet Shopping Malls,  your new business location is a click away.

Make additional sales more easily

Existing customers are easier to sell to than new ones.   Once they are happy with your products and services,  they'll return to your site again and again with little effort.

Create cost-effective catalogs that are long on details

Printed catalogs are tremendous sales tools,  but they suffer from the high costs of printing,  mailing lists,  and postage not to mention the cost of correcting errors or making changes in products or prices.   On the Internet all of this is eliminated and you have plenty of space for photographs,  detailed descriptions and lots of ad copy,  plus full audio and visual media presentations that are interactive.

Low cost of doing business

The Internet provides a low entry cost to new markets without additional staff.   In fact,  it helps your existing sales force sell more.

Interact with customers

You can interact with customers immediately by using Email and automated Infobots,  something you can't do in the newspaper,  direct mail,  radio or television.

Add extra value to your business by

Conducting market research online

The Internet lends itself to keeping track of all kinds of detailed information unobtrusively.   You can track what your customer is looking at and how many times he may revisit that product or service.   And a Web page can be designed to customize the information given to the customer based on this information.

Finding competitive information

Customers volunteer a lot more information while surfing the Web than they would filling out surveys in your place of business.

Providing customer support

You can offer a tremendous amount of support anytime of the day or night by using Email,  something customers particularly like.   FAQs (Frequently Answered Questions) on your Web page can offer all kinds of useful information concerning the most often asked questions about your services or products.

Decreasing costs of printing and distributing marketing materials

You can make changes frequently and immediately to your information,  unlike printed material.   And it gets "delivered" in a timely manner,  much better than direct mail,  television,  or magazine promotions.

Challenges of doing business on the Internet

Standing out from the crowd

Imagine your customer shopping in a mall.   Now imagine your customer shopping in a mall with 60,000 stores.   Welcome to the World Wide Web.   You need an expert to get them into your place of business.

Shifting prices for services

Everyone can see all the products,  services,  and prices of everyone else on the Internet,  therefore there are those who will quickly adjust their prices to beat the competition.   You need to have your Web page follow the competition's moves.

Buyer reluctance

For the most part,  customers who don't know you can only judge you from your Web presentation and may not meet you personally.   This makes most people leery about sending credit card information online.   75% of first time buyers contact you by phone,  mail,  or store visits to conclude their business.

Security issues

There is a perception that there is a security problem on the Internet and that hackers can steal credit card information.   A well conceived web presentation can overcome this incorrect perception by explaining and implementing the newest development in Internet security procedures.

Audience size

While the Internet base is tremendous,  the local base might be small.   You need to approach marketing of your products and services in a more global fashion.

Shopping as a participant sport

Some people like see and touch the product they are buying,  and some like the handshaking and face to face interaction of the people they do business with.   And some people just like to get out of the house and drive.   You have to offer a very compelling presentation for these people to buy online.