Issue 26, December 12, 1996

Welcome to Issue 26 of Web Marketing Today, sent out to 14,311 subscribers around the world.

In This Issue

Web Marketing Where Content Is King
Links of Interest to Web Marketers
Nice Words from Massachusetts
Odds 'n' Ends
Merry Christmas, Tracy: A Gentle Plug for our Business

Content Is King

by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

Real estate brokers tell us of three important factors in appraising a particular piece of property. They are, in this order: location, location, location. Translate to marketing your business on the Web and these become content, content, content. That could mean high quality graphics, or streaming audio, or interactive on-line games. For business Web sites, it usually means information.

Pocket Change

Benjamin Riggnor wants to move his small coin collecting shop (don't bother looking this up, you won't find it) to the Web, so he can reach a global audience, rather than just people in McLean Co., Illinois. On a limited budget he hires a Web site designer and ends up with three Web pages:

Welcome page which also tells about his business
A list of 60 coins he feels would be of wider interest
An order form

He advertises his Web site to the basic Web search engines, and after a few weeks, if he searches hard, he can find Riggnor Coins 17 screens deep on AltaVista under the words "coin collector". He gets a few hits, sells a few coins. But mainly he wonders: What's wrong? The answer is found in a word: Content.

To differentiate yourself from the hundreds, perhaps thousands of competitors, you somehow need to develop compelling content -- information -- which will draw the coin collectors of the world to your Web site. There are several options, most of which could be adapted to your particular business, and all of which take some work.

Developing Content One Page at a Time

Benjamin, why don't you develop a photo gallery of rare coins with a brief history of each specimen. Why don't you call it "100 Rare Coins of the World for Serious Collecting." What a mouthful, you say. Purposely. Web search engines will index on words in a title as well as other words on a page. What words might someone type in to AltaVista to find coins? Rare, coins, collecting. You get the idea. If you don't have 100 yet, do what you can and tell people you are working toward your goal of 100 by next summer, and then keep at it.

Now you begin to develop this one Web page for each coin. Make sure your Web site designer creates a template page you can use to create new, similar pages yourself with an HTML editor such as Microsoft FrontPage, or HotDog.

One hundred Web pages is a lot, you protest. Yes, but it increases dramatically your chance being seen on AltaVista under "coin collecting." It becomes an increasingly valuable resource which is both visual and written. While you're doing this, why don't you begin a free e-mail newsletter your Web visitors can sign up for. Each week or two you include the text of your latest Rare Coins, plus a list of coins for sale. Now your work is doing double duty: it is will increase your sales as well as attracting new coin collectors to your site.

Riggnor is giving too much away, you say. Yes, but he's attracting a growing stream of people who never would have noticed him before, people who have a strong interest in what he is selling.

This kind of plan takes a while to execute, but once you develop some momentum, you find that more and more people come to visit. There's a great line about patience in the classic film "Casablanca" where Humphrey Bogart says to Ingrid Bergman: "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life." That's the way you have to look at building content. You may not see the results today or tomorrow, but ....

Brothers-in-Law and Doll Houses

But I'm just not a writer, you say. I have trouble spelling my own name. Or, I can't make Web pages.

Adopt a barter strategy -- we call it developing a strategic partnership -- with people who have those skills. How do you find them? Frequent a newsgroup or mailing list on coin collecting and say, "I'm trying to photograph some of my coins, but can't seem to make my Instamatic produce photos like a Nikon. Any amateur photographers out there?" You may find someone in the next town, whom you could convince to photograph your coins in an evening in exchange for a couple of 3-cent coins and a good dinner. Your brother-in-law is a great amateur photographer and needs someone to build a dollhouse for his daughter for Christmas You're handy in the woodshop.... Do what you can, and then develop strategic partnerships with others by providing solutions for their vital interests.

Can't write? Ask some regulars on the coin collector's news group to write a short piece about their favorite rare coin for you and send you a photo. They'll be happy to see their name in print, and you'll get an article. Of course, a larger business can afford to produce such a resource much more rapidly and with less work on dollhouses.

Partnering to Develop Content

Here's another approach. Offer up-to-date industry headlines on your site: expensive? No, free. While I doubt that they offer a section on coin collecting, NewsPage has just offered a valuable resource to provide valuable, changing content for business Web sites. This is how it works.

Visit the NewsPage Web site and select several topics from among the 2,500 into which they sort 20,000 business news stories each day.
Register for their NewsPage Affiliates program
Have your Web site designer set up a template page on which NewsPage story headlines will appear each day. Your Web page template has links to a NewsPage cgi program which feeds today's headlines to your page each morning.

Now your customers can find a customized format for industry news right on your Web site for nothing.

If something is too good to be true, it probably isn't. But mutual interests are being met, this is a win-win partnership. You get free content, but when your customers click on a particular story they want to read more about, they are transported to NewsPage's Web site where a banner ad generates revenue for NewsPage. You provide the traffic to them, they provide the content for you. If you want to see how we're implementing it at the Web Marketing Info Center, take a look at Web Marketing News Headlines for up-to-date news on doing business on the Web. (Come early and often!)

Create a Center

Richard Soos created the "Electronic Money Tree," a marketing e-zine created entirely from free articles written by marketers who get exposure for their services on his site. Mention in Yahoo Magazine and others brings lots of traffic -- and people return to read the next issues, since he renews content monthly and reminds former visitors via e-mail.

Nancy Bargine, President of Impressa, targets business people who are also do-it-yourself Web page developers. She has assembled at Site Promoter a variety of tools and information for promoting a Web site.

Articles she has written
Links to Web sites offering related software tools
Lists of linking sites on the Web
A new, reasonably-priced software tool which enables small business people to do ongoing Web site promotion from their desktop.

Her carefully-built "center" will attract increasing numbers of visitors. Note that she gives a lot away. That is what brings you. She also sells a product related to the content which she is giving away, but adding to it.

What should you offer in your center? First, define demographically who are the best customers for your products or services. Then ask yourself, what do these people enjoy? What do they do with their spare time? What do they need which I could provide them? The better handle you have on your prospective customers, the better you can design content to attract them. Note: content does not have to be closely related to your product, but to your prospective customers' needs and desires.

Maybe you've begun with a presence on the Web in 1996. Why don't you set a goal to build a "center" in 1997 designed to attract increasing numbers to your Web site. Hey! If it can work for Benjamin Riggnor, it can work for you.

# # #

You may react or read reactions to this article at the Web Marketing Forum.

Links Of Interest To Web Marketers

Asha Dornfest, "How to Set Up and Run Your Own Mailing List," C|Net, November 27, 1996.
Electronic Money Tree, the Netrepreneur's Digest for Small Business and Entrepreneurs, a monthly Web-zine edited by Richard Soos. Many thought-provoking articles.
Site Promoter. Nancy Bargine, President, offers lots of helpful information and tools on Web site promotion. If you fill out a product survey you can read an excellent article entitled "10 Ways to Increase Search Engine Traffic" which explains the mysteries of HTML META tags.
Kathleen Earley, "Making the Internet Really Work for Business," Networked Economy Conference, Keynote, October 24, 1996. AT&T's optimistic perspective on e-commerce.
Jean Halliday, "Automakers look for route to Web sales," Advertising Age, December 9, 1996. Big 3 cozy up to their dealers as online retailers make strides.
Elizabeth Gardner, "Out With Catalogs, In With the Web? Some Clothiers Find It's Not So Easy," Web Week, December 2, 1996.
Bill Roberts, "Manufacturers Get Wired," Web Week, November 4, 1996. Companies find Web especially useful for business-to-business activity.
Peter Krasilovsky, "Surveys in Cyberspace," Marketing Tools, November/December 1996.
Phaedra Hise, "Online 101: Cybermalls," Inc. Online, December 4, 1996. What they are, and the pros and cons of putting your site in one.
Larry Chase, "10 Net Marketing Mistakes," NetGuide, December 1996.
Marshal M. Rosenthal, "Ad Tracking: Which Tool Is Right for You," Web Review, December 8, 1996.
Tor Hyams, "How to Get Hit On," Web Review, November 29, 1996.
Jesse Berst, "How Wal-Mart Will Kill Mom and Pop on the Web," ZD Net AnchorDesk, Monday, December 9, 1996.
Easy-Submit from The Vault takes you to the submission pages of the major search engines and directories.
"Getting Sponsors" from The Vault, lists companies which offer cash in exchange for displaying their banner.

Nice Words from Massachusetts

Here are some nice words about Wilson Internet Services from the Optical Scanning Products Division of General Scanning, a $100 million corporation. We're very proud of the Web site we've created for them.

"Over the past several weeks, we have received numerous compliments about the site and its 'professional representation of the corporation.' Many of our viewers have told us that the information provided, in its present format, has allowed them to gain the necessary information they needed to evaluate our products.

"The web site was put together by Dr. Ralph Wilson. Ralph not only facilitated the web site, but his input and suggestions were extremely helpful to us during our consideration / review of the message and content we chose to use.

"Ralph maintained constant communication between himself and our group to expedite the project. Ralph is a pleasure to work with and I highly recommend him." -- Sharon M. Mooney, Marketing Communications

Odds 'N' Ends

Graphic artists, CGI programmers, Web site designer subcontractors needed. Details are available at http://www.wilsonweb.com/partners/

You can find some wonderful articles to help your family celebrate the Christmas season at http://www.wilsonweb.com/archive/xmas/ Make sure you read "Joseph's Letter Home" and "The Cradle."

Want to examine Christianity to see if it's credible? Why don't you be part of the "Intro to Jesus for the Undecided" e-mail study group in January and February? Details at http://www.joyfulheart.com/jesus/

Sponsorships are available for Web Marketing Today issues in January and February 1997. Get your message read by 14,000 Web marketers. http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt/sponsors.htm

Merry Christmas, Tracy -- A Plug for Our Business

On your desk a day or two before Christmas you find a package wrapped in green paper, tied with a red bow, sporting a card with your name on it. It's from your boss. "Tracy," it says. "Here's your own copy of Microsoft FrontPage 97 to make a home page for your family this Christmas. Love, Max." Then you read the P.S. "Once you learn on your family's home page, you'll be ready to put our business on the Web." Isn't he a sweetheart?

No, he's being penny wise and pound foolish. He equates ease-of-use with experience and taste. Great software does not an excellent Web site make.

In our humble opinion, Max would be better served by contacting Wilson Internet Services to develop a top quality Web site for the business, and then let you update it as the company's on-line business evolves and grows. Here are our 1997 prices:

Single-page Web site, $350
6-Page Web site, $995
12-Page Web site, $1,695
20-Page Web site, $2,395

How much of your time, Tracy, will you waste trying to learn how to do it "well enough"? A week? Two weeks? Price out your salary, benefits, and employee taxes for those weeks, and then compare that to the prices above.

When Max outsources to us, he can draw upon the marketing expertise of Wilson Internet Services to design an Internet marketing strategy without floundering in the dark for the next six months. Max will be delighted with the custom masthead and site graphics developed by our experienced graphic artists. They have training and professional tools, and that elusive but all important quality: artistic taste. Instead of Max moaning about how the Internet didn't work for him, we'll do our best to give Max a success story to tell at the next convention.

Why don't you march into Max's office with that Microsoft FrontPage program under your arm, and say something like: "Max, what a sweetheart! You're way ahead of me. We'll have Wilson Internet Services build us a professional Web site, and then I'll use this FrontPage program to change our prices and products as we need it. Max, you're a genius to think of such a thing! What a money-saver! By the way, here's a copy of Web Marketing Today to read after your roast duck on Christmas. Wilson Internet Services and FrontPage. Great combination! Merry Christmas, Max!" And then leave before he has a chance to protest.

Don't forget to tell him where he can find more information:

http://www.wilsonweb.com/websites/
or have him call Monday-Friday, 7 am to 4 pm Pacific Time

You'll be doing him a favor -- not to mention yourself! Instead of letting him set you up for failure, with Wilson Internet Services in your corner, your job and future may get a real boost. Take a deep breath, tuck the package under your arm, and go for it. Merry Christmas, Tracy.

To all our loyal readers around the world, we wish you the priceless gift of God's peace this Christmas!

Wilson Internet Services
Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, Director -- rfwilson
E-Commerce & Web Marketing Consulting and Publishing
-- Mon-Fri, 8 am-4 pm Pacific Time
P.O. Box 308, Rocklin, California 95677, USA
http://www.wilsonweb.com

Copyright © 1996-99 by Ralph F. Wilson, all rights reserved. Text, graphics, and HTML code are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without explicit permission. Trademarks and terms of use.