The Internet is an Information Medium
People who use the Internet expect to find what they are looking for at the tips of their fingers. Therefore, your content must fulfill their expectations. Some users of the web will turn images off as they browse so they can explore faster. While this doesn't mean design isn't important, it does mean that great looking graphics are not the primary reason they are at your site. Unless there is real information behind the graphics, users will be disappointed. Give them what they are looking for and more.

The Web is a Communications Device
Email is a tremendous tool for building one-on-one relationships with your customers. It is a casual communication; you don't have to write a two-page response. A simple one-paragraph response will tell your customers that you are committed to service and that you value their patronage. Unanswered email sends the opposite message. If you do not have email, you need to do that first. Anyone who comes to your web site is investing time in you. If they can't find what they are looking for, that's bad. If they can't send email or fill out a form to ask you, that's worse. If they do send a message and you don't respond, that's evil. Once you are able to communicate via email your web site becomes a doorway where people can find you and communicate with you.

The Web is Becoming a Business Necessity
When the phone was invented, many commented that it was real neat, but they couldn't see a use for it. Of course today, we couldn't begin to imagine how we could do business without a phone. In recent years, email has become a communications tool that, in many businesses, has become an integral part of how they do business. Additionally, a web site is a valuable business tool, which is on its way to becoming as useful and needed as your phone or fax machine. Used correctly, a web site can become an integral and effective part of your company's marketing plan.

Don't Go Online Without Defined Goals
Think through how using the Internet will be different from your other marketing endeavors. Spend some time defining your goals and expectations before setting a budget and hastily jumping online. Be sure to allocate appropriate human resources to Internet relations, assigning someone to check and respond to email regularly. It is well worth the time and expense of bringing in an Internet consultant to help define your goals and objectives. Careful planning and research up front can save a lot of time and effort.

Never Use an 'Under Construction' Sign
All web sites are, by nature, under construction. To let users know about a coming feature: post a notice about it, date exactly when it will be up, and meet that deadline. Under construction signs only aggravate users and make them think you don't care about your site, especially if they come back later and it's still under construction.

Don't Forget about Branding & Positioning
If you've trusted an advertising agency to position your brand, you will want to keep your Internet strategy consistent with your overall image and brand identity. Therefore, it can be advantageous to include your agency in your Internet marketing plans. However, because marketing and development for the Internet is very different from traditional marketing, your web site developer and your advertising agency should work closely.

Use a Professional Developer
In fact, use us! There are three key areas where your relationship with your web developer will go beyond the involvement of your agency o One: Internet marketing will involve consulting with your entire company. Whereas your agency is used to working closely with the director of marketing, your Internet marketing endeavors will also include your system administrator, human resources, sales, and service, among others. You will need a consultant who can help you see how the Internet will effect every aspect of your business, making it a tool that makes your entire company run better and smarter. oTwo: your web site will require a close and ongoing relationship with your developer. The ad agency project cycle has a clear beginning and end. Within this cycle, a job is either open or closed. Your web project should never close. You will need maintenance, updates, further development, ongoing reporting, and site promotion to use your site effectively. You will need a relationship with a developer that can provide you with strong ongoing service. oThree: the skills involved in creating and maintaining a web site are inherently technical. They require a special mix of graphic design, interface design, and computer programming which is rare and specialized. Unless your agency can demonstrate clear experience and ability in these areas you will need to include a specialized web development company like INform.