Computersys Computer Consulting Services Web Strategies for Small Businesses

1. Computersys Computer Consulting Services Web Strategies for Small Businesses

2. Building an Effective Web Site Part One:

3. E-What? New Economy Definitions • What does this mean? Let’s understand a few definitions. • E-Commerce: Any technology-based activity resulting in a positive financial result for an organization • Examples: Selling goods online. Answering pre-sales questions online. Shopping for a car online. Trading stocks online. • E-Business: Any technology-based process which augments or replaces a non-technology based process • Examples: Online employee manuals. Online customer satisfaction surveys.

4. Can a Small Business have a successful website? • Yes, and here’s how… • 1. Document your E-Business strategy. • Even if it’s simple. Start with the Content and let it steer the presentation and organization. • 2. Build your website. • Hire a professional! • 3. Promote your website. • You must tell people about the site. • 4. Upgrade & Evolve your website. • Learn your audiences and fine-tune your website for maximum efficiency.

5. Create your E-Business Strategy • Usually, an organization’s E-Business Strategy discusses the following items: • 1. Do I need a website? If so, what type of site matches my business? • Examples: Brochureware, ecommerce, promotional, customer support. • 2. How will I market and promote the website? • Examples: Ads in newspapers, company printed materials, all sales materials. • 3. Who will I hire to build my site? • Examples: Web Design agency, internal staff, freelancer, free/low cost provider • 4. How will I maintain the site? • Examples: Monthly maintenance contract with an agency, internal staff.

6. Evolution of Web Site Types Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4 Identity Interactive Personalized Enterprise • Extensive Personalization • Extensive E-commerce • Extensive • Self-Help Tools • Mature Extranet • Limited Personalization • Limited Point-of-Sale • Advanced Tools • Extranet • Brochureware • Contact Info • Company Info • Basic Product Info • Searchable • Online Catalog • Requests for Information Not Promoted Highly Promoted Low Cost to Build High Cost to Build ROI: Can be high or low. Based on Strategy, site Size.

7. E-Commerce Workflow Credit Card Processing Network Authorization Gateway Browser Web Server

8. How do I build a website? 1. Choose a Web Design Professional. 2. Trust their advice. 3. Be prepared to spend money. 4. Be responsive to the web design agency. 5. Be open to suggestions. 6. Be ready to upgrade and evolve your website over time.

9. E Business Vendor Partners Front End / Interface Marketing and Sales Web Design Professional Online Marketing Designer/Interface Specialist Offline Marketing Application Designer Internet Sales Manager Content Creator Logistics Back End Internet Connectivity Application Hosting Web Site Hosting Order Fulfillment Database Hosting Online Customer Service E-Commerce Services Hosting

10. Types of Web Design Professionals • 1. Individuals: Freelancers, Old Friends, Family Members • 2. Internal Staff: Admin assistant, Sales Manager, The Owner • 3. Online Services: Yahoo, Network Solutions’ Image Café, Geocities • 4. Web Design Agencies: Stream Studio Web Architects • 5. Ad Agencies, Design Agencies: Frog Design, GSD&M • 6. Large Consulting Firms: KPMG, EDS, Andersen, Ernst and Young • The Sweet Spot for small businesses? • Start with Online Services or DIY (Do it yourself!) • Evolve toward Web Design Agencies

11. The Web Design Process 1. DISCOVERY: Strategy & Planning; Define goals, objectives, audiences, page list, etc. 2. DESIGN: Create a graphical visual representation 3. DEVELOPMENT: Build the structure, program code, integrate data applications 4. DEPLOYMENT: Test Q/A, Performance & Functionality; Launch It!

12. Build an “Object Oriented” Site Four Element of All Web Sites Content Content is information presented as words, images, movies, sound, etc. Presentation Presentation is the site style, page layout and graphical look and feel defined with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Structure Structure is the organization of the physical web files and the HTML programming of the content and presentation. 4. Logic Logic is the programming that ties the other three elements together to control how the site will function.

13. Benefits of an “Object Oriented” Site • What are the benefits of a modular design? • Ease of Maintenance = Lower Maintenance Costs • Rapid publication of new content • Simpler, cleaner integration of complex functionality • Multiple presentations of the same content • Smoother compatibility with Search Engines • Accessibility • Backward compatibility The site looks and behaves the same for multiple operating systems, browsers and browser versions • Forward compatibility The site scales for use with “alternate user agents” (cell phones, PDAs, handicap browsers, etc.)

14. Team Collaboration: The Project Site Allows the client to check our progress, and keep informed about the project. Includes: 1. Documentation 2. Project Updates 3. Project Roadmap 4. Educational Articles

15. Part Two: Marketing Your Site

16. Making the website payoff. ROI. • ROI depends upon several factors: • Type of site • Production Costs • Marketing Effectiveness • Revenue Generation • Define clear “Measurements of Success.” • Planning and Design should strive to achieve specific objectives: • Generate prospects • Decrease the sales cycle • Reduce service costs • Promote brand identity

17. The NEW Marketing Mix • Traditional Offline Marketing • Promote the website! • Newspaper Advertising • Newspaper Articles • Nonprofit Sponsorships • In-Store Displays • Business Cards • Business Stationary • Printed Newsletters • Radio Spots • Direct Mail • Guerilla Tactics • Online Marketing • Promote the business! • Banner Ads • Direct Email (Opt-In is a must!) • Print E-Coupons • Meta Tags • Smart Code / Smart Content • Search Engines • Buy Specific Keyword(s) • Pay-for-Placement • Regional Site Advertising • Austin360.com • Netscape Yellow Pages • City Search • eBay / Auction Sites • Link Exchanges • Guerilla Tactics

18. Traditional Marketing and Promotions Ideas • General • Stationery • Envelopes • Business Cards • Order Forms • Invoices • Labels, Stickers • On Hold Message • Promotional Items • Cups • Mugs • Pens, Pencils • Polo Shirts • External Signage • Internal Signage • Traditional Newsletters • Email Newsletters • Retail • Display Tents • Shelf Liners • Floor Decals • POS Display • Hanging Banners • Print on Receipt • Bookmark in Bag • Fliers at Register • Staple Flier to Receipt • Print on Bags • Product Packaging • Product Lining • Product Catalogs • Advertising • Magazine Ads • Newspaper Ads • Direct Mail • Leave Behinds in public • Traditional Newsletters-others’ • Email Newsletters-others’ • Public Relations • Community Involvement • Seminars • Conventions • Author Articles • Apply for Awards • Become known as an expert • Event Sponsorship

19. Search Engine: Pay-for-Listing

20. Search Engine: Buy Keywords

21. Create an Internet Phenomenon Infectious Guerilla Marketing Tactics That Work! G5 BillNoll.com/G5 Weapons of Mass Destruction Do a Google search and choose “I’m Feeling Lucky” Budweiser Unintentional Success of “True Super Friends” Think of something creative that can be easily emailed to draw attention to your site.

22. SPAM SUCKS! Unsolicited emails are ineffective for the following reasons. Spam is not free! It costs business millions of dollars in wasted time and resources. Poor credibility Do you really want to be associated with the types of businesses that spam? It’s not read Anti-spam software is on the rise. OPT-In instead Make sure your readers expect and allow your emails. Renew Opt-ins annually.

23. Meta Tags Meta Tags are special lines of code in your site that interact with Internet Search Engines like Yahoo!, MSN, AOL and Google. They help index your site, boost rankings and enable people to find your site easier. Once installed, they can improve search result rankings in 30 to 90 days. At minimum, each page should have these distinct Meta Tags: Title: A short headline that describes the content on the page Description: Cohesive pithy statements using appropriate kewords and phrases. Keyword: Words and phrases relevant to content on the page. Separate by commas and rank by priority. Once installed, these Meta Tags can improve search result rankings in 30 to 90 days.

24. Smart Code / Smart Content Smart Code Smart Code follows industry recommendations to ensure content is index properly and made available to the widest possible audience. Smart Content Smart Content is written and presented in a way that provides relevant information to the visitor and makes it easier for the visitor to find the page using a search engine. Your web designer should recommend methods for code optimization and content presentation to enhance search engine indexing and boost search result rankings. Using the strategies can improve search result rankings in 7 to 90 days.

25. Site Traffic: Track Your Success Know your visitor so you can serve them better. Site Visitors, Page Views Top Search Engine Keywords

26. Improve Online Sales • When developing your website strategy… • “Focus sales pitches on people who are likely to buy.” • “Make it easy to shop.” • “Know your customers, then tailor your site to their needs.” • “Know your customers, and have a different site ready for each of them.” • Summary: Build the site with the customer in mind, not your company. Build a community around your company. * “The Wall Street Journal”, Monday, September 24, 2001, P. R6

27. E-Tailing Looks for Results * • Online Retail Sales • 1996- $1 Billion • 2000- $22 Billion • 2001- $35 Billion • 2005- $103 Billion • Online Sales Conversion Rates • llbean.com 10% • landsend.com 9% • jcpenney.com 8.9% • victoriassecret.com 8.2% • jcrew.com 6.8% Summary: Online sales (e-commerce) is still not paying off with a high ROI for all companies. * “The Wall Street Journal”, Monday, September 24, 2001, P. R6

28. Small Business Marketing Checklist • 1. Choose your “Domain Name”. • It must be clear, and easy to remember. • It must be easy to pronounce. • It must be easy to read when written. • Resource: www.godaddy.com • 2. Plan your site. • What are the site’s goals and objectives? • Who is the site’s audience? Who do you sell to? Pick a small niche, if possible. • What does your audience want on your site? Ask them. • Don’t take a shotgun approach. Serve your customers with features they want. • Don’t focus on technology, rather , focus on your customers. • 3. Market and Promote your site. • Think of your internet marketing strategy at all times. • How can you “push” people to use your site? • Create a “Marketing Matrix” document. • Consider search engine placement, but don’t dwell on it. • 4. Make a Clear Pitch. • Listen to your customers, understand their needs, understand what they want to buy, and understand how they like to buy. • Don’t’ force them to take a drink from a !

29. Small Business Hosting Checklist • What You Should Look For • At least 100 Mb of web site and email space • At least 10 Gigs of transfer per month • Multiple Email Accounts for sales@, info@, etc. • Web-based Email Administration • Web-based Server Administration • Robust Site Statistics • Advanced Server Technologies • Bundled Software Discounts • Redundant Systems for Stability • High Performance • 24/7 Technical Support • Typical Costs • Packages range from $5 to $50 per month. • Services and features vary. • Stream Studio Provides • 300 Mb with more available if needed • Unlimited data transfer per month • Unlimited email accounts • Email account users can manage their own password, aliases, message forwarding, vacation auto-responders and check their email via a web browser (a.k.a. WEBMAIL) • Manage email/FTP accounts, secure directories, site stats, backups, etc. • Secure, Private access to Urchin 4 site stats. Learn how many unique visitors you have, which pages they access, who referred them, search engine keywords, error reporting, platform usage, etc. • Support for PHP, MySQL, SSI and MS Front Page Extensions. Private CGI-BIN • Discount SSL Certificates, Miva Merchant, Free Urchin Stats and web apps. • Redundant Internet Connections, Power Supplies and Weekly data backups. • Hi performance equipment directly on the Internet backbone. • 24/7 On-Call Tech Support