Commercial Opportunities on the World Wide Web
A summary of how commercial organisations
can use the Internet and the World Wide Web to
benefit their business.
Centreline 2000
May 1996
Executive Overview
The "Information Super-highway" is with us now. Companies around Britain, and the
rest of the world, are using it to promote their business around the UK and abroad.
They are using it to advertise their products; collect sales leads; provide customer
support; build customer loyalty.
The Internet and World Wide Web
They are using the Internet, and specifically the World Wide Web (or Web for short).
This computerised technology connects computers all round the world to provide a
single and simple access to information on any topic, any where, any time.
The Web allows you to present written and graphical material to people in your own
offices, your own street, or Hong Kong and New York.
The Web offers the benefits of printed materials, but with no cost of delivery. Users can
ask questions and communicate over the Web.
Web pages - usually short documents of written and graphical material are collected
together at a Web Site. The viewer can access pages from selection menus, or by
automatic searches. The pages are linked, so related topics can be seen together.
Users can print the information from their own computer.
What is the Web being used for?
- Public Relations
- Product and Service Information
- Customer Support
- Advertising
- Lead Generation
- Customer Communication
- Loyalty Programs
- Direct Sales by Credit Card
And this is just a partial list. Every business has its own needs and agenda. The Web
is flexible enough to support any requirement.
Who is on the Web?
There are 30 million organisations and individuals on the Web - with numbers growing in
1,000's daily. Although a computer is needed to access the Web many people already
have such access. You do not need a computer at home, many schools, colleges,
libraries and businesses already have Internet and Web connections.
Which companies are on the web?
Everybody and any body! One of the key features of a Web presence is that size
genuinely doesn't matter. If you are a smaller organisation you can appear as big as
you like on the Web.
Is it difficult to get on the Web?
No, not particularly. Many companies existing IT departments have already put their
organisation onto the Web. The problems are more in non-technical areas:
- In-House staff time and skills
- Computer Security problems
- Ensuring timely and accurate updates
- Marketing and promotion
You do not need your own technical staff.
Can Centreline 2000 help us?
We provide a complete Internet and Web service. It aims to launch your Web site to its
best effect. It minimises the impact upon your own resources.
Your Web site will be managed, developed and enhanced.
You will receive regular reports on the success of your Web site.
We will work with you to determine how best to continue making the most of your Web
site.
Contents
1. Why should I be on the Web?
2. What should I put on the Web?
3. What makes a successful Web Site?
4. How do we make a Web Site?
5. How do we get started?
6. Further Information
Why Should I be on the Web?
The Web promotes your business.
There are a number of key reasons for having your own web site:
- Reaching a world wide audience no extra cost
- Building new business
- Building repeat business
- Reducing costs of marketing
- Reducing costs of customer support and service
- Improved quality and scope of customer care
Each business will have its own hot topics, but the common threads are clear.
Reaching a world wide audience.
The Web is truly world-wide - so if you have products or services that you wish to sell
internationally the Web is the most cost-effective route for doing so. Anything you
publish on the Web is available instantly world-wide.
Equally, if your business has a purely local market place there are ways of focusing your
business to specific counties or towns.
Example: Within 2 weeks of launching our web site we secured a sales lead from
America for 30,000 pounds worth of software.
Building New Business
As your marketing team will tell you, finding new customers is the most expensive kind
of marketing. One of the appeals of the Web is that customers find you. The Web is
too big to search by hand - so Web users access "search sites". A user asks for
information on a topic and is given a list of Web sites which deal with that topic.
Building Repeat Business
By promoting your web site you can encourage your customers to come back and
review your latest products and services. You can inform them of new additions to the
products and related purchases.
You can make special promotional offers - even individually targeted offers. You can
also encourage your customers to introduce new business to you - an electronic
variation of the referral scheme.
Improved Marketing at Reduced Cost
The Web is an extra-ordinarily cost-effective means of marketing. Let's talk some hard
numbers for a moment and compare traditional advertising with the Web.
| Media | Cost | Audience | Length of Run |
Local |
Local Newspaper
6 x 6 inch advert
|
400 UKP
|
40,000
local town
|
1 Day
|
| or |
|
A complete colour
page on the web
|
200 UKP
|
30,000,000
world-wide
|
1 Year
|
National |
The Times
6 x 6 inch advert
|
3,000 UKP
|
150,000
United Kingdom
| 1 Day
|
| or |
|
A 15 Page Web Site
|
3,000 UKP
|
30,000,000
world-wide
|
1 Year
|
World-Wide |
The Economist
1 Colour Page
|
40,000 UKP
|
600,000
world-wide
|
1 Day |
| or |
|
A 100 Page Colour,
Sound + Video Web
Extravaganza!
|
30,000 UKP
|
30,000,000
world-wide
|
1 Year
|
The World Wide Web works for you all year round, 24-hours a day. The readers of your
marketing material have sought you out - they are already qualified before you even
start to communicate with them.
The Web can deliver text, graphics, sounds and moving video. You can even run on-
line competitions and games.
You can capture reader information, names, ages, locations and purchasing interest.
You can use this information to tailor individual messages to specific customers - the
ultimate in one-to-one marketing.
You do not have to print expensive brochures, which are rarely read, have a limited
shelf-life and often end up being thrown away. The reader selects the depth and type of
information they want, you don't need to send a bulky brochure pack.
Finally, many users feel more comfortable approaching a web site, because they can
examine your offering without feeling pressurised by a salesman.
Enhanced Customer Care at Reduced Cost
If you provide any kind of customer after care then the Web is very cost effective and
lets you deliver more sophisticated information.
Many Web sites run FAQ pages (Frequently Asked Questions). These pages answer
the top customer queries. Within these pages you can be as simple or as technical as
you need to be.
The Web allows you a range of customer support options:
- Step by Step instructions
- Alternative uses
- Case studies and customer examples
- Question and answer sessions
- User discussions
Of course you can lead customers from their technical queries to new sales and add-on
business.
What Should I Put on the Web?
Your web site should provide useful content. In turn, the content must help you meet
your overall objectives for your web site. Your site can cover a very wide range of
topics and areas.
Every organisation has its own needs, we can work with you to help define and clarify
the types of material you should make available. It is important to understand that a
Web site is not the same as traditional press, direct mail, radio and TV advertising.
Here are just some items you can put on your Web site:
- Advertising material
- Corporate Positioning
- Product literature
- Promotions and special offers
- Order forms, or on-line ordering
- Customer testimonials
- News of events and product releases
- Contact information
- Reseller / retail contact information
- Sales and retail support information
- Competitive analysis
- References to (non-competitive) related information
- Technical information
- Hints and tips, Frequently Asked Questions
- Background and reference materials
- Literature and sales contact requests
What makes a successful web site?
You must measure the success of your web site against your objectives for the site -
typically has it generated more sales? Your first analysis will come from:
1. number of visitors to your site
2. how often they return
3. which areas of your site they visit
There are a small number of attributes your site must have in order to encourage use of
the site.
- Appropriate design
- Useful content
- Information which is current
- A dynamic site, where new things are seen regularly
- An interactive site, which encourages people to participate
- A commitment to the process
You must be prepared to handle business that is generated from the site. For example,
how will you handle leads for your international resellers?
How can Centreline 2000 Help?
We can provide you with assistance from start to finish, as either a complete service or
to assist you with parts of the service.
- Web Site Planning
- Web Site Design
- Web Site Development
- Preparation of materials, documentation and graphics
- Hosting of Web Site
- On-Going management of the Web site
- Custom Development:
- Integration to other computer systems
- Special Web programming
- Web Site Registration
- Domain Name Registration
- Press Materials and Market Promotion
- Arrange links from other sites
If you already have some of these skills or facilities in-house we are happy to work with
your existing team to fill out areas where time, resource or skills are not available.
Every site has its own needs, we can offer you "off-the-shelf" solutions, or we can tailor
make a site specific to your requirements.
We have already invested in developing a range of tools that enable us to deliver web
sites quickly and efficiently, saving you money. These tools include document
conversion facilities, web site management tools, reporting facilities and quick-start
design tools.
How do we get started?
Step 1
We will work with you to determine the overall layout of your site. You will select which
areas are important to you and the timetable for their roll-out.
Step 2
From this design we provide a CIC-Pack. This is a Collation of Information Content
Pack. This breaks down the various pieces of information we will need you to prepare
and collect. Much of this information you will have already, in printed materials you
already produce.
Step 3
We take your materials, either in computer format or as printed matter and convert them
into Web ready computer format. We will also handle graphics and pictures for your
site in the same way. Where material is available in computerised format this saves
significant time in site preparation.
Step 4
While this is going we are also arranging a location for your Web site, that is the
computer upon which your Web site will be held. If required we will register domain
names and handle other technical details at the same time.
Step 5
Against the agreed timetable we launch the first pages of the Web site. We feel it is
important to establish your presence early and then keep building upon it. Additional
information is applied quickly after the initial launch.
Step 6
As the site is launched we provide you with Press and Marketing materials to help you
promote the Web site. These materials will also tell you how to refer to the site in
printed matter and how to maximise its potential in other media.
Step 7
The Web site is registered at the main search sites. These are the on-line equivalent of
telephone directories. They are used by web users as road-maps and locators to sites
around the world. By being registered at these sites, they can find your region, or even
individual services or businesses within your region.
How do we continue?
Your web site should be an on-going, growing and developing place. As you have new
information it should be made available. Old, redundant or inaccurate information
should be removed. The Web site will need "housekeeping" ensuring that it is running
effectively and productively without failures.
Step 8
As time goes on we work with you to develop the next stages in the Web sites
development. We will ask you to review the site and agree new CIC-Packs (Collation of
Information Content Pack) at regular intervals. This ensures the material is current and
accurate.
Step 9
We will introduce new options to you. As a provider to a number of government and
commercial organisations we will continue to develop new Web features. These can be
used on your own Web site, without you needing to fund the research and development.
Step 10
We will provide you with regular reports detailing the success of your Web site. We will
be able to show the number of visitors and their geographical location. We will be able
to see which parts of the Web site are most frequently visited and returned to.
From this information we identify weak spots which may need development. We also
find strong points from which we can leverage the success of the whole site.
Want to know more?
If you have any questions or would like further information then please do not hesitate to
contact us.
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