Web Science Stream
Strategies for Marketing,
Sales, and Promotion
Dr Alexiei Dingli
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Creating an Effective Web
Presence
• Businesses always create a presence in the physical
world by building stores and office buildings.
• The only contact that customers and other stakeholders
have with a firm on the Web is through its presence
there.
• Creating an effective Web presence can be critical even
for the smallest and newest firm operating on the Web.
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Why is it so important?
• 97 Million People Online
• $7 Trillion This Year
• 50 Times More Than 1999
• 1 Billion Emails Each Day in US
• Doubling Every 17 Months
• Within 5 to 10 Years expected to double every 11 Hours
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The situation today …
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Online vrs Traditional marketing
• Consumers Want Time
Savers
• Education & Research
• People Communicate
Differently
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Revenue Models
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Web Catalogue Revenue Models
Digital Content Revenue Models
Advertising Supported Revenue Models
Advertising-Subscription Mixed Revenue
Models
• Fee-for-Transaction Revenue Models
• Fee-for-Service Revenue Models
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Web Catalogue Revenue Models
• 130 year old idea
• Mail Order catalogue revenue model
• Seller
– establishes a brand name
– using brand strength to sell through catalogs
• order via a toll-free number or website
– important for the web-weary
• Computers, consumer electronics, books, music,
videos, luxury goods, clothing , flowers and gifts
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• http://www.amazon.com
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Digital Content Revenue Models
• Reduction of Printing costs
– Reduction of fees charged
• Examples
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Legal research tools
Doctoral dissertations and masters thesis
Journals and Books
First pioneers where sellers of adult digital content!
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– http://search.epnet.com/
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Advertising Supported Revenue Models
• As used by network televisions
• Sales grew by 1998 but reached a plateau in
2000
• Now improving gradually
• Major problems
– No standard for advertising charges
– few web sites have enough visitors to interest
advertisers
• Examples: Web Portals, Newspaper publishers,
Niche Market sites
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• http://www.timesofmalta.com/
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Advertising-Subscription Mixed Revenue
Models
• Subscribers pay a fee and accept a limited amount of
advertising
• Used by distinguished newspapers
– New York Times
– Wall Street Journal
• Others provide free access to recent news but charge a
fee for archived news
• Others require subscription to print version for access to
entire site
• http://www.nytimes.com/
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Fee-for-Transaction Revenue Models
• Fee charged based on number/size of transaction
• Disintermediation
– removal of middle-men in selling
• ReIntermediation
– Use of fee-for-transcation sites in selling
• Examples
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Travel Agents
Automobile Sales
Stockbrokers
Insurance Brokers
Event Tickets
Real Estate and Mortgage Loan Brokers
Online banking and Financial Services
• http://www.hsbc.com.mt/
• http://www.bov.com/
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Fee-for-Service Revenue Models
• Fee charged based on value of service
provided
• Examples
– Online Games
– Streaming of Concerts and Films
– Professional Services
• limited by state-licensed professions
• http://www.java.com/en/
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Revenue Models in Transition
• Subscription to Advertising-Supported
– Microsoft Slate Magazine
• Advertising-Supported to Advertising-Subscription
– Salon.com
• Advertising-Supported to Fee-forServices
– XDrive
• Advertising-Supported to Subscription
– Northern Light
• Multiple Transitions
– Encyclopedia Brittanica
– info-seller to advertising-supported to advertising subscription
models
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Revenue Strategy Issues
• Channel Conflict and Cannibalization
– competition between different selling channels
• Strategic Alliances and Channel Distribution
Management
– companies join in an activity over a long period of time
(Amazon)
– web portals and web services
• Mobile Commerce
– Growing, but not as fast as expected
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Identifying Web Presence Goals
• On the Web, businesses have the luxury of intentionally
creating a space that creates a distinctive presence.
• A Web site can perform many image-creation tasks very
effectively, including:
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Serving as a sale brochure
Serving as a product showroom
Showing a financial report
Posting an employment ad
Serving as a customer contact point
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Achieving Web Presence Goals
• An effective site is one that creates an attractive
presence that meets the objectives of the business or
other organization.
• Possible objectives include:
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Attracting visitors to the Web site
Making the site interesting enough
Convincing visitors to follow the site’s links
Creating an impression of corporate image
Building a trusting relationship with visitors
Reinforcing positive images of the organization
Encouraging visitors to return to the site.
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The Toyota Site
• The Toyota site is a good example of an effective
Web presence.
• The site provides:
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A product showroom feature
Links to detailed information about each product line
Links to dealers
Links to information about company
– http://www.toyota.com/
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Quaker Oats
• Quaker Oats has created Web sites that did not offer any
corporate presence until 1999.
• In 1999, Quaker Oats changed its Web page to improve
its general appearance and user-friendliness.
• The Toyota and Quaker Oats examples illustrate that the
Web can integrate an opportunity for enhancing the
image of a business with the provision of information.
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Quaker Oats in 1998
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Quaker Oats in 2002
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Quaker Oats in 2002
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Not-for-Profit Organizations
• A key goal for many not-for-profit organizations is
information dissemination.
• The combination of information dissemination and a twoway contact channel is a key element in any Web site.
• The American Civil Liberties Union and American Red
Cross have created effective Web presences.
• Political parties and museums also use Web site for their
image presences.
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How the Web is Different
• The failure to understand how the Web is
different from other presence-building
media is one reason that businesses fail to
achieve their Web objectives.
• Firms must use the Web’s capability for
two-way, meaningful communication with
their customers.
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Meeting the Needs of Web Site
Visitors
• Businesses that are successful on the Web
realize that every visitor to their Web site is a
potential customer.
• Creating a Web site that meets the needs of
visitors with a wide range of motivations can be
challenging.
• Technology variation can be another concern to
Web presence.
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Meeting the Needs of Web Site
Visitors
• A good Web site should give the visitor the
option to select smaller versions of the images.
• A good site design lets visitors choose among
information attributes, such as level of detail,
forms of aggregation, viewing format, and
downloading format.
• Flash Debate
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Trust and Loyalty
• When customers buy a product, they are also buying that
service element.
• A seller can create value in a relationship with a
customer by nurturing customers’ trust and developing it
into loyalty.
• Customer service is a problem for many corporate sites.
• A primary weak spot for many sites is the lack of
integration between the companies’ call centers and their
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Web sites.
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Customer-Centric Web Site Design
• Design site according to visitor’s navigation, not
company organization
• Avoid jargon and business terms
• Cater for low-end clients
• Consistent features and colours
• Visible text and navigation controls
• Test colour combinations for colour blind visitors
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10 Marketing Tips
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Grab ‘em
Don’t mix messages
Feature a call to action
Retain your branding
Make it easy to contact you
Use expected colors and imagery
Optimize for search engines
Feature testimonials
Focus on the visitor
Adopt a privacy policy
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Grab’em
• A good headline…
– Is focused on the visitor, with
words such as “you” and “your”
– Is the dominant element on the
home page
– Appears larger than even your
logo, company name or tagline
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Don’t mix messages
• Be clear
• Feature what you offer
– Use pictures
– Use relevant text
• Link directly from those images on the home
page to detailed pages with extensive
information and more pictures
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Always observe the 1-2-3 rule
1 – 2 – 3 … I’m ‘Outta Here!
• Can visitors find whatever they want within
“3’ clicks?
• Based on experimental results.
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Feature a clear call to action
• Tell the site visitor, on the home page,
exactly what you want them to do
• Visitors will read your site content at length
if it answers their questions
• Be sure to ask for the business at the end
of the page or article (get to the point) 32
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Retain your branding
• Building upon your existing brand identity is key to
immediately establishing trust…
• These elements need to be consistent with your brand’s
off-line identity…
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Brand logo
Brand name
Key messaging
Graphics
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Make it easy to contact you
• Your visitors don’t want to dig for the basics, so make
sure it’s easy
to find the following:
– Telephone numbers
– Contact forms (mini and full)
– E-mail links
– Physical address of your place of business in
an easy to copy format
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Make it even easier to contact you
• E-mail Signature w/ Contact
– Hyperlink to Your Site
– Peak Interest w/ Free Offers
– Focused E-mail Subject Line
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No surprises
• Use industry-appropriate color and imagery
– Give your visitors what they expect exactly as
they
expect it
– Don’t attempt to re-brand your industry
– This is your opportunity to be consistent and
professional at the beginning of the sales process
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Optimise for search engines
• Search engine optimization is the art and science of increasing your
website’s visibility in the major search engines across a strategically
defined set of keywords and phrases that apply to your products or
services
• An estimated 77 percent of Internet users employ search engines to
find Web sites
• 20,000 Search Engines & Directories
• If you are not listed on Google or Yahoo, you are invisible
– It doesn’t matter how well known your brand is!
– Visitors will not guess your site name but will go through Google
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or Yahoo just to be safe
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But how to market to Search Engines?
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Unique Content
Links to Your Site (ask!)
Design Fundamentals make a difference
• Top Search Engines by Search Share, January 2005, U.S., Home &
Work
Search Engine
Searches* in thousands
Share of Total Searches
Google Search
Yahoo! Search
MSN Search
Total
1,923,153
868,174
523,188
4,085,880
47%
21%
13%
81%
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Note: Searches are the total number of queries conducted at a search engine
during the specified reporting period, excluding internal site searches.
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Search Engines count in links …
• Search Engines measure popularity
through links
• Don’t be a copycat – unique content
matters
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Speak the Search Engine language
• Find out what you are
saying to the search
engines
• Keyword Density
• Bloggers Linking to you?
• Test Your Web Site Here:
http://www.schipul.com/en/
sem/keywords/
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Buy your way to the top …
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Get a hand from popular sites …
• Often overlooked quality links
• Make sure your link – is done right!
• Organization sites typically rank well.
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Feature Testimonials
• Assure visitors that you are a “real” company with a solid
reputation
– Gain client approval to use a quote
– Even better, use client logos and link to their
Web sites
– Never assume that everyone knows you want
their business
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Focus on the visitor
• Cater to what the visitor wants and needs from your
site, then give it to them…
– If you are a association, offer online registration and
case studies
– If you are a plastic surgeon, offer dynamic before-and-after photo
galleries
– If you are targeting the younger generation, offer games
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or social software tools (myspace.com) that feature your brand
Adopt a privacy policy
• Respect the privacy of your site visitors with a
privacy policy
– Link to a written privacy policy at the bottom of
every page
– Be sure policy is written in normal language,
not legalese
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Come back …
• How to make people return to your site?
– What’s New Section
– Ask The Expert or FAQ
– Testimonials
– E-Zines (information rich & focused)
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– Giveaways, Surveys & Contests
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E-Zines
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E-Zinez.com & EzineQueen.com
Speed to Market
Low cost – No Cost – Low Risk!
Wide Distribution
Easy & Effective
As easy as
– A) Copy Format & Text
– B) Cut & Paste Your Message
– C) Test & Send BCC
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E-Zine Subscribers
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Existing Customer Database
Give something For FREE
Opt-in Sign Up On Web site
Buy E-mails From List Companies
Articles Featuring Your Expertise
Publicity
Post On E-zine Directories
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Website R.I.P
1. Dead Links
2. Site or Page Under
Construction
3. Too Many Fancy
Graphics/Gadgets
4. Backgrounds Take Too
Long To Load
5. Mixed Messages and
Scroll Bars
6. Burying Your Message
7. Overall Unprofessional
Image
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Time for time travelling …
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Thanks to the Way Back Machine
http://www.archive.org/web/web.php
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WayBackMachine
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Analysis …
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Is the website effective?
– Is/can it being promoted?
– Are there signs of branding? Which?
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Visitors
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Is it usable? Why?
Is the company diversifying or focusing on core business?
What business model is being used?
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What are their needs vis-à-vis the organisation?
Does it meet them?
How is trust and loyalty being boosted?
How is it reaching customers?
Is it saving them time?
Does it cater for different customers (Personalisation)?
Web Catalogue Revenue Models
Digital Content Revenue Models
Advertising Supported Revenue Models
Advertising-Subscription Mixed Revenue Models
Fee-for-Transaction Revenue Models
Fee-for-Service Revenue Models
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M-Commerce?
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Questions?
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