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The Internet may be the hottest marketing tool around, but don't expect
advertising on it or "surfing" it to be easy. And a decision to market on
line carries more demands and pitfalls than some firms realize.
"The Internet is imperfect," notes David J. Rosenbaum, president of RCS
Real-Time Computer Services, Inc., Ardsley, N.Y. "Nobody owns the Internet,
nobody controls it, there's no quality control and there's nobody to call
for customer support."
Rosenbaum addressed a recent meeting of the New York City chapter of the
Society for Marketing Professional Services. Only a handful of attendees
had first-hand knowledge of the Internet and the World Wide Web. The Web is
where most commercial activity on the Internet takes place, aside from
subscription services such as America Online, CompuServe and Prodigy.
Unplugged. An online demonstration to the group produced several long
waits, a disconnection and some "Host failed to respond" messages. "There
is a frustration associated with the Internet. There's no directory and
it's not orderly," said Rosenbaum.
The most common ways to use the Internet are for communicating via e-mail,
collecting competitive intelligence or project information, disseminating
information, promoting public relations by becoming known as an expert on
line and advertising on line.
Marketing on the Net isn't just a matter of creating a Web home page. "If
you are going to present yourself on the Internet, you need to be there 24
hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year," Rosenbaum says. If people
try to go to a company's home page but the information is outdated or the
computer that houses the web pages is turned off, Net "surfers" may try a
couple of times but then will go elsewhere. E-mail also requires a staffing
commitment to respond quickly.
Firms considering jumping onto the Net should ask themselves if the level of
what they can deliver matches the clients' expectations, Rosenbaum says. If
the answer is unclear, waiting is better than making a bad first impression.
Many problems on the Internet remain unsolved. "It is private but not
secure," says Rosenbaum. "There are all kinds of issues concerning privacy."
If people don't like the way some of the resources on the Internet are set
up, Rosenbaum advises: "Wait a week. It literally changes that fast."
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David J. Rosenbaum DRosenbaum@rcsinc.com
Real-Time Computer Services, Inc. Phone : 914-693-7000
547 Saw Mill River Road Fax : 914-693-7005
Ardsley, New York 10502