Better
than reality
Take advantage of the web’s strengths as
a medium, counsels Jakob Nielsen.
- be non-linear: don't force users to live through
a stream of time that they can't control
- customize service: computers can do different things for
different people
- be asynchronous: a customized
link to check the status of an order allows a customer
to resume a "conversation" many hours later
without spending any time on reestablishing context
- support anonymity: if people
don't have to reveal who they are, they may be more willing
to do certain things
- link liberally: links are the foundation of the Web and can make anything
into an extension of your own service
- support search and multiple
views: different people have different preferences,
and there is no need to be limited to a single way of
doing things on the Web
- be small and cheap: because
of the efficiency of computers it is possible to deal
in much smaller units than before
- be free: it costs very little
to offer free samples over the Web, so a book publisher
could offer a free chapter and a consultant could offer
free advice on some frequently asked questions (while
charging for the full product or service, of course)
- ignore geography: support users who access your site from home,
the office, the car, while away on business trips or vacations,
and from anywhere in the world
The Five Cs
The ingredients of successfully marketing
and promoting a Website are probably know to all of us by
now. Alan Sarkissian suggests a handy aide-memoire - which
he leaves open to amendment, addition or modification:
1. "Content - this should be self-explanatory.
It represents your offer online. And remember - content
is king. Without meaningful content, your site is unlikely
to generate more than a smattering of casual visitors;
2. Context - refers to what is being offered online
being relevant to one's target audience(s) for the site;
3. Community - refers to the creation of an online
environment that one's site visitors feel they are part
of through being asked to contribute or participate in;
the development and maintenance of a relationship (as you
do with offline marketing practice);
4. Continuity - refers to whatever is being offered
online coinciding with your offline marketing imagery, objectives
and presence also; AND
5. .Change
- refers to the simple fact the what is being offered has
to change enough so as to not bore the hell out of your
target audience(s) and be seen as proactive as well as enticing
to your casual site visitors."
from Business
2.0, 12/98, "Once you've created a network of interdependent
players, each of whom benefits every time another player
is added to the network, you've created a value engine."
Or a giant Velcro snowball.
In
the same issue, Patricia Seybold writes, "Who do you
create stickiness on the Web? You get customers to leave
something of themselves behind." And, "How can
you keep your customers coming back for more? Try getting
them to talk to one another."
Internet
Time Group