By Rob McEwen
rmcewen@m2k.com
Most brick and mortar retailers discovered the keys to success many moons ago. But in the virtual world, the rules are still being written. The following list should by no means be considered complete-simply a work in progress from one group of folks who over the past year, have endured some in-the-trenches experience with e-tailing.
1. Your Brand is a Many-Splendorer Thing
Brand Awareness gets you considered. Brand Association-the words, images and feelings that come to mind in association with your brand-keeps you in the game. And Brand Interaction-the quality of experience your online shopper has while visiting your store-has a large impact on whether you make a sale and whether the customer comes back for more.
2. All Traffic is Not Equal
The conversion rate of site visitors into customers can vary widely by advertising location and by advertising creative. To get a true picture of what's working for you, you must be able to measure beyond the click-through.
3. One Visit Does Not a Sale Make
Plan on capturing e-mail addresses and other information from as many visitors as possible, then implement a personalized communication program with each visitor to build familiarity and confidence. Show them that you want their business and you're willing to work hard to get it. You can capture the information you need by including a sweepstakes or contest on your home page that rewards your visitors for providing information.
4. Sell in a Wait-Less Environement
Web shoppers are an impatient bunch. If your pages load too slowly, you're communicating to them that you don't appreciate the value of their time. Bad move!
5. Don't Hide the Goods
Visitors to an e-commerce site are on a mission. They've got their credit card in hand and they're ready to buy. So don't put obstacles in their way. As we say at M2K, bring the storefront to the forefront.
6. Build Trust
Online shoppers are still a very skeptical bunch. Allay their fears by including a third party symbol of trust such as Truste or Better Business Bureau Online on your home page. Be up front about your money-back guarantee and your privacy policy. And make it easy for visitors to interact with you via phone or chat.
7. Don't Be Shy About Being Cheap
You don't have to have the best prices to win on the Web. But if you've got great prices, be sure and bring that to your visitors' attention.
8. Easier to Love You, Harder to Leave You
Make it a hassle for your shoppers to shop elsewhere after they've bought from you. You can do this by making it incredibly easy for repeat customers to make purchases, by offering your customers more engaging ways to learn, and by delivering more convenient service. (HINT: make sure that a repeat customer can complete a transaction in half the time it took for their initial transaction.)
9. Track Thy Customer
Make sure you can track your transactions, from the sale all the way back to the advertising location and the specific creative that generated the sale. This will allow you to accurately calculate your return on investment and make smarter decisions about how and where to advertise.
10. You Are Only as Good as You Test
Experiment as much as you can, using different forms of advertising, different sites and different creative. Track your results carefully. Buy more of what works. Eliminate what doesn't work.
11. There's More to Online Marketing Than Banner Ads, And There's More to Promoting Your Site Than Online Marketing
Well conceived banners ads, placed in the right locations, can still perform very well, despite all the hoopla to the contrary. But, explore ALL of your promotional options, including content sponsorships, affiliate programs, co-branding campaigns, online newsletter advertising, opt-in e-mail, and search engine optimization. Consider offline media too. E-merchants are finding radio to be one of the most effective media for building store traffic. And in our experience, the conversion rate on visitors generated from radio and television is substantially higher than visitors generated from banner ads.
Rob McEwen is president of M2K in Austin, Texas. The agency specializes in what he calls "Interaction Advertising" - advertising designed to engage the recipient and motivate them to take action. M2K's services include brand identity programs, internet advertising and marketing, e-commerce site development and promotion, web-enabled sales support, and direct marketing "both online and offline."