by Eddie Donovan
- May 10, 2000
Web Marketing1. Introduction Figure n.1 - Expected site usage representation Web marketing can be defined as the ability to attract new prospects while developing trust and respect within those relationships so as to have the best chance to build long-term customers. Most marketing executives will agree that the most effective marketing campaigns are the ones that are based on a comprehensive marketing mix (variety of different promotional techniques) targeted at every stage of the new prospect to long-term customer process. The purpose of this document is to demonstrate the importance of implementing an effective on-line marketing mix that will target the following categories of people prioritized by order of importance:
2. Customer Service Section (Key to effective W.O.M. advertising - targeting long-term/current customers) The following pages along with a responsive aftercare/customer support system will be instrumental in guaranteeing customer satisfaction which in turn will boost customer retention rate as well as fuel long term word of mouth advertising:
An intuitive application process along with effective email/phone customer service will ensure good conversion of applicants into customers. 4. Interactive section (requires information from the user - targets engaged prospects) Web content in the form of mini applications which provide a service or accomplish a task for a particular group of web visitors can serve as a powerful tool in attracting new users to a site as well as increasing the level of trust with new users. Applications usually do very well in marketing themselves through viral marketing techniques heavily reliant on word of mouth. Since applications sometimes imply an exchange of information with user it is only appropriate for prospects with a sufficient level of trust with the site hosting the application in question. In the case of the EddieDonovan.com, the initial set of applications will mostly comprise financial calculators related to the application process. In a later stage a variety of different product related calculators from a selection of best of breed sites may be adapted to expand this section. 5. Free information section (requires no trust relationship - targets new prospects) Free information has always been the bread and butter of any content site ever since the first content sites hit the market in 1994. Content in the form of text, graphics, audio, and video are usually free and do not require any information from the user. A good search engine marketing strategy can do wonders for sites heavily reliant on content. Daily changing content has been proven to be the best strategy in securing repeat visits. 6. On-line Marketing Flow  Figure n.2 - Web user "funnel flow" representation The above diagram shows how the various web page/application groupings will attempt to progressively "shuffle" the user upwards in the trust relationship process via prioritized linking. The linking methodology will be based on the understanding that it is more conducive to get users to take smaller steps rather than to expect them to impulsively shoot through the relationship process.
 
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