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If you are planning or already have a web site on-line, it is important
to realize that the successful sites are the ones that have embraced
the basic rules pertaining to direct response marketing.
Why? It's simple -- strip away all of the hoopla surrounding
the interactive craze, and you will see that a web site functions
under the same dynamics as a direct response medium. Whether it
is direct mail, space advertising, television, radio, telemarketing,
and now the web, effective marketing through these mediums attempt
at eliciting a response from an individual. Carrying the mindset
that the Internet is a direct response medium, let's take a look
at the five key components that directly effect a web site:
Product - You need something to sell, whether it is a physical
product or the services of your organization. Traditionally, items
with units of sale under $100 fit the classic 'one-step' direct
response model, where a sale is consummated with a one-on-one relationship
between the product and the buyer (look at the success of audio
CD purchases on the web). However, if your products or services
carry a high unit of sale, the functional model for your web site
should be as a lead generation device (or 'hand-raiser', as it is
sometimes called), providing you with multiple opportunities of
varied sales interaction (i.e. telemarketing follow-up, detailed
collateral, access to more in-
Offer - Your offer is comprised of your product enhanced
with a special 'deal' designed to motivate individuals to make purchases.
Discounts, premiums, bundles -- even free gifts, all 'classic' to
traditional direct response marketing, will greatly increase the
perceived value of your product. When the perceived value is greater
than the actual dollar amount of your offer, a critical point is
reached in the direct response sales cycle, since it is usually
the point at where an order or lead is generated.
Package - The package is analogous to the actual structure
of your web site. Using direct mail as an example, the package refers
to the envelope and its actual contents (lift letter, buck slip,
response mechanism, product information, etc.). How you present
your information to the visitor, and where you lead them with internal
links, must be a carefully planned and structured activity. Perhaps
as the visitor delves deeper into the site, you might repeatedly
ask for a call to action. Or, using some of the new web scripting
technologies, you might entice them with a special deal if they
act 'NOW'.
External banners and links are analogous to the outer envelope
of a mailing piece and, in themselves, can be referred to as a 'quick
offer.'
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Successful direct mail packages aggressively sell on the outer
envelope, using such keywords as 'FREE' and 'ACT BEFORE xx/yy/zz',
to initiate a call to action.
More and more, you will notice these and other tried and proven
direct response techniques grafted onto these banners and links.
The questions policy makers must grapple with are: what level
of privacy protection adequately balances the legitimate interest
of individuals and marketers; whether existing laws and regulations
provide the desired level of protection; and, if not, what changes
should be made. At the very least, the already established principles
of provider notice and customer consent must apply.
However, this may well be a situation where individuals must take
charge and not wait for our sluggish government to grant or repeal
permission for our actions. The laws of the marketplace are much
swifter, and self-
While there may be a sincere attempt to market clickstream data,
any marketer considering that type of purchase must ask two questions:
One, will this data provide any greater benefit to my marketing
efforts than traditional (and legal) methods of marketing research?
and two, Is this an ethical business practice?
Already, we have mountains of data for marketing profiles. Through
established, effective and ethical means, we can gather even more
mountains. Do not let the easy availability of this information
lead you to believe it is of greater worth in developing marketing
efforts. And what if a marketer used clickstream data to personalize
marketing communications to, say, a 45-year old male user. Will
those personalized messages be appropriate when his 16-year old
daughter uses the computer?
And then the question of ethics. Personal ethics aside, from a
strictly bottom-line perspective, will your customers feel this
is an ethical practice? Do the potential financial benefits of acquiring
and using this controversial resource outweigh the goodwill of customers
and industry peers?
The entire concept of clickstream tracking is in direct violation
of an individual's privacy. The Web promises enormous economic,
social and cultural benefits to our country. However, unless there
are proper safeguards in place, there is an enormous potential for
abuse. Marketers themselves must take the lead in preventing the
abuse. To unlock the full potential of the Web, we must acknowledge
and protect the privacy interests of all its users. Individuals
do not globally publish such information for anyone and everyone
to analyze and use. Neither should companies seeking to profit from
it.
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