 hile creating the
BioTactics Reference Web we've had the opportunity to review hundreds if not thousands of
Web sites. We're still asking the same marketing questions you are: Is the Web a
monster to soak up valuable time and corporate resources, or is it going to be a good
media for delivering a marketing message in a way that will return revenues relative to
your $$$ investment? We realize that many marketing people are caught in that no
man's land created by feedback from ad agencies ("won't this be a great way to
represent your products"), the corporate powers that be ("this is a great
opportunity for us to our investor relations stuff on the WWW"), and the techno-types
("we've got some nifty things you can do on the web".). Everyone thinks
being on the web is great idea, but let's admit it... in many ways the web is still
uncharted marketing territory. Who should you believe when it comes to
assessing the value of investing your marketing budget in the web and how your web should
look? Who should steer the corporate web investment?
We don't have all the answers to those questions, but we thought we'd
share a few of our perspectives, ideas and tips to help you make sure your web (or at
least the portion that is representing your products!) is delivering the impact that it
should in the market place.
Tip # 1
Do not abdicate the development of your web to your IS department, web
developer or Ad Agency. ...Or anyone else for that matter. Know the
background of the person who is developing your web and work closely with them to make
sure you develop a web that is appropriate for your market.
It's no news to anyone that the web is an intriguing mixture of art and
technology. Web developers are so much in demand these days that if you're not
careful you'll find yourself at the mercy of either an artistic person who has only basic
web technology knowledge or a technical person that has no real experience with graphic
design for the Web. The best advice we have to offer is to suggest that you find a group
to create your web that has significant experience in both technical and artistic arenas
in Web development.
Why? First, if someone with a
strong artistic side develops your web, but does not have a good handle in technology,
there is a strong probably you will have a good looking web with some problems.
These can include poor navigation, slow load times, or the web site will need to be
updated or completely revamped as you find you have to add content or bells and whistles
that your developer didn't anticipate to keep customers visiting your site. Secondly, the
layout for Web pages is SIGNIFICANTLY different from a brochure or any other printed
material. It takes a lot of knowledge to format content in a style that is
appropriate for the web.
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