web marketing

3E.004U

System Analysis

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Introduction:In the preceding chapters we had stated thatthough marketing on the web is one form of di-rect marketing, we would handle it in an exclu-sive lesson in view of its unique characteristicsand in the interest of comprehensiveness of cov-erage.

What is the basic requirement for a companywhich wants to indulge in e-business? You haveguessed it right ! It is the Website! Without awebsite it will be impossible to carry out e-busi-ness.

How to design a website? A website that willshowcase the company in its entirety. It shouldbe attractive enough to compel the customer tomake a visit to it. In deciding to set up and oper-ate their own Web sites, companies face manyquestions such as those listed in Table 2.2.

Many of these questions will be answeredthroughout the course pack. Here we addressonly three:Designing an attractive Web sitePlacing ads and promotion onlineBuilding a revenue and profit model.

Setting up web sites

A key challenge is designing a site that is attrac-tive on first viewing and interesting enough toencourage repeat visits. Early text-based Websites have increasingly been replaced by sophis-ticated sites that provide text, sound, and anima-tion.

Rayport and Jaworski have proposed that effec-tive Web sites feature seven design elements thatthey call the 7Cs.

Seven Elements of Effective Sites: The 7 CsContext: Layout and design.Content: Text, pictures, sound, and video thesite contains.

Community: How the site enables user-to-user communication.Customization: Site/s ability to tailor itself todifferent users or to allow users to personal-ize the site.Communication: How the site enable site-to-user-to-site, or two-way communication.Connection: Degree that the site is linked toother sites.Commerce: Site’s capabilities to enable com-mercial transactions.

To encourage repeat visits, companies need topay attention to context and content factors.

CONTEXT FACTORS Visitors will judge asite’s performance on its ease-of-use and itsphysical attractiveness. Ease-of-use breaks downinto three attributes: (1) the Web site downloadsquickly, (2) the first page is easy to understand,and (3) the visitor finds it easy to navigate to otherpages that open quickly. The site’s physical at-tractiveness is determined by the following fac-tors: (1) the individual pages are clean lookingand not Overly crammed with content, (2) thetype faces and font sizes are very readable, and(3) the site makes good use of color (and sound).

CONTENT FACTORS context factors facili-tate repeat visits, but they do not ensure that thishappens. Returning to a site depends on content.The content must be interesting, useful, and con-tinuously changing. Certain types of content func-tion well to attract first-time visitors and to bringthem back again: (1) deep information with linksto related sites, (2) changing news of interest, (3)changing free offers to visitors, (4) contests andsweepstakes, (5) humor and jokes, and (6) games.

GETTING FEEDBACK From time to time, acompany needs to reassess its site’s attractive-ness and usefulness. One way to do this is to asksite design experts. But the most the site and forsuggestions for improvement.

Unit 1Examining Concepts of Marketing Management

Chapter 2 - E - marketingLesson 7 - Web Marketing

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System Analysis

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Table 2.2 Setting up the Website

Attracting and Keeping Visitors How canwe get more prospects to know and visitour site?How can we use marketing tospread word-of-mouth?How can we con-vert visitors into repeaters?How do wemake our site more experiential andreal?How can we build a strong relation-ship with our customer? How can we builda customer community? How can we cap-ture and exploit customer data for up-sell-ing and cross-selling? How much shouldwe spend on building and marketing oursite?Advertising on the InternetWhat arethe various ways that we can advertise onthe Internet? How do we choose the rightsites for placing our ads or sponsorship?Dealing with RetailersHow can we sell di-rect and yet keep our retailers happy? Howcan we coordinate our online commerceand own-store sales and service? Howmuch will our retail operations be hurt byour online sales and by other e-tailers?Putting the Site Together and Making ItProfitableHow do we pick and manage sup-pliers and partners? How do we get man-agement buy-in and funding? How can wefight price pressure and price transparencyon the Internet? Which revenue and profitmodel makes the most sense?

Bandwidth:Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that canbe transmitted over a telecommunications link ina fixed amount of time. In computing terms it is

usually measured in bits-per-second. Bandwidthgoverns how much data the link can carry, and atwhat speed it can be sent.

Banner AdvertisementA banner advertisement (banner ad) is usually arectangular advertisement placed on a Web siteand is linked to the advertiser’s own Web site.

Business Enterprise CentresThe Business Enterprise Centres (BEC) offerfree assistance and support to new and existingbusinesses through the following services:

Free practical business assistance

Referral to specialist advisers (accountants, law-yers, etc.)

Assistance through the maze of government de-partments and regulations

Business workshops

Business information

Problem solving

Business Enterprise Centres (BEC) are locatedin city and country areas to assist you to expandyour existing business or explore new businessideas. For more information on programs andservices offered by BEC visit the SBDC websiteand select Business Enterprise Centres from themain screen.

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Tutorial - A

The market share of alkaline battery in India is around two per cent. High-drain gadgets (cameras,toys, walkman) in urban cit-ies have been a major factor in launching these kinds of batteries. Duracellhas the ‘Duracell Power check’ indicator by which a consumer can know the life of the battery. Thebattery is priced at Rs. 35 per pair. Some figures indicate that the market is growing at 40% perannum. The brand is retailed in about 75,000 outlets in around 1000 towns.

Given the structure of the battery industry in India, how would you apply marketing orienta-tion to this situ-ation? Analyze if the concept is applicable to the situa-tion from the viewpointof the company (collect infor-mation if required).

Source: Kumar Ramesh S- Application exercises in Marketing (Vikas Publishing House Pvt Ltd,2000)

web marketing

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