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Article: How to be a Different Kind of Web Marketer

By Rick Smith

I was recently selected to be a reviewer for the Focus Marketing Awards. These awards are given to Web sites that score a minimum total of 85 points. There are several areas of scoring. But the most important area is Marketing Presentation/Impact with a possible 35 points. The second most important area is Content with a maximum 20 points possible. Two out of seven areas combine for 65% of the point total! This is as it should be.

Dave Bancroft, the owner, doesn't waste time with "kewlness" and hype. And neither should you! He does have a possible points (15) for Design but this weighting structure is as it should be. Well, anyway, I recently did my first set of reviews. Each week we receive a list of ten sites to review and grade.

Out of the 10 sites that I reviewed recently, guess how many got the minimum of 85 points to even qualify for the award? Exactly TWO! That means that 80% still have no clue about what goes into good Web marketing! Yes. Yes. I extrapolated the number. It really means that 80% of those I *reviewed* don't have a clue. But guess what, my guerrilla friend?

Have you looked at many Web sites lately? Was my extrapolation wrong? I doubt it.

Now then. What does all this have to do with using your computer to roll over your competition? It's quite simple really. A lot of wise people have said you can learn something from everyone; even if that means you learn what *NOT* to do! And that's what we have here. We have a case of needing to do exactly the *opposite* of what most Web marketers are doing. Here's what I discovered. (We'll discuss the remedies for these ills in a moment.)

80% of the sites reviewed either had no headline or used the company name as part of the headline. Remember what Dan Kennedy says about *that*. "Using your company name in your headline is a dead-line."
The same two sites that had a Unique Selling Proposition and a good sense of their purpose also had the most useful content. Coincidence? I don't think so. The rest of them were basically what I call brochureware. This is nothing more than creating an online brochure just so you can say you have a Web site. What a waste of resources!

So how do you combat these ills? Again, it's simple. Notice I said simple. I didn't say easy. In past issues of my newsletter, I discussed several key elements of this puzzle. Those talked about USPs, features vs. benefits, ultimate benefits, etc. Well, guess what? We didn't do that just as a fun exercise. We did that because those pieces are *essential* pieces of your Web site. Please remember that your Web site is just as much a part of your marketing mix as your sales letters, business cards, etc. So here's where we put it all together.

Spend some time pre-planning your site. Draw a simple flow-chart to make sure the site fits together logically. The extra time you spend doing this will be worth it in the long run.
You don't care one whit about surfers. Or you shouldn't. (That's what wrong with so many Web sites in my opinion. They're trying to capture surfers.) You care about your target market.
Create a benefit laden headline on *each* page of your Web site.
Provide useful content on your Web site; newsletter articles, free reports, software downloads, etc.
Provide interactivity on your Web site; sign-ups for contest - must relate to your Web site so be careful, newsletter subscriptions, etc.
Create a sense of community on your site. One way to do this is through the use of a chat area. One of the best at this I've seen is Bill Myers. His site is at . Another way is to do this is with an online seminar. (BTW, I'll be doing another one soon. I'll let you know where and when.)
Make it easy for prospects to order. Hmmm. These steps seem suspiciously similar to the rules for creating *any* good marketing piece. Coincidence? Again. I don't think so.

The best site of the 10 I reviewed recently? Ok. It's at www.prusec.com. They've got a great financial calculator and tons of other useful stuff. I found myself wanting to know a lot more about what they had than I had time to spare. Check it out and see what you think.

Want to find out more? Rick Smith, "The Guerrilla Computer and Success Guru," writes a FREE monthly newsletter dedicated to helping you discover the insider secrets of using your computer as a competition stomping, money generating machine! Subscribe today by sending any e-mail to guerrilla@oaknetpub.com

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