Excerpted from StrateScapes – Volume 2, Number 2

Marketing on the Internet isn’t a revolution — it’s an evolution. Although technology has changed, the way people develop affinity with companies and brands hasn’t. Whether it’s online, print, broadcast or “f2f,” the ability to build lifelong relationships with your best customers will be the barometer of business success in the new millennium.

But a winning interactive strategy takes more than just a great Web site. It’s how you use the tools in your cyberspace marketing arsenal that counts. Here, CCG arms you with six interactive strategies proven to keep customers from surfing to greener virtual pastures.

8. Get Personal
The only thing better than the power of choice is having choices you’re actually interested in. And in today’s infinite galaxy of choices, it’s crucial to lead your customers toward products, services and information specifically targeted for them. For example, if your company sells beauty products, imagine how your customer would appreciate seeing a personalized version of your home page featuring new products in her favorite line of makeup, plus tips on applying it for evening vs. daytime looks. Personalization requires only that you ask your customers what they want. Do this and your strategy will pay for itself. In fact, personalization has been shown to generate a 300 percent return on investment in a single year says a study by Jupiter Communications.

Online One-to-One Done Right Three visionary companies who are applying one-to-one marketing concepts in the virtual marketplace. www.REI.com REI’s Web site delivers fresh content on products as well as innovative travel ideas, helpful advice from outdoor experts and a comprehensive travel and tour service that helps customers plan their ultimate adventure. The “Get Out There” and “More Than a Store” sections build a community feel with interactive elements and additional targeted, value-added information. An e-mail newsletter complements the site with more loyalty-building content. And in addition to their regular best-customer benefits, REI members can take advantage of special online savings on REI products. www.altrec.com “Altrec does an impressive job of providing valuable information and exceptional customer service, both live and automated,” says CCG President Sandra Gudat. “If you want to buy a kayak, they’ll hook you up with a guide in Alaska to help you decide which type of kayak is best for you.” What’s more, Altrec invites you to join its Consumer Panel and provide the company with in-depth feedback on every aspect of the site in exchange for free outdoor gear, among other perks. www.trimadvantage.com This easy-to-navigate diet- and nutrition-products site is customized based on each customer’s lifestage —– whether young adult, 30-something, 40-something or senior. Customers receive one-to-one advice on topics that are relevant to them right now. This site also offers online seminars, access to a personal coach and tracking tools to monitor daily, weekly and monthly progress.

9. Transcend Cookies
We don’t mean lay off the Oreos. In cyberspace, a cookie is a unique identifier stored on a computer’s hard disk. This virtual ID card is unique to each computer — but it doesn’t distinguish who is using the computer. So while cookies offer a useful way to personalize your message, they’re of little value when the customer uses more than one computer (such as at work and at home) or when other people (such as spouses and children) use those machines. But when you employ username and password technology, you can customize your site no matter what computer your customer uses. This ensures that every time your customer visits your site, you take full advantage with true one-to-one marketing based on that customer’s unique needs, preferences, purchases and overall relationship with your organization.

10. Go Seasonal
When the year-end holidays approach, stores in the tactile world are filled with decorations, holiday music and Santa ho-ho-ho-ing his way through a long line of bright-eyed children. But the holidays on the Internet look like every other day of the year. Build seasonal excitement — and sales — and create a bond with your online customers by changing your site’s design and message to reflect each season, sale or holiday.

11. Show You E-Care
Although many companies report that their primary Internet strategy is to interact with customers, according to Jupiter Communications only 38 percent of major sites respond to customer inquiries within a day. And what does that say to your customer? You must train and prepare your Internet customer service team as carefully as you would any other service team in your company — then refine your procedures to address the unique needs of your Internet customers. You may even want to dedicate a special team to serving your online customers. If you do, be sure that team has seamless interaction with your offline customer service team, plus access to the same information so customers don’t get bounced around.

12. Gratify Instantly
Every page, every link and every form must function effortlessly, not to mention instantaneously. Does your site load within a few seconds? Is it immediately clear how much a product costs and how to order it? Is previously provided billing and shipping information filled in automatically? Are your company’s address, phone number and e-mail address prominently displayed? If not, your customers will go elsewhere. Take a hard look at your site and ask yourself how painless you’ve really made it. One of the best ways to do this is to organize a focus group representative of your customer base and have panel members take a cyberstroll through your site. Ask leading questions about functionality, such as, “Do the pages load quickly?” and “Was information easy to find and well organized?” Even better, give the group an assignment such as, “Select a pair of shoes and order them online.” Then ask specific questions about how smoothly each step in the process went.

13. Don’t Go Changin’
If your company is known for its bold, splashy image, your Web site shouldn’t look like it was designed by monks. And if your best customers are accustomed to receiving communications with a special logo, tagline or message, your Web site can’t leave them wondering if they’re in the right place. “It’s so important to integrate all points of customer contact,” says Dan Fine, CEO of the online network development company fine.com. “Yet that’s where many companies fail. I know firms that spent hundreds of thousands on flashy corporate offices that receive only a thousand visitors a year, yet set up a shabby Web site despite the fact that it gets a thousand visitors in a single day. Your Web site is your reception area.”

STRATESCAPES and STRATESCAPES SUPPLEMENTS are published by Customer Communications Group, Inc., a full-service agency specializing in relationship marketing and customer communications. Our comprehensive, turnkey services include data analysis, customer segmentation, strategic consulting, account management, creative execution, print production and multimedia solutions.

Copyright 2002 Customer Communications Group, Inc. For more information, call 1.800.525.0313. Or visit us online at: http://www.customer.com