The Internet is a powerful marketing and sales tool, but it cannot and should not replace any of the traditional marketing and sales tools such as print advertising, direct mail and personal contact. What the Internet can do is provide a twenty-four hour a day point of contact and product information “salesman” accessible from literally anywhere in the world. That is very a significant factor for you and your potential customers.

One strong advantage of the Internet is your ability to update the information as frequently as you wish. Unlike an ad in the phone book that can only be updated or replaced once a year, or an ad in a newspaper that can only be changed in a few days at best, you can literally change your “ad” in minutes.

Have you added more phone numbers for your customers to reach you? No problem. Post them on the website and email your customers.

Use of the Internet can be a substantial money saver, especially if you frequently mail information to your customers. You save at least $.34 for every email customer you notify. The essentially “free” e-mail can be used just as effectively as hard copy postal mail — at least for those customers and contacts who have email and who have given you permission to email them. (Warning! Warning! Spamming strangers is a terminally stupid business decision. Don’t!)

Mailing a letter through the postal system costs more than just the postage. Depending on volume and other factors, a mailing can cost more than a dollar per addressee. When you are mailing hundreds or perhaps thousands of items, resources are expended quickly.

Search engines are web sites that act as a sophisticated, interactive directory of available web sites on the Internet. With the growth of the internet, literally millions of web sites have been created. You will see sales and marketing fast-buck artists trying to convince you that they can “put you at the top.” Nonsense. Nor do you need to be, nor should you worry about your “position” on the search engines. If your success depends on your position on a search engine, you have far worse problems to worry about than the internet.

The cost of registering a domain has dropped dramatically. When Network Solutions was “The Internic” and the only registrar, a domain registration cost $100, then dropped to $70 for two years. With the change in the “Domain Registrar” landscape has come other changes that are less pleasant. Most Registrars have a clause in their contract that allows them to take away your domain if your right to it was disputed. The mechanism for disputing a domain and revoking a domain varies widely between registrars, with Network Solutions one of the worst. I recommend GANDI (WWW.GANDI.NET) , which is a France-based Registrar, for two very good reasons.

First, their contract clearly states that YOU own your domain. Second, they are one of the least expensive Registrars, at only $12 EU per year (currently about $10 US). The disadvantage is that they are in France. So far, however, with more than fifty domains registered with GANDI, we have experienced few problems.

Why bother? Why register or use a domain name? Why do you have a business card? Why do you have letterhead stationary? You have them for branding your communications and as a means to keep you and your company’s name in front of the public. So, too, with domain names.

Instead of having a website with an address such as http://www.yourisp.com/~yourcompany, you should have a website address of http://www.yourcompany.com. Why advertise for your ISP? Use your resources to advertise you and your company.

Every time you send an email, send it with your company name prominent. Also, you should use signature lines that are brief and have your contact information listed. With their permission, build a customer email list. Use it sparingly so you don’t offend your customers, but use it.

Every envelope, every business card, every letter, and every ad that you send or position should prominently display your website URL (Uniform Resources Locator, your web address). Your website should expand on, and re-enforce your normal advertising and marketing strategies, not replace them.

You don’t drive a horse drawn buggy, and you don’t cook over a wood stove (probably!), nor should you refuse to use today’s technology. The key word is use.
Brand your internet, and make it yours.

(Editor’s Note: Jim Kendall is the owner of Telebyte NW, and a board member of the Washington Association of Internet Service Providers. He may be reached at (360) 613-5220.).