Fix your internet strategy with good content
Loading ...I met an interesting young lady this morning who is pursuing an MBA at Lancaster University Management School in the UK and has taken up as her area of research the adoption of social media in B2C selling among Indian companies. While the topic is fairly ambitious, it is also a little ahead of its time given the general reluctance of marketers in India to fully leverage the web, leave alone social media. Having said that, the effort is laudable and I eagerly await her report which should be out in the next few weeks.
The internet, undoubtedly, is growing rapidly in Asia (according to Internet World Stats at about 484% over the last eight years), India ranks No. 3 in terms of internet penetration with 81 million people connected – China, of course, far surpasses this number (298 million).
Though this number of 81 million may not seem very large in the context of our entire population in India, it is still a sizeable number and cannot be ignored particularly when marketing of certain products and services.
Unfortunately, marketers in India are still hesitant and have not taken the plunge despite the compelling value proposition of the internet space – essentially summed up as: hugely measurable, target driven, and cost effective.
In my view here is the typical mindset that needs to change. Quickly:
- Companies do not see social media as a business tool. Companies see social media as more a personal networking engine rather than a business tool. While one company has a Twitter account (because they thought it was good to have) or a Facebook page (remember the media hype around the Facebook page when Tata Motors launched the Nano), and marketing heads like to ask internet providers for a strategy, they are loathe to adopt or accept it. Further, social media is looked at as a comprehensive, independent strategy on its own. A social media strategy does not stand alone but is very much part of the overall marketing mix an end in itself. Businesses still tend to use traditional marketing methods when dealing with the social web, which tend to usually fail as people do not like transactional (buying/selling) relationships but like to form relationships with those they trust.
- Website creation is a onetime activity. Every company worth its name today has a website but very few use it effectively. If a website is just meant as a provider of information with some static content, it’s probably cheaper to produce a brochure. The true power of a website is seen when companies interact with customers, draw in prospects and enable their customers to become leaders in their own companies through effective dissemination of information. Have companies thought about using the website to get live and instant feedback on their products, distribution channels and dealer network, service levels and so on. You typically do not have to wait for an annual customer satisfaction survey.
- Content is secondary. Most companies believe that once they have the basic information up on their website, they’ve done their job. This is possibly as bad a notion as it can get. Fresh content helps websites be in the radar of search engines but most importantly it allows a better engagement with the company website and draws back repeat visitors. As far as social media tools are concerned, content that is informative and insightful is welcome. People do not want to read sales plugs on their Orkut, Twitter, Linkedin or Facebook accounts. But they would welcome honest product reviews or frank comments about a particular experience or service. For best results, don’t have the marketing department write blog posts rather have the guys on the field do it or an external consultant who can take a holistic and honest view.
- Online Advertising is the way out. Why can’t we pursue natural search as an example? Very often the answer lies in inadequate content that exists on most websites or content that is not written for search engines. I would venture to say that search engine optimization, though involved and time consuming, is possibly a far better investment than spending on Adwords. Why do we just have to convert offline advertisements into banners and stick them on third party websites? Can’t we do something more creative? Effective online marketing has to be a combination of various outreach methods.
If companies want to succeed and rapidly leverage the benefits that the online world can provide they need to have a CIO – Chief Internet Officer – who can bring to the table the skills of a marketer, technologist and business analyst. While this breed may be hard to find, it may be worth starting to invest in creating some…in the meanwhile, please fix the content on and positioning of your website!
About the author
Peter is founder and CEO at Yorke Communications Private Limited, an organization that builds content as a platform for internal and external communications. Peter strongly believes that the basis for generating leads, building market image or cementing relations with customers and employees is through good and sustained content.
Cannot be reproduced without the express consent of the author: Peter Yorke peter@yorkecommunications.com
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