Tuesday, October 12, 2010

CDMP Week: A Layperson's Overview on Websites

Being the web surfers that we are, we are ultimately aware of the fact that every little thing we do online we do through websites. Hence, digital marketing, it being digital, would (almost) always be in need of a website. Even the most crafty ones who make it seem that they don’t have a website managed to lay claim on spots which could be defined, rather crudely perhaps, as websites albeit being nested within a larger website. (I’m looking at you, BooneOakley*. Yay for you!)

Before we proceed, let’s look at an offline example first. Aling Nena is a Japanese corn seller looking for a place to sell her wares. She finally decides on setting up a little stall along Katipunan Ave. In Quezon City where a lot of Japanese corn sellers have taken post in as well. She built it and, no, they didn’t come. Why? Surely enough, the blame is on the competition, not because they can offer slightly better Japanese corns rather there’s just too many of them adding up to the clutter. The Ateneo students that she wants to buy from her are not buying because, with a whole slew of corn stalls (and even other non-corn food stalls) out there, she’s simply waiting for them to chance by her stall. Aling Nena’s in deep trouble...

...and you are, too, if you operate on a “build it and they will come” philosophy. Much like the avenue where Aling Nena took post, the internet is cluttered with so many stalls – websites – out there. And, it’s not just websites on Japanese corn but a whole enchilada of other corn products (corn bits, buttered popcorn, corn on the cob), not to mention, non-corn products (corned beef, corned tuna, airplanes, shooting stars). The moment your buyer – your target consumer – goes online, all he’ll ever see is an awful lot of information but little, if none, of those you want him to see.

So, if you were Aling Nena (or Mang Boy, if you prefer to be male in this example), what could you do?
  1. Brand Awareness. Wave and scream like crazy! Make sure that your voice is heard from among the clutter. Let them know that you exist and that you’ve got something that they might want. And, most importantly, don't allow yourself to be buried under all of the information available to your consumers. Dig your way out of the heap!
  2. Consumer Engagement and User Experience. Make it a memorable experience for your visitors. Set up shop with carnival attractions or plain and simple talk with your buyers. Engage your consumers and, ultimately, they will be the ones doing all the waving and screaming for you.
  3. Call to Action. Now that they’ve toured your stall and experienced Aling Nena’s Wakarima-Corn, one last thing you have to do is... sell! Or, urge them to act on whatever goal you want to achieve. Are you after sales? Then, sell! Are you after generating buzz? Then, ask them to spread the word.

*BooneOakley is an agency which found a home in YouTube where all of its website’s content are hosted in the video-sharing site. Through this effort, they've been recognized by a number of institutions such as the Webby Awards. You can visit their site at booneoakley.com or be a fan of their Facebook page here.
+This post is part of the CDMP Week series, a week-long series of blog posts aimed at explaining digital marketing strategies through offline analogies. This has been partially intended as a fulfillment of one of the requirements of the Certified Digital Marketing Program (formerly known as the Digital Marketing Diploma Program). The CDMP (DMDP) is a one-year diploma course under the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philipppines (IMMAP) and Ateneo's Center for Continuing Education (Ateneo CCE). Enrollees go through a crash course on a number of digital marketing concepts and tactics and, in the end, have the opportunity to be dubbed as one of the few Certified Digital Marketers as recognized by IMMAP. To learn more, visit www.imadigitalmarketer.com or go to their Facebook page here.

No comments:

Post a Comment

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails