The Toll Road to Success

Print ads. Trade shows. Yellow Pages. Flyers. Sales presentations. TV and radio.

It's highly likely that you invest considerable time and coin travelling some of these paths in hopes of bumping into your target audience. (Did I say "paths"? I meant "toll roads".)

What is far less certain is whether you actually reach them—and at the right time, and in the right manner. Or if they "pick up" what you're "laying down." And, most crucially, whether they react to your message in the ways you want. (I wonder if telemarketers who call during dinner ever consider this?)

While traditional advertising has its place, know that whoever you are—local daycare operator, cafe owner or corporate CEO—your market is online. Nearly 70% of Canadian households are Net-connected, most with high-speed. Almost every business has high-speed connections—and the stats show that we're doing quite a lot of personal communicating, research and shopping on the Web during the work day. The Internet is an intrinsic part of our social and commercial landscape.

Yet how do you effectively realize business goals through a Web site?

You'd be hard pressed to argue that-at the very least—a decently crafted brochure-style Web site (i.e. a site with the basics) is beneficial.

However, beyond the basics, a properly constructed and marketed site can deliver on your specific goals, increase your brand equity and deliver measurable value to you and your users. Your marketing goals best determine the form: sell through an ecommerce site; attract a lead stream and deliver customer service via a corporate site; nurture collaboration and communication with a community site.

"In ten years of marketing online, no one has convinced me that a single business shouldn't have an online strategy," says Acro Media's Marketing Director Duane Bentley, adding, "The research is clear—and this is supported by experience—that the most effective return on marketing investment is (in order of effectiveness) by email marketing, search engine optimization and paid internet marketing campaigns."

Whatever your business goals, Internet marketing will help you in large part to achieve them. Email marketing (no, I don't mean SPAM), search engine optimization (SEO) and paid Internet campaigns help generate high, measurable returns on investment. The flexibility of the medium means continual opportunities to fine tune your site and improve your bottom line—never before has there been the ability to so precisely tailor your marketing approach and measure the true value of your marketing budget.

A company's survival is determined by how it generates sales and leads, services its customers and cultivates loyalty—and never more so than in a hairy economy. Given the undeniable shift away from traditional media to the online sphere, businesses that ignore attendant opportunities will have only themselves to blame when the recession hits full force.

Choose your marketing paths carefully. And if the path is strange, seek a reputable guide to help you reach your desired destination—and to avoid any unnecessary tolls.