P.O. Box 20538 Wichita, KS 67208 (316) 683-7868 webmaster@ictks.com

Anyone considering Internet Marketing must consider the following:

• You MUST sell items of value, not just the dream of riches.
• You HAVE to create your own Internet presence and differentiate yourself among all the others blindly promoting the same things.
• You NEED to build a solid reputation and as many working relationships with others as possible.
• You MUST promote continually and consistently, not hit or miss.
• You WILL NOT succeed in competition with 2 million other marketers using the same promotion methods, ads, and sites.
• You NEED a unique product or service of your own, or a unique presentation of other's products or services.
• You HAVE to promote using methods that actually get your ad in front of real people that are engaged in actual reading.
• You MUST realize it will take WORK and will not happen instantly.

Following is a checklist of items to consider as you plan your new online venture.

1. What is your purpose?

• Why Are We Launching This Website?
  •   Because Everybody Else Is
  •   To Attract New Customers/Visitors
  •   To Expand Into New Markets
  •   To Service/Support an Existing Client Base
  •   To Support Our Own Staff
  •   To Sell a Specific Product
  •   Increased Name Recognition
    
  
  
• Who Is My Intended Audience or Market?
  • Are your customers  individuals or  businesses?
  • Are they  well established businesses or  new start-ups?
  • What are their interests? ___________________________________________________
  • What are their primary products or services? ____________________________________
  • What added value does your product deliver to their bottom line? ____________________
  • What do they value most?
    •   Price
    •   Quality
    •   Delivery
    •   Personal attention
    •   Image/status
    •   Other: __________________________
  
  
• What Will Attract Them To My Website?
  •   Search engines?
  •    Free-for-all links sites?
  •    Email Advertising?
  •    Banner Advertising?
  •    Newsletter Advertising?
  
  
• After They Are There, What Do I Want Them To Do?
  •   Remember Us (Name Brand Recognition)
  •   Learn More About Our Business
  •   Learn More About Our Industry In General
  •   Have Fun
  •   Request More Information
  •   Call Us
  •   Ask Us to Call Them
  •   Use the Website Instead of Calling Us
  •   Subscribe to Something
  •   Buy Something From Us
  •   Tell Us Something About Them
  
  
• How Will We Measure Success?
  •   Number of New Visits
  •   Number of Repeat Visits
  •   Sales/Marketing Leads Generated
  •   Actual Sales
  •   Number of Information Requests
  •   Visitor Feedback
  •   Reduced Client Support Calls/Expense
  
  
• What Will Keep Them Coming Back?

2. Who will host your site?

•   In-House Server
  • Purchase, Install, and maintain Server as well as Resolve Connectivity Issues
  • Phone Costs Can Be Very High
  
  
•   Your own Internet Service Provider (ISP)
  • Perhaps your current dial-up service provider allows you space for a web page on their server.
  
  
•   A Third Party Hosting Service
  • Dedicated to hosting professional web sites

3. Should you have your own Domain Name?

•   Personalized Domain Name
  • Gives a more professional impression to your web site.
  • Improved "branding" of your site
  
  
•   Using a sub-domain name
  • Lower cost
  • Longer URL address to remember and print
  
  
•   Using a free web page service
  • Can't get any cheaper than FREE
  • Generally unfavorable impression for professional site - okay for personal sites.

4. Technological Issues

•   Evaluate Database Access Requirements
•   Online Order Transactions
  •   Credit Card Transactions
  •   Order fulfillment

5. Who will design, create, and maintain your site?

•   Professional Web Designer
  • Understands aesthetic and technological issues
  • Wide variety of alternate resources, i.e., graphics, copywriting, promotion, support
•   Friend or Family member
  • Do they have Internet expertise or are they just a hobbyist?
•   I'll do it myself
  • Can be a steep and long learning curve

6. Establish Your Budget