Computers perk up deck clinics

inhibit attendees from asking questions, according to Nichols.

The chain is also reaching more potential deck customers with the CAD programs. "People just like to look at pictures," he says. The new software packages help homeowners visualize completed deck projects more effectively because they can see creative designs on color monitors. Those who purchase materials from Payless Cashways receive a copy of their deck rendering with a complete materials list.

Payless Cashways calls their computer deck system "Design Works." Because the new program presents a more personalized approach to deck sales, the company has noted a strong increase in sales of oressure treated and southern pine lumber.

The company focuses its advertising more directly on the end product, rather than the material itself. Nichols says advertising a package of deck materials with a price of $565 for a l0xl2 deck is much more effective than advertising the price of individual 2x6 deck boards.

Other methods are used to promote treated southern pine to contractor customers. One series of presentations to builders highlighted current SPIB grading rules and explained the new No. 2 Prime Dimension grade, which is practically free of wane. Builders are invited to seminars and pizza parties at Payless stores. Other events for builders have included tours of nearby treating plants.

A S MY company's customers conlA.tinue to become more global. we have added a new dimension to our traditional marketing tools-a home page on the Internet's World Wide Web.

The Internet is the fastest growing computer network in the world, with roughly 50,000 computer networks that include more than 5 million computers. There are an estimated 40 million users in 160 countries. Moreover, the Internet is growing so fast that some sources estimate that

Story at a Glance

What you should include on your Web site ... common traps to avoid.

more than a billion people will be using it by the end of the decade.

There are a number of reasons for the Internet's explosive growth, but two key factors for the expansion are the creation of inexpensive, easy-touse point-and-click software, and the continuing increases in data transmission speeds.

Considering the breadth of information and its powerful communication capability, it has been suggested that you think of the Internet as a post office, a shopping mall, a museum, a library, a school, a travel agency, an electronic arcade, a stock brokerase house, a bulletin board, a conferencing center, and a customer support center. all rolled into one.

Nearly three years ago, we first took a look at the Internet.

(--hoosing the World Wide Web

In focus group studies addressing our traditional communications, our customers told us that three factors were most important to them: they wanted accurate information; they wanted to be able to capture it quickly, and they wanted it made accessible on their terms, that is, they wanted information around-the-clock and around-the-globe.

In pioneering the use of electronic publishing, we chose the Internet's World Wide Web. The multimedia capability of the Web provides access not only to text, but also to tables, graphs, drawings, photographs, fullmotion video and audio tracks.

What was especially appealing was the Web's productivity and speed. The Internet provides a demonstrable improvement in customer response time and, therefore, speed to market. It allows users to communicate anywhere in the world via e-mail, to transfer files of almost any format electronically, to participate interactively in news groups and discussion groups, to log onto and use remote computers, and to find information via key-word searches.

l/ Vhat information should you put on your Web site?

We decided to provide customers

By D. Richard Pocock GE Plastics

with a comprehensive database of technical information to deliver the greatest information-based value. Today, our Web site includes the equivalent of 3,000 printed pages of technical literature. The library includes information on design and processing, material selection guides, performance data for several hundred products, and every press release issued by the company in the past two years.

We've also added product information software that can be downloaded and installed, a technical tip of the week, a directory of worldwide facilities, and hot links to product support teams. Customers can access text, tables, graphs, drawings, and photographic images. They can even view full motion video or listen to audio.

Largeting Web site visitors

Is the Internet producing results?

In the past two years, the number of visitors to our home page has risen from about 500 a day to 1,500 a day. The number of interactive customer experiences has grown to 500 a month, while customer inquiries via the Internet have grown from zero to nearly 20Vo of our total inquiries. In short, the Internet is dramatically expanding the depth of our customer relationships and the breadth of our market reach.

Since commercializing the Web site in October 1994, the frequency of access to our site and the profile of the visiting audience point to

I increased commercial benefits for our customers. The majority of our Web site visitors are now from the commercial sector, and most of these are directly within our target markets. l--essons we have learned

The company is now reaching engineers and designers from both the processing and the OEM communities, and they represent not just established customers, but new prospects as well. Our Web site surveys point out that these visitors have come to the site with a serious purpose in mind-to learn more about products, technology, and the latest commercial developments in which we've been involved.

The Web also provides us with increased productivity, reduced literature obsolescence, greater overall exposure for the business and our products, new relationships with prospective new customers, and improved reach for our press and public relations efforts.

Like any other communications system, there are pitfalls on the Internet. There are six critical lessons we have learned since embarking on the information superhighway.

7 ottrr, your audience.

Targeting a heterogeneous mass of tens of millions of people will ensure that you are delivering value to almost none of them. You must tailor your site to your targeted audience. Ask yourself the question: Who do I want to come to my site?

2 Provide relevant content.

Only two factors drive compelling interest in any Web site: substantive content and a strong sensory or emotional appeal. Web site visitors place a high value on information quality. They will reward providers of substance with loyalty. For business-tobusiness communications, content is king, so the goal must be to provide the highest possible informationbased value.

Ask yourself the question: Why would someone want to come to my site? aJ Keep your message fresh.

You must continually give your visitors something new to experience. The Internet is an incredibly kinetic medium. You can capitalize on its dynamics to peak visitors' interest and keep them coming back for more. Remember that a "Field of Dreams" marketing strategy is a sure route to failure-they won't come just because you built it. Ask yourself the question: Why would someone want to return to my site?

4 Uo*, your W eb site interactive

Your site isn't something that people read; it's an activity they undertake. A static, one-way exPerience will not excite the vast majority of people who are drawn to the Intemet by its dynamic, interactive characteristics. If they've taken the initiative to travel to your site, make it a rewarding visit by engaging them.

Chances are, if their first visit bombs, it will be a long time before they return, if ever. Your objective should be to inspire two-way colrmunication. Dialogue will win over broadcasting every time.

) Create a sense of community.

The Web is a great place for Pinpoint marketing, for executing a oneto-one strategy by communicating with people as individuals. It offers outstanding opportunities for building relationships among people who share common interests. We've learned that just as marketers strive to maximize brand equity, Internet marketers should focus on building strong Web Site equity.

6 tTyor'r, not on line, do it now.

Communications technology is exploding: what was science fiction only a short time ago is becoming common practice today. But even though the Internet is growing exponentially, it is still in its infancy. There are tremendous opportunities for yet-to-emerge Net pioneers. Someday, sooner than we realize, almost every person and every organization will be connected to the Internet. Why wait?

One of the questions most frequently asked of companies on the Internet is "How do you get on the Net?" If you are currently dealing with an advertising agency, it should be able to recommend an Internet content provider. Beyond that, if there is an organization already on the Web whose home page you respect, call them and ask who set up their site. There are also home page directories on the Web. Finally, don't discount the value of word-of-mouth recommendations.

Over the past two years, we have learned that employing the Internet in a commercial environment has little to do with computing. It's about marketing. A business's ability to deliver quality information to its customers at unprecedented speed is becoming a prerequisite in today's world of timebased competition. We believe that marketers who accept this new reality, and who couple their imagination with the enormous power of the Internet, will carry a huge competitive edge into the next millennium.

This is an edge that was impossible to imagine just a few short years ago.