Introduction to Internet marketing

The Internet is the global communications and entertainment medium of the future, here today. Around 50 million people worldwide access the Internet from their home or office, and this figure is growing rapidly as hundreds of thousands get connected each month.

Internet hype has swept through the media, the U.S. Congress, and the country as a whole. Everyone seems to be getting excited about the Internet, but for most people, all the hype has created more questions than answers. Especially when it comes to marketing online.

This section of the Training Center is designed to answer most of these questions for you, and guide you along the way as you begin to advertise your business online. Countless hours have gone into creating this section because we want you to understand the potential of the Internet, and to gain a sense of the tremendous new world opportunity out there!

What is the Internet?

The Internet can be a vague and confusing concept, something which most people have heard about but many would have a hard time describing. In the past few years, the explosion of hype in the press (and more recently in the U.S. Government) about the Internet has unfortunately done little to increase understanding of the Internet for many people.

All lingo aside, what makes the Internet exciting is that it consists of tens of thousands of networks worldwide that are connected together, with each network having anywhere from a few to a few thousand computers connected to it. There is no central hub to the Internet, but rather millions of computers connected to each other through intermediary computers, each able to exchange data and access the wealth of information stored on the other computers.

The Internet was originally the domain of military researchers and university academics. Over the past few years it has exploded in size, largely due to developments such as the World Wide Web. As more and more people flock to get on the Internet, more businesses and organizations are establishing Internet presences to greet users with information, online resources, and offers of products and services. Now is the perfect time to establish yours!

The History of the Internet

It all began in 1969 as a project of the U.S. Dept. of Defense (DoD). The Internet started as ARPAnet, a network connecting various computer centers around the country that were conducting research for ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency), a division of the DoD. Although the DoD soon cut funding for the project, the network survived as an experiment to test how communications could be maintained in the event of a nuclear war.

As a result of this Cold War thinking, a very flexible network was established, where each computer was aware of the others connected to the network, and could determine the best way to route packets of information. If one computer center was destroyed, the network could still operate. I don't know about you, but I'm glad the Cold War is over.

During the seventies, other smaller networks were created at Universities by students and professors who wanted to be able to exchange information. The desire to exchange E-Mail and information with people on different networks eventually caused most of these networks to form gateways to the ARPAnet, and become part of the largest network.

In the early 1980s the DoD was increasing its use of computers, so it split from the ARPAnet to create a network that was not connected to research institutions. In 1986, the National Science Foundation dismantled what was left of ARPAnet, replacing it with new supercomputers and higher-speed connections.

With many new networks connected, and commercial organizations connecting their internal networks to the Internet all the time, the Internet as we know it was established. Since 1980, the Internet has grown from 200 computer centers to millions today, and its rapid growth shows no sign of slowing anytime soon.

The Moral of the Story

What does all of this have to do with marketing your business on the Internet? A lot! To be successful in the long-run, you'll need to understand and adhere to certain guidelines and "rules" when advertising your business. Remember, the Internet started as an educational tool and many still look at it that way. For now, just keep it all in the back of your mind.

Conducting Business Online

From the smallest home-based business to the largest multinational corporations, the working world is rushing onto the Internet at an ever-increasing pace. "Experts" say that if you aren't doing business on the Internet in 5 years, you won't be in business at all.

E-mail has many advantages over phone, faxes, and of course, "snail-mail." You can send E-mail right from your computer without interrupting your work. Communicate with clients and colleagues instantly, without the hassle of trying to get the person on the phone.

If the person isn't there, your E-mail message is more detailed and accurate than most messages an administrative assistant would take. E-mail messages are also the quickest and best way to convey and store important information.

In addition, with so many businesses establishing a presence on the World Wide Web, you can find information on just about anything almost instantly. You won't have to waste time lost in the hierarchy of a voice mail system or waiting for information to arrive in the mail.

The expense of generating new customers on the Internet is a fraction of what it is using display advertising and direct-mail. Most of the advertising you do will be absolutely free, and your web site will do all of the "selling" for you, even while you're sleeping.

You'll be able to attract customers not normally available through conventional methods at a much lower cost. And you'll be able to learn more about what your customers want, and keep an eye on the competition. These are just a few of the benefits of marketing online.

The Culture of the Internet

Throughout the history of the Internet, a set of conventions have developed. Many of these conventions seem like a bizarre language to those who are unfamiliar with them. Let's take a look at Netiquette, or commonly accepted behavior on the Internet.

If the Internet had 10 Commandments, "No Spamming" would be 9 of them. Spamming, with its confusing name, is the slang term for sending multiple, unwanted messages through E-mail or to a newsgroup. There are other definitions of the word, but this is the generally accepted definition. Sometimes it can be a very fine line.

The most common examples are get-rich-quick schemes, posted to hundreds of newsgroups or sent to thousands of E-mail addresses simultaneously. We do not allow our agents to "spam," and any caught doing so will most likely find their web site deleted. No one wants to get junk E-mail or sort through hundreds of ads when they read a newsgroup.

However, as mentioned above it is a very fine line. While some people consider sending a single unsolicited E-mail "spam," we don't. Each case will be looked at individually, and we will always be fair. As long as you don't blatantly break this rule, you'll be ok.

Another common mistake that is easy to make is typing a message in all capital letters LIKE THIS. On the Internet, this is the equivalent of shouting. Typing in all capital letters makes your messages very difficult to read, and is considered bad form. Very unprofessional.

You are basically free to do what you want with your E-mail. You can send as much E-mail as you want, and say anything that you wish. On the Internet, sometimes an angry E-mail is exchanged between people, frequently in response to someone spamming.

Sending angry or derogatory E-mail is known as "flaming," and should be avoided in favor of thoughtful, polite E-mail whenever possible (even if someone is spamming you!). Please remember that E-mail is governed by the same laws that apply to any form of communication, so threatening or harassing people through E-mail is most definitely illegal.

Along the same lines, common courtesy dictates that when you are reading a newsgroup, you should post only messages that are relevant to the topic of that newsgroup. Most newsgroups have a FAQ, or list of Frequently Asked Questions, which will explain the topic of the newsgroup and answer many questions that people commonly ask about the group.

If you don't see a FAQ, read some of the messages and get a sense of what is discussed in the group before posting. This is called "lurking." Use common sense at all times. Just because 50% of the posts in a group are ads, that doesn't mean it's ok to advertise there!

The Internet vs. Commercial Online Services

Direct Internet access if faster, less expensive, and used by the majority of people connected to the Internet. This access is offered by local Internet Service Providers, which can provide more personalized service and better computing performance.

Rates for direct access are far less than the hourly charges some online services impose, yet direct access provides faster, more efficient access to the entire Internet due to the elimination of the "middleman." If you plan to seriously market online, you'll need direct access.

The Internet is a large network of computers all over the world. While there are a few administrative groups that keep the Internet functioning smoothly, there is no central authority in charge of the many connected computers.

In contrast, commercial online services, such as America Online, CompuServe, and Prodigy, are individual companies. These companies each have their own computers, where they publish content from various other organizations, host discussion conferences, and send and receive E-mail. each online service is basically like a small, self-contained version of the 'Net.

Because of the limited scope of the commercial online services, they have all been forced to offer Internet access to their subscribers in the past few years. The online services now provide limited Internet access, but their subscribers can only access the Internet through the intermediary of the online service, using the online service's software.

Most state-of-the-art software and exciting developments on the Internet do not work through the proprietary, limited systems that the commercial online services offer. Those who wish to continue enjoying special content offered by America Online can still benefit from direct Internet access. Avoid the busy signals and slowdowns of AOL by using a local ISP.

Ok, let's get down to business!

Thank you for taking the time to read this brief overview. Believe it or not, you now know more than most people do about the Internet. The general information you have just read will go a long way in helping you to build a successful, long-term business online. The most important thing you have online is your reputation, don't ever do anything to tarnish it.

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