you and your business on the internet ray mills raymond mills & associates

You and YourYou and YourBusiness on the InternetBusiness on the Internet

Ray MillsRaymond Mills & Associates

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IntroductionIntroduction My backgroundWhat we will coverQuestionsHandoutsContacts

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What Is the Internet?What Is the Internet? Over view.

Where did the Internet come from?The Internet is a large computer network linking smaller

networks to one another. It was started in the late 1960s and developed in the 1970s to allow government and university researchers to share information.

It wasn't until the late 1980s that the Internet began to be used widely. Any single group or organization does not control the Internet. Today, the Internet offers an amazing variety of information and activities. Most people say that email is their top reason for using the Internet.

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What Makes up the Internet?What Makes up the Internet? Internet Server Provider (ISP)DNS ProviderServersNetworksRoutersSwitchesLines

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AddressAddressIP 216.136.9.6

URL http://www.rm-a.com/

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Where to Go and NotWhere to Go and NotThat is up to you, but there is no anonymous on the web.

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SecuritySecurityhttp://.https://.Your security is up to you and your company.You can use a software group called Nanny software (this may slow down your computer network and requires someone to maintain it).Security is important every time you or some one at your company is on the net.

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What Is a Browser?What Is a Browser?Which Browser?

WindowsIE

Netscape

Opera

Mozilla

MacIE

Netscape

Opera

Mozilla

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What Is a Browser?What Is a Browser?Address line

Status line

Security line

Tools

Security

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What Are Web Pages?What Are Web Pages?Over viewWhere is the web page?LanguagesTagsSecurity

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What Is Email?What Is Email?Email addressSecurity• Where does my email go?• Who can see my email?• What happens to my email when I delete it?• How can I stop people from seeing my email?

• EncryptionPGPSoftClan e-cryptorTFS Secure Messaging

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What Is Email?What Is Email?Can I have a virus on an email?Is email like a post card?

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Search EnginesSearch EnginesWhat is a Search Engine?How do they workWhat are some good ones www.

allsearchengines.com

Google -Claims several billion pages. Adds weight to frequent citations. One of our favorites.

Teoma -Great relevancy.

All The Web -Claims to have a huge database.

WiseNut -New contender.

AltaVista - Lots of neat extras, such as translation.

Yahoo! -Web index pioneer. Such a huge directory, it is a virtual SE.

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Search EnginesSearch EnginesDMOZ -Similar to Yahoo! Human edited.

Excite -Rated as one of the best SEs. Owns easy to use WebCrawler, a favorite.

Lycos -"Wolf spider" (Latin). Owns HotBot offering parallel, scalable searches. Search a domain, e.g. [.edu].

Northern Light -Has a special pay collection.

IX Quick -Up and coming SE. Highly rated.

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Search Engines (cont.)Search Engines (cont.)Kanoodle -Up and coming paid position SE.

NBCi/ Snap -New respect for this search engine.

Overture -Formerly GoTo, the original paid listings SE.

Go / InfoSeek -Slipping.

DogPile -Searches multiple search engines.

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Some Other Parts of the InternetSome Other Parts of the InternetInstant MessengerChat Newsgroups

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Security AdviceSecurity AdviceDo not give out personal information.Only do online transactions with trusted sites.Do not download from NONTRUSTED sites.Do not open email attachments with out virus scanning software loaded.Keep your eyes open.

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Your Business on the InternetYour Business on the InternetCan I leverage the Internet for my business.• Over view.• Updating your Internet strategy.• Cutting costs, adding efficiency.• Market Situation.

Today businesses are looking to the net to grow their customer base, market share and market access while at the same time making their business processes more efficient and cost effective.

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Your Business on the InternetYour Business on the Internet

What makes this challenging? Today's technology is rapidly evolving. Identifying where technology can best benefit your business

environment.

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Your Business on the InternetYour Business on the Internet Introducing new technologies without disrupting current services. Protecting legacy investments. Determining required resources. Large enterprises got there first, but dollar-for-dollar, small

businesses are the real winners in e-business. As a great business leveler, the Internet can enable small businesses to prosper from worldwide communications and sales and limitless sources of supply, marketing, advertising and distribution. e-business offers unprecedented potential for both improving sales and cutting costs - key goals for small businesses.

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Is a Website Good for My Is a Website Good for My Business?Business?

The Internet continues to dominate headlines, but can a web presence really help my business?Today almost everyone agrees that a company cannot afford to be

without a website. However, just because you build it, don't expect everyone to come. Just as in the old economy, you still need to have a business plan and strategy.

To leverage the Internet for your business, you also need to position your site so people can find you, and make your message succinct and your presentation aesthetically appealing. Once people visit your site, be sure they have a rewarding experience so they will return.

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Who Is My Target? Who Is My Target? How is Internet marketing different from traditional marketing?• It isn't very different. You still have to create

awareness, interest, preference and choice in order to support a purchase decision. Your web site content design strategy is similar to planning a booth at a trade show. You will want to answer similar questions.

How will we attract visitors? When they "walk" by, what in our booth will make them want

to stop and talk to us? What is our value proposition?

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Who Is My Target? (cont.)Who Is My Target? (cont.)The main differences are: speed, cost and metrics. What used

to take weeks and months now can be accomplished in hours, days and possibly minutes. What used to cost tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars is now only hundreds or a few thousand dollars. What was previously measured in subjective terms now can be specifically quantified and valued to the penny.

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Who Is My Target? (cont.)Who Is My Target? (cont.)Is Internet marketing only for B2C? Can I market a complex B2B product online?Internet marketing is a viable tool for any product sold to

buyers who use the World Wide Web and e-mail. Today, buyers of complex products prefer, in fact demand, to do their research on the web. B2B companies can leverage their website to support the sales cycle by allowing visitors to self-educate and self-qualify. A B2B can maximize the efficiency of their direct sales force by making the web site filter qualified prospects.

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Who Is My Target? (cont.)Who Is My Target? (cont.)What about passive promotion i.e. e-zines, webcasts, portal sites?Passive promotion is more or less, the online

equivalent of traditional PR. This includes participating in online communities, appearing in or writing articles for e-zines and web portals, participating in webcasts, and participating in product reviews or awards programs. These activities will help you build your brand, and help reinforce your active promotions and even helps you build your ranking with the search engines by adding to your link popularity.

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Who Is My Target? (cont.)Who Is My Target? (cont.)What active promotion techniques should be part of my Internet marketing mix?Active promotion techniques that may be

effective include newsletter sponsorships, opt-in email, and online event sponsorship i.e. webcasts.

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Who Is My Target? (cont.)Who Is My Target? (cont.)

How can you leverage Internet marketing to increase B2B sales?Maximize the efficiency of your B2B direct sales force by

using your web site to allow your prospects to self-educate and self-qualify. Effective online marketing tactics that market to the right audience with a focused message that encourages conversion will reap the qualified leads your direct sales force demands from marketing.

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Can a Website Be Cost Can a Website Be Cost Effective?Effective?

Reach Your Clients.An increasing number of your clients are using the

Internet more frequently on a daily basis.

Promote your Business.A website is constantly there promoting your business

and possibly generating direct sales 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - an online store never closes.

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Can a Website Be Cost Can a Website Be Cost Effective? (cont.)Effective? (cont.)

Maintain a Constant Showcase.A website can provide a showcase of everything your

company has to offer, in one easy-to-navigate location.

Remain Anonymous.A website is anonymous. A visitor to your site can

spend as much or as little time as they like to decide if they want to follow up on your company's product or service offerings. No hovering salesman means less pressure for your potential clients.

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Enhance your Marketing.A website can effectively supplement and enhance

your company's marketing activities.

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Answer Frequently Asked Questions.Whoever answers the telephone in your organization

can tell you, their time is usually spent answering the same questions over and over again. These are the questions customers and prospects want to have answered before they decide to do business with you. Posting these answers on your website will not only be more convenient for the client, but also mean your employees can devote more time to other tasks as opposed to answering the phone.

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Own your own Domain (www.yourdomain.com).

Your own domain name (www.yourcompany.com) establishes strong online brand identity, and also allows you to set up email addresses specific to your own company - email being the most common way to communicate efficiently and professionally with the rest of the world.

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Enhance Consumer Impact.The Internet provides a level playing field for companies - a

well-designed website for a small company can have just the same presence and consumer impact on the web as a multinational corporation.

Enjoy Global Market.The Internet opens your business to a whole new global market

and can attract a great deal of interest through effective use of search engine optimization, links and other online promotional activities.

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Keep up with Your Competitors.Your competitors may already be gaining substantial

market share and the cutting edge over your company due to their existing presence on the web - your company cannot afford to be left behind.

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Reach Your Clients.An increasing number of your clients are using the Internet more

frequently on a daily basis.

Promote your Business.A website is constantly there promoting your business and

possibly generating direct sales 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - an online store never closes.

Maintain a Constant Showcase.A website can provide a showcase of everything your company

has to offer, in one easy-to-navigate location.

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Remain Anonymous.A website is anonymous. A visitor to your site

can spend as much or as little time as they like to decide if they want to follow up on your company's product or service offerings. No hovering salesman means less pressure for your potential clients.

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What Kind of Site Do I Need?What Kind of Site Do I Need?

Web Advertisements.

The Virtual Storefront.

The Information Resource.

The Online Business

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What Kind of Site Do I Need? What Kind of Site Do I Need? (cont.)(cont.)

The Online Business.

Parts of a web site.Home Page.

This one is a given. If you have a web site there has to be a starting point and the home page is it. It's a portal to the rest of your content. Generally a home page will have a brief overview of the organization so that visitors will know what the site is about and want to explore further.

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Static Content.These are pages that are created individually, each

being a separate document, and should contain information that changes infrequently. Examples would be your mission statement, bylaws, officers, and directions to your offices, contact information, newsletters and customer service policies.

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Dynamic Content.Dynamic pages are created each time a viewer calls for them.

Rather than being a document on your server the page is actually created by a program on your web server using content from a data file. Frequently the viewer has the ability to define what kind of content will be on the resulting page. For example, if you have members throughout the United States with a dynamic membership page the viewer would be able to choose to have only those members living in a particular state displayed. Search engines (such as Yahoo, Go.com and Iwon.com) are dynamic pages.

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Forms.These pages provide spaces for the visitor to enter information,

which is then submitted to you. The information can be sent to you as an email, stored as a data file on your server, or both. This is useful for pages such as a guest book or an evaluation form. Forms are also used for things like on-line registration for meetings or membership renewal.

E-Commerce.You don't necessarily need to be "selling something" to be

involved in e-commerce. Any time you are accepting credit card payment through your web site it is e-commerce. This can include payment of membership dues and registration for meetings or seminars.

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Private Pages.There may be information or downloads that you only want

available to members or others that are otherwise registered to you. By setting up a user name and password scheme you can restrict access to content of this type.

As a quick example, let's assume you are a nationwide association of member companies that provide a particular service. Your initial web site might include these pages:

Home Page (static).Brief description of the purpose of the association.

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• About Us (static).Detailed description of the association and the value

of dealing with its members.

• Locate a Provider (dynamic).Viewer could enter their zip code or city and state to

locate the nearest member companies.

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• Apply for Membership (form).Information on the requirements for membership, with

an on-line application form to be filled out and submitted.

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Deciding on the content for your web site should not be done hastily. You need to decide what it is you want to accomplish with your site and then make certain that you include everything necessary to reach that goal. You should also browse the sites of organizations similar to your own for ideas -- not only of what to include but what not to include.

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Once you have defined your content the next step is to bring it to life. The final article of this series will cover the options for assembling and posting your web site.

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Do I Need Email?Do I Need Email?

Brand with your company URLImprove your targeted online

communicationUse email and track your success ratesTo learn what is important to customersRespond quickly to all incoming website

feedback

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Can I Develop My Own Can I Develop My Own Website?Website?

How easy is it?How much time will it take?How much training will I need?Where do I get graphics for the web site?What tools should I use?

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If I Use a Developer?If I Use a Developer?

Portfolio, Portfolio, PortfolioDo I hirer by the project, by the hour, by

retainer?What will the developer do on the site?How fast will the updates be done?What if I want to change developer?

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Website Be ConstructionWebsite Be Construction

Can the website be constructed so I can make changes easily, i.e. newsletter, announcements, etc, without using the developer?Yes, but how much change will this have on the overall web site?New pageNew linksGraphics

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What Can I Do With a What Can I Do With a Website?Website?

What can I do with a website other than be informative?Virtually anything you can imagine.Basic Company Information.Brochures or other marketing information.Product Catalogs.Online Ordering.

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What Can I Do With a What Can I Do With a Website? (cont.)Website? (cont.)

Maps.E-Mail.Coupons.Calendar of Upcoming Events.Photos and other graphics.Links To Your Favorite Sites.

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How Can I Get People to Visit How Can I Get People to Visit My Website?My Website?

Advertise.Sales force.Letter Head.Yellow Pages.Word of mouth.Phone answering.

Raymond Mills & Associates have you been to our (new, updated etc.) web site?

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How Can I Get People to Visit How Can I Get People to Visit My Website? (cont.)My Website? (cont.)

Load your web site (key words, header data, meta tags).Update the site (daily, weekly, have links on and off your pages).Have people with web sites list and link to your site and you list and link to their site.Do online articles (make sure your web site is listed in the byline or in the article).

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Can I Monitor the Hits on the Can I Monitor the Hits on the Website?Website?

Most Web hosting companies offer some kind of monitoring software or option.

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Where Do I Host the Site?Where Do I Host the Site?

Can I stand up a server and do it my self. Do I have the expertise and resources? Do I have a fast Internet connection?

• Tracert.• Ping.• DNS Lister.

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Where Do I Host the Site?Where Do I Host the Site?

Does your ISP offer the service? Can you have your own URL (not

www.aol.com/goodbox/index.htm)? How long have they been in the business? What support do they proved? What is their uptime?

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Where Do I Register My Site?Where Do I Register My Site?

Over view.

There are many listing services.VeriSign or Network Solutions are at the top.This is not one you shop for by price.The further a way from you and Network

Solutions the more time it takes to get to your site.

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What Is an Intranet?What Is an Intranet?

Over view.An Intranet is an Internet that only your company

employees and those with access can visit.

You can use it to distribute information with in your company just like on the Web.

Each department can have a web site where they can post information that is important to the department and to the company.

An Intranet can be a great asset.

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Security?Security?

Over view.

What you put on the web site is there for any one to look at and take if they want too.

Corporate Data.Many corporations are putting their databases

behind firewalls.Have a Backup plan.

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Security? (cont.)Security? (cont.)

If your business is on the web then have a Backup plan for your web servers.

No mater what security you have hackers can get to your web site, your data, and your server.

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If your have personnel that work from the road, home, or any where outside your control of what is on their computer you should be asking the following:Are they sending corporate information over

open lines?What if their computer is lost, stolen, or

copied?Are they passing virus around?

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You may want get a corporate edition of virus software and give it to all employees and make sure that it is installed and updated.

Go over your companies security plan.

Go over your companies computer security plan with all employees.

Go over your companies Internet security plan with all employees.

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Wrap upWrap up

Questions

you and your business on the internet ray mills raymond mills & associates

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