Getting an account on Prodigy or America On-Line, throwing an electronic billboard on the World Wide Web, and sending out e-mail about your company will not guarantee success in the on-line market place. There have been hundreds of stories of how many people are on the net, how it will change the world, and how there is gold in them there hills. If you are in a panic that you are missing the bus on the information highway, it is time to get down to business.

Don't just get an address, get a domain name

To access the Internet you can probably use the computer you own right now by simply buying an inexpensive modem for around $100.00. Access to e-mail, the World Wide Web, and a host of other Internet services is readily available for a low monthly fee from any of the major on-line services such as America On-Line, CompuServe, or Prodigy. This is a great way to explore the Internet, but no way to run a business on-line.

To have a serious business presence on-line you first need to register your company's own unique "domain" name. All of your people's e-mail will be addressed to <loginname>@yourcompany.com. No one else in the world can use "yourcompany.com" for e-mail. This not only provides an easy-to-remember address for your people for e-mail purposes, it also offers you a chance to publicize yourself every time one of your people writes an external letter or takes part in any of the 10,000+ discussion groups available on-line. Internet service providers can do this at a very low cost. Unless you want to be mistaken as an employee of America On-Line or CompuServe you should definitely register your company.

Because the major on-line services will not allow you to use your own domain name, you need to find a service provider to have e-mail sent to you at <yourname>@yourcompany.com. You don't need to buy any extra hardware and can have your e-mail forwarded to your existing American On-line, CompuServe, or any other existing account. This allows you to look like a big Internet player without the hassle or the cost of setting up your own mail server.

Don't just build a web site, produce an on-line media campaign

The medium may be different, but the message is the same-you need to integrate your existing marketing material with your on-line presence. Don't trust your home page to a bunch of hackers. Find a provider that understands both traditional media and electronic media.

In order to get people interested in your sight and keep them coming back you will need to have some production value. Attempting to build a good home page yourself is like trying to give yourself a hair cut, you can do it but it just won't look good. Finding a service provider that can help you with design and layout will be money well spent.

Just because you build a store front on the Internet doesn't mean people will come. You need to get the word out about your company by linking it to other home pages. This starts with Yahoo, the virtual index of the net. You should register under as many headings as you can so you can steer people to your end of the net. For example, if you are a computer furniture manufacturer you should be under the headings; computers, furniture, office supplies, interior design, etc. Next you should post information about your company on news groups, and chat rooms. This kind of advertising is free and non-intrusive on the junk mail sensitive net.

Build an interactive community

Once you draw people to your Web site but you also need to get people to maintain a continuing relationship to your site. People come to a Web site because they are interested in the products or services you sell. You keep them coming back by giving them an opportunity to interact with you or your content, making them feel connected to your site.

Interactive communication can be as simple as contact information or as sophisticated as on-line chat sessions that actually allow visitors to talk to each other live on-line. Content should be dynamic and change continually in order to retain the loyalty of your on-line community.

Building a community on the net is like building a mailing list, or building a circulation base for a magazine or television program. This community must be developed to sustain your Web site as a place were people come again and again.

E-mail isn't direct mail

E-mail may be faster and cost less than traditional mail but you can't just send out bulk mail over the net. Bulk mailing e-mail to other users "spamming" is taboo on the Internet.

The result will not be new customers but thousands of hate letters or "flames". The smart on-line marketer will instead set up e-mail list servers. There are a few ways mailing lists can be run:

• Outgoing mail only. Users write in to "subscribe" to your list and you send them your literature on a regular or irregular basis.

• Public access - moderated or unmoderated. Users write in to "subscribe" and both you and they can post to the list. The software automatically reroutes all the posts, yours and theirs, to everyone on the list.

• Using this method in an unmoderated mode, subscribers can post whatever they like (including inflammatory and off-topic matter) without control. The list ownerís only control is to prohibit access to those who post inappropriately.

• In the moderated mode, all incoming mail is routed to the moderator, who can then post or alter the posts in whatever manners/he sees fit.

• Unmoderated lists tend to yield far better discussion, but a good moderator who essentially leaves the incoming mail untouched (other than the blatantly offensive or off-topic posts) can maintain a very good flow of discussion.

To a business, mailing lists are an excellent "extra" avenue for product announcements and troubleshooting. You can use the mailing list software to host internal discussions or to make announcements to your entire staff nation-wide or globally. Departments which are spread out among various branches can stay in touch and on top of things. And the communications usually arrive within a matter of seconds.

Marketing on the net

You don't need the latest encryption programs and secured credit card processing to produce sales on the net, but you do need a way to be able to respond to your customers. Built in forms to request catalogs and product information, an 800 line, or simple e-mail are all ways to generate leads and produce sales on the net. There are wonderful opportunities for niche marketers to sell their products nation wide on the net. A recent example is Capulin Coffee, a specialty coffee that is never touched by water so its flavors remain intact, whose sales have taken off after setting up a web site with ordering via an 800 number or fax. Another example is Habitech Furniture, a computer furniture manufacturer, that had over 400 requests for catalogs its first day on-line.

The net is also a great tool for building a better realationship with your existing customer base in order to get a bigger share of their business. You can provide customer service information, information about new products, or survey your customers about their current needs. The interactive format of this medium is perfect for such services and will help you make sure your customer gets in touch with the right person.

Level the playing field

The most important thing to remember is that the net is horizontal communication. It is truly a pluralist form of interaction. The low entry costs make it very easy for you to level the playing field between your company and Fortune Five Hundred businesses.

If you do things the right way from the start by registering your on-line presence and integrating this new media with your existing forms of marketing communication it will be hard to tell the difference between your company and some of the biggest companies in the world.