Smart Marketing

With the advent of the Internet, the marketing of products and services might ultimately be changed forever.

With that unusually powerful statement out of the way, let me begin by saying that I am not an expert on marketing via the Internet. In my humble opinion, no one really is. The medium simply hasn’t been around long enough nor has it been exploited to the level that it will be in coming years. Still, the Internet is a force to be reckoned with and I’ll try to offer some limited insights into both its reality and its potential.

WHAT IT IS. At its essence, the Internet is a medium, just like television, radio, billboards, etc. It’s a way to get a message before an audience. The joker in the deck is that the Internet is interactive. Unlike most other media, it offers the potential to actually deliver a message and to do business in real time.

Consider the following scenario. You’re a customer. You’re at your computer, "surfing" on the Internet solar system, when you notice a trail of carpenter ants meandering across your work area. Nonplussed, you enter the keyword "pest prevention" (or "control" or "management") and you click on the "Go To" button on your screen. After reviewing the menu of offerings on your screen, you identify a company doing business in your community and you click your mouse on that name. The website you arrive at is a local PCO who offers online scheduling for inspections. You fill out the form, click the "Send" button and you have an inspection appointment.

If this sounds like science fiction, I’m here to tell you that this is happening right now, as you are reading this column! And, it’s happening more and more every day.

Not only can you schedule an appointment, but you’re able to get instant confirmation, pricing based on certain criteria, information you can download on certain types of pests, references on the company and on and on and on.

RIDING THE WAVE. So, how do you get in on this phenomenon? Surprisingly, it’s easy and relatively inexpensive as long as you have a personal computer, a modem and an Internet Service Provider (ISP). With those considerations out of the way, your next step is to get into the fascinating world of the World Wide Web.

First, you need a website. There are a gazillion businesses, small and large, that can provide this service in a bunch of different ways. Your site can be simple or elaborate and can include everything from basic design to service, promotion and other forms of actual business fulfillment.

Next, you need a strategy. What do you want your site to accomplish? You might want it to generate business leads or to provide an information and communication vehicle for employees and customers.

The execution of an Internet marketing strategy is a bit iffy right now. Even with the explosion of computers, websites and so-called "e-business" permeating our culture, there’s not a great deal of hard data on what works and what doesn’t. This is where a little common sense comes into play.

Once you have decided to take the plunge, you need to jump in all the way. When you develop a website, you get what’s called a URL. Ours is www.masseyservices.com. This is your "name" in the Internet world. The way you convert a passive web presence into an active one is to get your "name" out to those want your service. Our URL appears on all of our printed materials, in all of our media advertising and in our Yellow Page advertising.

Those who are already on board with the Internet understand that the same way malls and supermarkets changed the dynamic of how we shop for clothing and food, the Internet will change the way we shop for certain types of products and services. Automobile and travel companies are deeply invested in the new technology and marketers in both industries see the day when the Internet will be a primary mechanism for developing new business.

I believe that the Internet will play an increasingly important role in the growth of the pest management industry, probably in the very near future.

The author is vice president of marketing/public relations for Massey Services Inc., Maitland, Fla. He can be reached via e-mail at bbrewer@pctonline.com or at 407/645-2500.