Marketing on the Internet

Mary Lou Roberts, PhD, is a professor of marketing at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She teaches MRKT E-120 Internet Marketing Strategies, a course that may be taken on campus or online.

Mary Lou Roberts

You state in the description of your course, MRKT E-120 Internet Marketing Strategies, “integrating web marketing strategies into organizational marketing strategies is a major challenge for ongoing businesses and start-ups alike.” Why do you think this is a major challenge?

It’s a major challenge for two reasons. First, the commercial Internet is really only about a decade old. A lot of senior marketers received their training before the Internet was a factor, and they have to scramble to keep up. And, second, for all of us change is a constant on the Internet. New applications, media convergence, and technological developments are daily occurrences at present. It’s hard for all marketers to keep up.

Do you think there will come a time when this activity will be a normal course of action rather than a challenge? In other words, will thinking about marketing on the Internet become a routine matter for all companies?

Online marketing is already the norm for companies in all markets who appeal to customers in virtually all target demographics. Financial services, health care, and business marketers of all kinds continue to expand their Internet presence. Traditional mass-media marketers have moved onto the Web because their customers are there. We all communicate and search for information on the Internet. Young people go there for social contact and entertainment. Older people are online in large numbers, with health information being a particular attraction. More people every day, especially business travelers, are making use of mobile services of all kinds. Companies that have not already integrated the Internet into their activities are behind the curve.

If you were asked to list a few common mistakes companies make when they consider integrating web strategies into their overall marketing strategies, what would you say?

It’s hard to really integrate programs across multiple channels and markets. Not tightly integrating programs is probably the biggest mistake. Not understanding the potential of interactivity on the Internet is another big one. Few companies outside of entertainment really use interactivity well. It’s also important to understand that, while virtually everyone in developed countries has access to the Internet today, different target audiences use it at different times for different reasons. The important thing is that this is still very early in the life of the Internet-marketers, and they have to keep testing and learning from each program.

What steps do you believe CEOs should take if they want their companies to succeed in devising and implementing a successful Internet marketing strategy?

It’s important to hire bright people and give them latitude, while still making them accountable. I find that young adults today want to be listened to; they want to know that their views are factored into decisions even if they aren’t fully accepted. It’s also important to understand that this is increasingly an open-source environment and that approaches toward the ownership of content and other intellectual property are changing. Most of all, I think CEOs should spend time viewing their company and their customer touch points from a customer perspective. That is often eye opening.

Finally, to summarize and conclude on a positive note, can you list a few pointers for managers wanting to integrate web activities into their marketing strategy?

I’d suggest they track marketing activities, certainly of their main competitors but also of companies or nonprofits that have different markets and business models. We can all learn a lot that way. One of my favorite sites is the San Diego Zoo. They create a wonderful customer experience on the Web and do a number of things to make the physical-world experience more convenient and enjoyable.

Look at the difference between the way Procter & Gamble and their recent acquisition, Gillette, use their Web sites. Sign up for some good e-newsletters like Neiman Marcus on the consumer side and in your own market or profession on the business side. Learn from what they do well, less well, and sometimes fail to do. Saying “thank you” often falls into the latter category. Look for companies who are maintaining vibrant, positive relationships with their customers and learn from them.

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