The Internet revolution has seen millions of businesses around the world evolve into digital versions of what they do best. The search still continues, though, for the right mix of marketing strategies and technology that will take the average business to a new level of growth and prosperity. While there are a few stunning success stories of businesses on the Internet, the average story remains one of disappointment, and failed expectations.

So far the only real lesson of the Internet is the rules of conventional marketing are woefully inadequate in this new environment. The conventional wisdom that works so well in other types of marketing do not hold true when using the Internet as a marketing tool. It is important to understand why people come to a site, and why they stay once they are there. Unlike other passive forms of marketing, the key to effectively using the Internet is interactivity.

Why do people visit a site in the first place? It may come as a complete surprise to some, but most visitors are not interested in you or your web site. And they certainly aren’t looking for cool graphics, flash animations or a big spinning logo. These tools, while eye-catching, often cause a surfer to leave a site faster than you might imagine. This is because without high-speed Internet access such novelty often takes a long time to load. The only reason most visitors come to a site is to learn what it is that site can do for them. While fancy graphics might impress for a few seconds, building a good customer relationship with the surfer will last a lot longer.

Therefore the focus of every site should be the user. Virtual tours let the surfer be in control of what they want to see. Make the site as interactive as the Internet is supposed to be. Remember, unlike television, the Internet is not a passive activity. Surfers expect to be somehow involved in the process, and to make the site work, it must be developed to meet this expectation.

E-mail is one of those tools that your web site can use to build that relationship. Adding a link to your site that lets the surfer contact your business is an important tool. Also, if you produce a newsletter of upcoming products or specials, having the surfer who is interested in your products subscribe to an e-mail version helps to give you a competitive edge.

Never use spam or junk mail marketing. Always give the surfer the option to receive the e-mails or not to help build the proper relationship, and to make sure that the promotions you send out are actually read.

On the Internet, interactivity is the key. By thinking about how the surfer is served by each feature of a site, and by letting them have input into what is on their screen, your site can be expected to get more return hits. If you don’t meet the expectations of the surfer, someone else who does is always just a click away.