Re: Serve the Customer

From: Janet Attard <attard_at_businessknowhow.com>
Date: Mon 12 Mar 2001 10:07:46 -0600

D YANCEY <gen_at_intergen.co.uk> WROTE:

> Has anyone got hard, empirically sound data from the
> *customer* as to what they expect to get from advertising
> online, or in our various newsletters, and at what cost?

Just recently I got an email inquiry from a prospective
advertiser who stated specifically what they expected. It
was a substantial company that has been in business for
quite a while selling products of interest to small
businesses. They said they had been disappointed by
initial attempts at online advertising (in newsletters,
I think) and that they were looking for
7% -8% click through rate with a 3% to 4% conversion rate.

Now, the only times I've seen that high a click through
rate over any period of time (a month, say) has been for
lotto sites, chances to win money prizes, and things
like that. And, in talking to people from various web
sites over the last year or so, what I've been hearing
is that conversion rate even when something of perceived
value is offered for free is only about 1%.

Which raises a lot of questions: do adverisers have
unrealistic expectations for online media? Or are there
B-to-B sites - or any kind of sites- that actually get
that type of click through and conversion rates
consistently? (Why do I think there would be fewer
dot-com flame-outs if there were?) Do purchased direct
mail lists typically have that kind of response and
conversion rates? Ditto for TV and magazine ads? If
advertisers are NOT typically getting those kinds of
response rates and conversion rates on NON-house lists,
why should they expect them from the web?


Janet Attard, author
- The Home Office and Small Business Answer Book
- Business Know-How: An Operational Guide for Home-Based
and Micro-Sized Businesses
Start, Grow and Manage Your Business with help from
Business Know-How(sm)
http://www.businessknowhow.com



Received on Mon Mar 12 2001 - 10:07:46 CST