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Introduction Menu Course Goals
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Introduction Welcome to our comprehensive Disability Associates e-commerce training program. The primary purpose of this course is to assist you in the proper incorporation of an Internet Website into your existing advocacy service. We assume that you have already taken our basic training course for disability advocates. If you have not, we recommend that you do so before completing this program. Although we'll touch upon many of the technical aspects of web site development, our primary goal is help you to set up a customer service website. We'll also show you how to use your Website as a marketing tool within the field of disability advocacy. The information that we provide will focus on the Internet as both a marketing portal and a means of providing good customer service. We'll also provide unique on-line marketing approaches that should be used in conjunction with traditional marketing strategies for building your advocacy service. The goal of this Internet training program is to help you develop an effective on-line presence. The importance of the Internet in business cannot be ignored. If used properly, the Internet is perhaps the most efficient method of providing information, collecting data and expanding the reach of your service. Although many of the approaches for using a Website may seem obvious, they are not! In fact, the majority of businesses using a Web site today, use it incorrectly. The most common mistakes are made in design, type of information provided, volume of materials and marketing techniques. Our goal is to help you avoid these common errors. You'll note that this course also provides basic information on Website hosting and design. In order for you to extract the full benefit of this course, you must understand the basics of how the Internet works. We cannot assume that all of our students have this knowledge, which is why we provide it in this course. Upon completion of this course, you will be capable of designing, marketing and managing a business Website from your home or office. We will provide important information on everything from development tools to common marketing errors. We will concentrate on those subjects that are most important to a business site and we will provide reference information when appropriate.
We will do our best to explain most topics in non-technical language. However, there are certain Internet terms that cannot be avoided. If the term is not clearly explained in the presentation, you have the option of clicking on the terms glossary at anytime. Any of the material within this course can easily be printed by clicking on the "Print" button on your browser. Please keep in mind that this material is copy protected and is the exclusive property of the Disability Associates corporation. Please do not share this material with anyone not specially authorized to view it. Although defining the Internet may seem elementary, it is a critical step in helping you to better understand and utilize the more advanced concepts to come. The Internet is a term that describes a universe of interconnecting computers that can communicate with one another via a modem and phone line. Within the Internet, there exists an entity called the world wide web. The Internet and the world wide web are two different entities existing within the same space. That is, the web is a unique galaxy within the Internet universe that is specifically designed for both private and commercial transmission of data. The web is structured in such a manner that allows individuals and businesses to design an endless array of pages that have the capacity to deliver text, graphics, sound and movie clips. The data transfer capabilities of the web make it an ideal vehicle for the inexpensive transmission of dynamic information. The Internet vehicle used for personal and business data transmission is called a Web site. A Website is made up of a number of linked Web pages that are view through portal software called a browser. Browser software allows an individual to view and interact with a remote Web page located on another computer anywhere within the Internet universe.
Promote your ideas and passions Misconceptions about the Internet: The following is a list of the most common errors and misconceptions made by businesses on the Internet: 1) Unrealistic expectations. A majority of new businesses on the Web naively think that just having a Website will generate business. It will not! The primary purpose of a Website should be to provide information, collect information and enhance an ongoing marketing strategy. 2) If you think that the Internet is a mass market, It's not! The most effective marketing techniques are almost always either targeted or niche marketing. You must identify who it is you wish to reach and center your Website's design, message and approach to that market. 3) Using the Internet exclusively for marketing. This is perhaps the biggest mistake you can make! Although there are many useful on-line methods of driving customers to your site, it's never enough. In order to be successful on-line, you must be willing to incorporate traditional offline marketing techniques with sound on-line strategies. It's the combination of Internet and traditional marketing that will enhance your chances of succeeding on the web. 4) Not everyone is on-line. Keep in mind that not all customers are on-line or feel comfortable using the Internet. Although the overall percentage of Internet users is growing fast, it is a grievous marketing error to ignore the offline customer segment. If your marketing approach is sound, you'll should be able to cater to both segments simultaneously without additional costs. 5) Thinking global. I know that it may sound strange to discourage the global perception when talking about the Internet. However, your first consideration must be the type of business you're in. As a disability advocate, your customers all live within U.S. territories. Therefore, marketing outside the U.S. makes no sense. Most cases that you will represent will come from within your state. Therefore, your Website should focus on and cater to your local market. If you live in an area with a large population, say Los Angeles, focus your site on that local market. We will show you a number of ways to cater to your local market in the promotion segment of this course. 6) Trying to be all things to all markets. If your Website has only information that is generally useful, it will be less effective. Try to focus both the information provided and the feel of your site to the community that you are serving. For example, if you live in LA, why provide information that is only useful if you live in Nebraska. Believe it or not, this lack of focus approach to supplying data is a common mistake! In order to make the most of your business Website, take a little time to learn basic computer and Internet related skills. This course is designed as a marketing tool. We have enough material to cover without going into the fundamentals of using a computer. Some of the basic skills you will need are understanding how to work with your computer. Things like opening compressed files, file management and system maintenance. Other skills you will need are basic e-mail manipulation and moving around on the World Wide Web. If you are brand new to both computers and the Internet, don't panic! Try reading a beginners text such as "The Idiot's Guide to the Internet". This simple pictorial text is easy enough for a third grader, which is what I felt like when I started my computer career. You have now completed the Introduction segment of this course. For best results, we suggest that you now move to the Get Started segment.
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