EVANSTON, Ill. -- The recent ASTA survey of travel agencies
revealed that only 37% of sampled agencies have their own Web site.
However, 52% of the agencies that do not have a Web site plan on
developing one in 1998.
If your agency is part of that 52%, here is a brief review of
five mistakes you should avoid:
Starting before your goals are clear.
A Web site can serve many functions, and can be as simple as an
on-line corporate brochure or as complex as an on-line sales,
fulfillment and customer service system. There are many reasons to
build a site, but the requirements for budget, design, marketing
and management will be different depending on what you are trying
to accomplish. Determine your objectives early and stick to
them.Preaching to the choir.
Many site developers use what market researchers refer to as the
"grandmother test." This means that you do your market research by
showing an idea to your grandmother to see if she likes it. To
increase your chances of success, your site should be designed and
tested based on the needs of the customer, not you, your staff,
your management or even your mother's mother. This approach will
affect every facet of developing your site, including your choices
of graphic design, copy, navigation and technology.Hiding your candle under a bushel.
Whatever your reason for building a site, it is only valuable if
your target users can find it. Create a marketing and promotion
program that is appropriate for your site's function and target
users. Your plan should include activities like putting URL
references on your printed materials, traditional direct mail,
search engine registration, on-line advertising and direct
e-mail.Biting off more than than you can chew.
Budgeting for your site is like budgeting to buy a home: You need
to be sure you have enough left after you buy it to insure,
maintain and furnish it. As a rule of thumb, plan to spend at least
half of what you spent on development each year in maintenance.
However, allocating enough time to monitor, update and improve the
site based on user feedback may be even more important than
budgeting adequate funding.Failure to integrate your site into office
routine.
The newest, fastest car is only as good as the person behind the
wheel. So it is with your Web site -- its ultimate success or
failure will be determined in large part by the people who back it
up. Make sure your people have the skills to take advantage of the
tools you are building, and create a work environment that
integrates your on-line activities into your daily process. Recent
studies suggest that as much as 80% of e-mail to on-line companies
never gets answered. If that is unacceptable for telephone
inquiries, it should be unacceptable for on-line inquiries as well.
No set of guidelines can guarantee success with your site. On-line
success comes only through persistence and experimentation. If you
avoid these common mistakes when creating your site, you will save
yourself money, time and headaches.Greg Merkley, based in Evanston, Ill., is the founder and
president of Travel Technology & Magic, which owns and operates
the PositiveSpace Web site for travel agents at www.positivespace.com.