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ROI Is What Matters The world does not move at the same pace and this is as evident in matters regarding the Internet as it in the offline world. New Zealand as an entity is off to the side and below the rest of the world with which we compare ourselves. In layman's terms, behind. True there are pockets of realization, just like there are in any situation, but as an entity in the world of ecommerce, NZ does not lead the world. This view is reinforced by the latest round of questions. Questions like: What are your stats, how many hits do you get, how many page views. Questions that were asked overseas years ago, as advertisers tried to get to grips with this new media. Thankfully their world has moved on and such requirements do not now occupy their time. They realized that doing business on the Internet does not lift business to a new level. Business online is no different to business offline. ROI still matters. The same questions still drive business. Who are my customers, what do they value, and how can I provide it. Any company touting their statistics as though more is better is not going to know the answers to these vital questions. NZ missed the dotcom boom which was characterized by the idea that all you had to do was put up a website, throw lots of money at it, get lots of eyeballs, sit back and make a million. Lost fortunes later, business sense has prevailed. What NZ got was fear. When the Web arrived the leaders of several industry groups saw only a threat, a threat not an opportunity and sent their spin-doctors out into the wilderness to preach the word. They may have saved fortunes but they left a legacy of doubt and uncertainty, which is evident from the questions being asked. We are facing now in NZ the second wave of interest in the Internet by businesses. An interest born from the knowledge that consumers increasingly use the Internet. Consumers who not only buy online but who also research online so they can buy offline. How to reach these consumers is the question that should be asked. There is no special formula, no silver bullet, which will somehow magically deliver customers. If there is a formula it is in how you communicate with your customers whether it is from your own website or by advertising online. This formula cannot be found among statistics. Consumers obtain information from many sources and the Web, the Internet is a powerful force in providing the channel by which you can communicate / provide consumers with the information they require. If you are going to advertise on the Internet and you will because that is where the consumers are, think, where are my customers? Do you want them to walk through your door? If your customers are local then advertise locally on the Internet. Sometimes the answer to your ROI is in your own backyard. Main site map