7 Keys to Marketing Genius: Custom "er"
The following is an excerpt from The 7 Keys to Marketing Genius by Michael Daehn
A key feature of the Internet is the ability to interact with content. I have gone on ad nauseam in this book about creating a customized message for prospects and customers. The Internet provides a means for marketers to provide customizable content. Consumers can pick and choose not only what they view but how they view it. Once they have taken the time to customize content, they will not likely change to a competitor. The customized content builds a relationship between the company and the customer (Key 5).
I was invited by a friend to join a hockey fantasy league on Yahoo! a few years ago. The league was free except for providing some personal information in order to register. I discovered that Yahoo! also provided me my own personal start page on the Internet. There was a link to my fantasy team and whatever other content I wanted. I could put news headlines, comics, team scores, maps and all sorts of other useful tools all in one place. Yahoo! allowed me to choose what items I wanted to have on my start page, a choice of colors, and how the information is laid out on the page. I discovered later that this same service is provided by my ISP (Internet Service Provider) Earthlink. I had already spent the time to customize my Yahoo! page so I did not bother with the Earthlink page. Since Yahoo! was the first to establish and then customize this relationship, I did not want to change. Yahoo! was able to reinforce and protect their relationship with me from competitors. I still use the Yahoo! page and they receive revenue from advertising posted on their site. Since I am in the hockey fantasy league, I see ads targeted at hockey fans. Eventually, I became disenfranchised with Earthlink and decided to switch to Yahoo! as my Internet service provider since I already had a great relationship with them before I was a customer.
The important thing to remember is that people expect interactivity on websites. Several companies did not do well trying to provide video or written content that offered neither customization nor interactivity. Radio, television and print media are still available for communicating information and are well suited for most purposes. It is easier to watch television lying on the couch than to boot a streaming video on my PC while sitting at my desk. On the other hand, if I want to see a particular highlight, I can find a copy on the Internet and play it on demand. Some cable companies sensing their vulnerability to Internet competition are developing some interactivity into their offerings through digital menus and video on demand.