| By Jim Bruene on August 7, 1999 9:24 AM | Comments (0) |
Build Web traffic before your competitors implement their 2000 plan
Many of the ideas in this issue require executive approval, capital budgeting, I/S negotiations, and so on. If you are looking for ways to boost traffic in 1999, within your existing budgets, here are some low-cost ideas we’ve dubbed “50/50 projects,” ones that can be completed within 50 days for less than $50,000.
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|
Project |
Comments |
Who Can Build It |
Supports |
OBR |
| 1. | Community calendar/database | This can range from a simple calendar listing of major events in town to a detailed and searchable database. | any Web programmer | PR, Web traffic | Feb. 98 |
| 2. | Do a deal | Find a promising Web site that appeals to your user base and develop a joint promotional campaign complete with the usual PR barrage. | your partner | brand | various |
| 3. | Periodic emailed information alerts | Create a useful email list that customers and non-customers can sign up for to receive SHORT periodic alerts. | any Web developer; in-house | brand; traffic building | various |
| 4. | Financial datebook with bill pay reminders | User enters billing due dates to trigger reminders; generates Web traffic and positions you well for bill presentment. | calendar.com, when.com, etc. | bill payment, traffic building | July 98 |
| 5. | Instant credit approval | If your systems can’t support this short-term, consider outsourcing temporarily; you don’t want to be left behind in the critical area of selling loans online. | Anytime Access, Lending Solutions, Servus Financial | loans, profits | Dec 97
Nov. 98 |
| 6. | Local merchant directory | List all local merchants, especially those sending billing statements; include customer service telephone numbers, hours, email addresses, Web links, and payment options; it’s excellent positioning for electronic bill presentment. | intern or contractor; Q-UP clients should inquire about its new ecom program (6/99 ) |
bill payment, small business banking | Jul 98 |
| 7. | Personal ebankers for your best online customers | Assign e-reps to your best customers; equip the reps with email, after-hours capability from home, personal Web pages, and so on. | in-house | retention, cross sales | Sep/Oct 1999 |
| 8. | Rate comparisons | If you pay rates higher than national averages, let users see how much they can earn/save with your products by showing how they compare with national averages. | Bank Rate Monitor; BanxQuote | deposit products | Jul 98 |
| 9. | Rate updates via email | Send users periodic emails informing them of latest mortgage rates. | in-house | mortgage sales | May 98 |
| 10. | Relocation database | Build a database for newcomers to your area with school listings, rental agencies, Realtors, etc.; make sure your meta-tags are recognized in searches of “yourtown” plus “moving.” | intern or contractor | new business development | March 98 |
| 11. | Scan-and-pay bill presentment | Users change billing addresses to yourbank (or vendor); you scan them into a Web site and pay the bills according to standing user instructions. | Cyberbills, PayTrust, PayMyBills.com | checking accounts; new households | June 99 |
| 12. | Time and weather | Easy to build, useful, and cheap. (Need we say more?) | weather.com intellicast.com |
traffic building | Feb 98, |
| 13. | Usage-based sweepstakes | Enter users into a sweeps each time they conduct specific transactions: pay a bill, check rates, transfer funds, refer a friend, and so on. | in-house; sweepstakes vendors | any target product | various |
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