Well, they were partially correct. What you need is what the Internet can do. And that is provide connections. Interactive, updates, information people want and value, the ability to communicate back and forth, these are things that people want in real life when dealing with a company, and your presence on the web is just a tool to provide another way for people to connect, or an extension of your business.
A static website, is like a lonely ad in the phone book. The folks that run a website called The Church of the Customer have an example of how this can work:
Attraction method #1
The other week, my friend Christine stopped in to HomeMade Pizza. It's a 20-store Chicago pizzeria that makes gourmet pizzas but you bake them at home.
While paying, Christine filled out the store's (optional) customer contact card. The next day, this email arrived in Christine's inbox:
Hi,
My name's Mike and I'm the Manager at HomeMade Pizza Company in Evanston. I just wanted to thank you for choosing HomeMade. The way we figure it, there are a whole lot of places you could've tried for dinner, so we really appreciate the fact that you went with us.
And if you get a chance, we want to hear what you thought. Do you have any questions or comments about your HomeMade experience? Any rants or raves? Whatever it is, let me know. Feel free to give me a call here at the store, or e-mail us at [note: I'll save them from the spambots].
Thanks a lot for trying HomeMade. I hope to see you again soon!
Unlike most emails from companies to customers, Mike wasn't selling or promoting. He was attracting. He was following the first tenet of evangelism: customer plus-delta. Gather customer feedback. It's anti-selling, which makes it magnetic.
Christine sent a quick note back to Mike, saying she loved the pizza and the store experience. The next day, another email arrived, this time from a HomeMade vice president.
Hey Christine -- I just wanted to thank you for your nice email to Mike! Bottom line is, we're really glad you finally had a chance to stop in and, of course, I'm even happier your guys enjoyed everything -- fantastic! Glad you're planning on coming in again, too -- we'll be looking for you soon.
And keep in touch -- if you ever have any questions/comments/suggestions, we'd love to hear them -- we want to make sure we're keeping you happy.
Thanks again for the great feedback Christine, we really appreciate it!
Best -- Shane
Two emails from busy company people with a lot of responsibility who didn't hide behind a cloak of corporate invisibility.
Nor did they sell. Not one offer. Or one promotion. Or one tout of greatness.
Total attraction.
Posted by Ben McConnell on January 10, 2008
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