Management author Tom Peters says ,"Biz Blogging - WORKS. It is of - MONUMENTAL IMPORTANCE." 

In the nineties, a virtual presence meant a website or an ad banner on prominent portals. Static web design didn't capture customer information, while expensive ad banners couldn't really bring in the numbers, given the meagre usage of the Internet in India.

Today, things have changed. And how! The Internet - post the dotcom burst - has bounced back and is ubiquitously used for business. So, how do you use the virtual medium for your business, both internally and externally?

Yes, websites and ads exist today too, but now you also have avenues like blogs, e-newsletters and extensive portals. Gone are static websites; multi-functional websites now give you Flash imaging, extensive scripting, data capture capabilities, and enhanced e-Commerce functionality ensures that you can sell almost anything.

Talking of ads, the Internet giant Google has redefined Internet Ads with their Google Ads programme, which permeates into every avenue on the Internet, from your email to your Google search. Ad banners or island ads in websites are blasé now! Google ads are the thing for virtual business - it ensures that you get maximum eye balls and everyone has a win-win!

Portals, as always, come with the challenge of sustaining content. Fresh, new ideas and content, rule the popularity of portals and the absence of these doesn't pull in readers; taking with them,  revenue-generating ads and business prospects too. Indian portal giants like indiatimes.com, rediff.com, and indiaplaza.com have managed to sustain by growing bigger than the competition. These guys are worth emulating because they've managed to sustain customers through multiple channels, e-Commerce and ads.

So, that's that about some virtual business avenues. But, what has really grown larger than life today is blogging and e-newsletters. Both are mediums that allow you to speak to an audience both internally and externally.  Interactive and effective communication with employees and the outside world, can help your company be different and survive fierce competition. Biz blogs educate customers and allow you speak to a dedicated target base about your business or product. CEOs use it to communicate with their global offices world over, engaging with thousands of employees at the same time. Blogging is personal, its frequency depends on you and  allows people the option to respond to you. Rudy Karsan, Chairman and CEO of Kenexa has used it extensively. Other organisations have used it as a vehicle for addressing HR issues, media issues, brand promotions (such as the Sunsilk Gang of Girls blog), keeping in touch with customers, and so on.

Then come internal and external newsletters. Fast, inexpensive and better than most other media, e-newsletters have taken on a huge responsibility, today. It's no longer about just informing people but a whole lot about positioning, branding and saying it right. Check out www.wattsupcooperbussmann. com and you'll know what I mean. This organisation has a website just for their newsletter and is saying so much by way of this medium.

A well-made e-newsletter is easy to email, compatible with many web-based platforms, and brings customers back to your website with every click. Chances are that these customers will remain engaged on your website for a longer duration if they spot some other interesting information there. Of course, for this your website also needs to be effectively designed!

So, your newsletter goes across the globe, is easy to sustain as newsletters are produced with specific frequencies, giving you enough time to generate compelling content and whetting the appetite of your readers. Against the popular blogs, they rate well too because e-newsletters are generally mailed out to readers (push-based) against blogs that are pull-based and need the reader to come looking for them. Lastly, but most importantly, e-newsletters are sent out to email IDs, against physical newsletters that need to be posted and come back a là ‘return-to-sender' if your customer has moved!

These are the means of virtual marketing today and it's just a matter of time before every business needs to go virtual by using one or more of these. A wise businessman sees the writing on the wall and acts before the competition does. Cheers to your virtual business!

Sandeep Nanu manages a Bangalore-based corporate communication agency, CBEYOND Design Pvt Ltd, which focusses on creating newsletters. He can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Issue BG79 Oct07

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