This is the official start to this blog. From today, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this blog will strictly adhere to the announced posting schedule. And since today is Monday, the topic is South African websites.
But rather than talk about a specific site, I want to ask a question: how do you find good South African websites?. Or rather, how did you find the last good local website that you came across?
There are obvious options
1. Most likely, it was recommended to you by someone you know (And whose opinion you respect), either in person, through a link on their blog or a direct email.
2. You read an article about the website or the person who founded it
3. You clicked on an online ad that led you to that website
4. You saw an offline ad for the website
5. You searched (using google etc) for a website with a specific function
6. You used an online directory, and cicked “blindly” etc
And, if you are a website owner, how do you spread the word? Do you buy online advertising? Do you use email marketing? How do you avoid being perceived as a spammer? How do you connect with the audience that is online, but is not “savvy” in this medium?
I often find that a lot of my good tips come form the printed media, but that in itself poses two problems: Not only must I remember the URL of the website for when I am in front of the computer, but I must also remember that I wanted to visit it in the first place! It’s a tough challenge for any marketer to overcome.
Of course, with the popularity of online networking and the social media that goes hand in hand with that, a lot of websites gain popularity using viral marketing. But those websites usually have a well-paid creative team behind them, and the planning that goes into the campaign makes the term “overnight click sensation” rather deceiving.
And herein lies the problem for why the online industry in SA can seem rather stagnant (it is also a leading reason for why I decided to publish Internet Guide). After all, it’s not as if you channel surf for websites. You need to know where to go, and why.
So, what in your opinion is a good way to ensure that a website reaches the mainstream audience?
Leave a Reply