he Internet gives sellers the power to reach customers quickly, learn more about them and close a sale within minutes. It provides potential buyers with information, choices and the opportunity for immediate gratification. And individuals and companies that understand what happens when their customers are empowered and response times are reduced to mere moments can capitalize on this medium.

Want to get on the Internet bandwagon? The following information should help you get started no matter how "e-naïve" you are:

Be Prepared

According to a study by ActiveMedia, an online marketing services company, introducing an e-marketing program "can only pay off when the entire positive business experience of purchasing from the Web site supports the promotional message, and a mix of methods dedicated to promoting loyalty, as well as to stimulating trial, is what will pay off for online businesses."

In other words, don't launch your online presence until your back-end is ready to fulfill and respond to e-mails, customer complaints and requests for information as immediately as possible.

Perfect Your Web Site

For the most part, people visit your Web site because they seek content and information, so give it to them quickly and concisely. Keep your sentences short and your visuals exciting. Remember that your site is a reflection of you and your company; it should express who you are, both visually and in terms of information. Make it stand out.

The quality of your site's navigation is equally important. You probably know from your own experience how frustrating it is to lose your place on a complex site, or to get taken so far from where you want to be on the site that finding your way back requires the navigation tools of a cruise liner.

Your Web site ultimately exists for two main reasons: to direct potential buyers to a conclusion (usually a contact or a sale) and to collect information. If the navigation makes it easy for visitors to get where you want them to be, you're more than halfway there.

Remember the Search Engine

When you've got what somebody wants, how do you make sure they find you? You make your Web site very friendly to search engines and portals, and you get it linked to as many other sites as possible.

How? The first and simplest step is to optimize your content. This means peppering it with the kind of keywords that someone might use in a search. Use both broad and narrow keywords on every page, even if it means altering your content somewhat.

The idea is to have your site pop up on as many keyword searches as possible because the more a search links or points to your site, the better your page ranking will be in almost every search engine.

Your ranking will also be boosted if your site is linked to other sites. So, get your content on as many industry Web sites as possible, and make sure that the copy is linkable to your site.

Capture Data Whenever Possible

People use the Internet for one of three reasons: to research, browse or buy. In all three cases, they leave behind electronic trails of demonstrated interest. They leave behind the makings of an invaluable database.

More than anything else, the Internet gives marketers the means to develop a database of unmatched wealth and the ability to act on it in moments.

This database is the heartbeat of any e-commerce marketing. On the front end it delivers sales leads accompanied by information that lets you tailor messages to the unique interests, needs or preferences of each lead. It lets you track leads according to variables that you establish.

And when a prospect becomes a customer, your database will keep you apprised of specific information that forms the basis of communication. For example, keep records of client birthdays and send cards, or keep a record of which customers like the Mets and which like the Yankees.

On the back end, your database should become your vehicle for tracking different marketing efforts and measuring their success. Whether you measure cost per lead, cost per sale or even cost per click, determining your ROI should be what you most look forward to doing every day.

E-mail Effectively

In between the front-end (capturing leads and building a database) and the back-end (measuring results), there is e-mail: the vehicle that will help you turn leads into results.

Rules governing e-mail and its effectiveness change all the time, particularly as concerns for privacy increase. Some guidelines, however, are basic and should be kept in mind.

Basically, e-mail is a modern-day form of direct mail with a lower cost (no paper, printing or postage). Your biggest hurdle is to get people to read it. Overcoming that hurdle depends on the quality of both your list and your message.

E-mail lets you target specific messages to specific individuals. If your list is your own, use it to let your prospects or customers know you're aware of what they want and are prepared to deliver it. Once you do, use e-mail to register complaints and ensure greater satisfaction. If you rent lists, rent them from respected, trustworthy list brokers. The one thing you don't want to get involved with is spam, the sending of bulk unsolicited e-mails without permission to people with whom you have no relationship.

Make sure your lists contain only people who have agreed to let you use their names. Start with small mailings to measure the quality of your list and the impact of your message.

Some pointers for effective e-mail communications:

• The subject line of the e-mail is critical. It has to capture attention while also making it clear it's not spam.
• Readers should feel like they are the only ones receiving your message. Speak to a person, not a group. Recognize the needs of your reader.

• Link your e-mail to your Web site.

• Insert a "signature" at the end of each message to help people get in touch with you.

• E-mail should feel like a service to the reader. Use it for a newsletter; sponsor a contest; publicize promotions; make new product announcements; offer discounts; and solicit surveys. Show that you care.

• Don't forget the "opt-in" feature. Use it on e-mail newsletters, sales programs and special offers to protect you and your company against spam complaints. Once someone has opted to receive information from you, you've got a cost-effective way to introduce initiatives and boost loyalty from a pre-qualified audience.

Use Online Ads and Banners

It's estimated that 91% of the Internet today is content, and 9% is advertising. This low saturation boosts the odds of an online ad or banner being surrounded by information, rather than competitive advertising. In other words, your odds of being noticed are pretty good.

While click-through rates continue to drop, recent studies have found that click-throughs don't necessarily correlate to sales. Online ads boost your visibility and branding regardless of click-through.

When you advertise online, you must demonstrate quickly that you know your audience: how they feel and what they want, and how concerned you are with giving it to them. Using new technology tricks, develop some exciting, innovative and benefit-driven ads.

These cost little to create and can be easily updated as conditions change; make sure to include links to your Web site. This potentially creates an instant sale while simultaneously adding another contact to your database.

Remember One Last Thing

Early indications show that the Internet offers direct marketing performance as good as or better than direct mail and direct response television for a fraction of the cost. The important thing is to not make the mistake of treating your online business as a separate business.

Use the Internet to build your brand, increase customer awareness and strengthen customer relationships. Take advantage of its ability to add impact, broaden reach and provide immediate customer interaction.

Your online presence must work in concert with your brick and mortar presence. Your marketing efforts should span all channels, and your marketing department must be equally attentive to all of them. Only then will you truly be "e-successful."

Nancy Drexler is the Marketing Director of Cynergy Data, a merchant acquirer that provides a wide array of electronic payment processing services while continually striving to develop new solutions that meet the needs of its agents and merchants. In addition to offering credit, debit, EBT and gift card processing, along with check conversion and guarantee programs, the company offers its ISOs the ability to borrow money against its residuals, to have Web sites designed and developed, to provide merchants with free terminals and to benefit from state-of-the-art marketing, technology and business support.

Founded in 1995 by Marcelo Paladini and John Martillo, Cynergy Data strives to be a new kind of acquirer with a unique mission: to constantly explore, understand and develop the products that ISOs and merchants need to be successful and to back it up with honest, reliable, supportive service. For more information on Cynergy Data contact Nancy Drexler at nancyd@cynergydata.com .