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Branding For the Future by Jeff Clark, Webmaster, WV, USA Internet Brothers
Seemingly there are as many strategies on the Internet today as there are venture
capitalists willing to fund them. From electronic commerce and integration of the World
Wide Web into brick-and-mortar business; to distance learning or resource management;
creating the most valued tools, products, and services will define success. I would like
to thank Lucian Millis for providing the opportunity to talk with you about my
Internet strategies. I encourage you to spend some time wandering around Lucian's
site. It will be well worth the effort. | In the Beginning I am fortunate. I don't yet have to rely on my web presence for a livelihood. I have enjoyed a successful 26 year career in Information Technologies for an international Fortune 500 corporation. That day job pays my bills. My present Internet vision is simply one of income supplement, and branding. I am eligible to retire with full pension from my career in six years. When that time comes I will only be 53 years of age, leaving a full dozen years of productive potential before I'm ready for total rest and relaxation. Whether I take that early retirement, or continue my career will depend partly on my success at branding Internet Brothers between now and then. My web experience started like many do, it was merely a vehicle to share with friends and family the things I like to do. I posted travelogues and photographs of my myriad vacation adventures. But with the Internet's global reach, I soon discovered there were people all over the world who shared many of the same interests. They liked what I was doing, how I was doing it, and they wanted me to help them. What's in a Name? From that I was able to formulate an idea, a goal to strive for with my Internet efforts. I call it Helpware, not an original term, but one that fits very nicely into what I hoped to accomplish with my "web hobby." I wanted to develop a web site that would provide free help and assistance to anyone wishing to build their own presence on the Net. My motivation? Simply giving back; a way to thank those who had helped me all through life. You know, there comes a time ... So, I prepared a variety of tips and tutorials to assist others with what I had learned. Those areas where I didn't feel very comfortable, I asked for expert advice in the form of guest articles and interviews. Much of that original content can still be found on my web site today, and is just as relevant as ever. I realized, however, this work would be but "dead content" if I didn't do something to get noticed. I had to have a name for this venture. Actually the name came to me quite easily. My brother Dave and I have lived more than a thousand miles apart for 20 years. The Internet afforded us the opportunity to communicate more quickly, and more frequently than ever before. We began to collaborate on our web interests, eventually becoming Internet Brothers. A catchy name to be sure. It's easy to remember, conjuring images of such giants as Warner Brothers, Smith Brothers, or even the Doobie Brothers. The keyword Internet in the name is a term likely to last for at least a couple more decades. Most of all, the name tied nicely to my goal of community, of helping others. What could be more appropriate than brothers on, and of the Internet? Tooting My Own Horn For the first two years of the Internet Brothers existence, I kept the web site on the free servers of my Internet Service Provider, and I floundered. Sure, I got about 50 visitors a day, and developed a faithful following, but the world didn't beat the proverbial path to my door. That began to happen after I finally purchased the internetbrothers.com domain. I don't care what anyone tells you about free web services, if you want to be noticed, you must acquire your own domain. My traffic doubled almost immediately just from that simple act. For point of reference, as I write this in late October 1999, Internet Brothers now receives 9000 unique visitors per month. Now I had the triumvirate; quality desirable content, a catchy name, and domain ownership to go along with it. I found it easier to get higher positioned listings in search engines, but best of all, the media began to take notice. Allow me a few moments of self-indulgence as I toot my own horn, but I do it to make a point about branding. Now when I talk to writers and potential partners I simply tell them internetbrothers.com, not some convoluted purposeless 30 character name that no one, not even my mother, could remember. Internet Brothers was the feature subject in the summer issue of Gateway magazine in 1999. Articles about us have appeared in newspapers in Florida, Minnesota, California, Ontario, New Jersey, British Columbia, and Ohio. That's just the ones I know about. We have been profiled in online webzines in the United States, Canada, South Korea, Australia, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Germany. I had a reader tell me he saw our site on television in Kansas. We have collected more than half of the World's Top Rated Web Awards, and even became one. When I browse through my server logs, I discover people are actually doing searches on "internet brothers"; that means they're looking specifically for us. Beating the Bushes I don't intend to imply that all of this was handed to me, but with notoriety comes more recognition. With a "branded name" comes more recognition. In a nutshell, here is what it takes. Develop quality content that people want and are willing to return to. The latter implies keeping your content evergreen. Name yourself, and no, I don't mean Don's Page, or Jill's Home on the Web. Pick a name that can become easily recognizable. Make that name into a domain people can remember, and then promote, promote, and when you think you're done, promote some more. I spent the better part of two years reading every web marketing newsletter and ezine I could get my hands on, still do. I studied the ins and outs of all the search engines and regurgitated all the incredible information Danny Sullivan offers at his Search Engine Watch. I have "networked" with other webmasters in my niche, requesting and receiving complementary links, articles, and other features; and reciprocated in kind. How do you think Lucian found me? I started a web award program, provided conscientious reviews, and turned it into one of the most coveted prizes. All this based on a simple concept known as Helpware. Always say please and thank you. That may sound trite, but simple human courtesy and netiquette goes a long way in this venue. Never ignore your e-mail. No matter how big you may become, don't get too big for your britches. Remember where you were. That e-mail message you just unceremoniously dumped in the trash may be the great big offer you've been waiting for. Be polite. Forget your teenage tendency to be aloof, macho, and cool. Instead be helpful, understanding, and complimentary; but do it with humility and respect. So Where Is All This Headed? Well that's a good question actually. To be perfectly honest, you see, I haven't even decided yet where I want to take Internet Brothers. But the point is, I've given myself the chance. Up to this point my Internet strategy has been one of branding the Internet Brothers name. Remember I have six years to come up with a cogent, lucid, and hopefully profitable plan. If I want to get into consulting, people will know the Internet Brothers name. If I want to start a design shop, people will know the Internet Brothers name. If I want to sell information or services online, repeat after me, people will know the Internet Brothers name. Chances are, six years from now, the Internet will look entirely different from what it is today. Technology is constantly reinventing itself. The web browser may not even exist in 2005. However, if I continue to focus on my goals, to do my job right; it really won't matter what face the Internet displays. If I continue to live and learn, to observe and communicate, I can do whatever I want with Internet Brothers because I've made the effort to place it in the cyber consciousness. Have you noticed how when people order a cola soft drink in a restaurant, they ask for a Coke, even if Pepsi is really what they want? Internet Brothers isn't there yet, but all of you who are reading this article have heard of us now. (Posted 10/1999) Jeff Clark is webmaster of Internet Brothers: Helpware for the Cybercommunity, a site dedicated to assisting web newcomers make their presence felt. Offering helpware tips and tutorials about HTML and DHTML, graphics editing, layout and design, digital photography, desktop publishing, web site promotion, and a wealth of other topics, Internet Brothers also hosts IB Presents, a top-rated web award. If your site provides help to others with any subject matter, why not contact Jeff? You may be able to work something out.
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