Charles Kessler & Associates

Qualitative Approach

There is both a quantitative and qualitative approach to the question of making money online.

The Web is still in its infancy and many of us seem to forget that. In general, there are no mad, quick get rich schemes vis-a-vis the Internet. So, if someone asks the question from a quantitative standpoint, more often than not the answer is "No," all things considered equal.

Qualitatively the question can be answered in the affirmative. The difference may seem to be mere sophistry but, for example, an individual can say, "I am against war," and another person can say, "I am for peace." While seemingly wanting to achieve the same thing, the approaches used to achieve their respective goals are vastly different, and so are the results.

Being FOR peace is not the same as being AGAINST war. 

Not to get too philosophical, but the approach to the Web should be a qualitative one. This approach is broader, more adaptable, flexible, and more open-minded than the quantitative one. This approach, that these characteristics describe, reflect the Web itself. 

We have heard the term "value-added" used to such an extent that it is beginning to lose its meaning. However, the Web is a medium that allows one to add value (it would be hard to add value in a magazine advertisement). It gives an organization the opportunity to establish its "bona-fides" like no other medium can.

Done properly, an organization's Web site can be a wonderful tool for establishing legitimacy for that organization, as well as developing a reputation for expertise in a particular area. Over time these qualitative factors can/will be converted into bottom line results. All that is required is patience, an open mind, and a well thought out strategic plan.

Since the Web, for lack of a better term, is a holistic medium, the approach to it should be a holistic. By focusing strictly on the bottom line, many organizations are not taking advantage of all the features the Web has to offer. They are putting parameters around their organizations unnecessarily, thinking uni-dimensionally and not multi-dimensionally.

If an organization tells me they want to put up a Web site, the first question I ask is, "Why?" Next I ask what the goals are and what the organization hopes to achieve with the Web site. This gets them thinking. But many say, "To make money," or "Because everyone else is doing it."

When I hear this I back up a bit and try to explain is some detail exactly what the Web is and what it can do. I tell them that it is no silver bullet but it can certainly be a welcome addendum to an organization's overall marketing plan. I follow this up with many more questions. More often then not I discover that not much planning has gone into the original concept of their Web site.

A qualitative approach can give an organization a more "well-rounded" site, as well as enhance the bottom line over time. It's not the medium, and it's not the message, it's the approach to both that organizations should bear in mind when planning a Web site.

This answer may not be satisfactory to those wanting to know if they can make money online, but the Web is such a new medium, so untested, that it is necessary to adjust the way we think about the marketing mix and how best to utilize this new technology that has such great potential. 

by Sean Foster-Nolan