pam. Googling. Cookies. Java. Domains. Blogs. Five years ago, these words, if we'd heard them at all, had very different meanings. The Internet has not only changed the way we communicate, but it has also revolutionized the way we do business.

Marketing strategies have evolved for the Internet age, too, but if you're like most people, you've had some struggles adapting your can't-miss traditional marketing plans into e-marketing campaigns that deliver.

Don't panic yet: The essential tools of great marketing haven't changed. Concise, catchy taglines and clear, appropriate visuals are still indispensable components of a great Web marketing campaign. The fundamentals of selecting the right market and communicating with your audience in terms that they understand remain the same. And a persuasive call to action never goes out of style.

However, computers offer us as marketers so many conveniences, knowledge at our fingertips, high-speed communications, and of course, spell-check, that it's easy to forget that the Web has its pitfalls, too.

Do you want your e-marketing to get real-world results? The first step is to make sure that you don't make any of the following three most common strategy errors. Learn the truth about these widespread misconceptions, and your company will be clicking away toward profit in no time.

Myth 1: Creating Buzz Is as Easy as Clicking "Send"

Thanks to the Internet, marketers have a vast number of new communication venues available. Now, it's possible to read about a new industry trend on GS Online (www.greensheet.com), back it up with some statistics from research-related news blogs, and use that information to write a targeted and timely e-mail blast to prospective merchants. When you're done, take a few minutes to discuss the issue with other industry professionals on GS Online's MLS Forum.

All in a day's work, right? Wrong. You did your job by spreading the word, but when is the last time an unsolicited e-mail changed your mind about anything? You've taken the first step, but to achieve serious bang for your buzz, back up your Web marketing with every other marketing tool at your disposal. Work the phones. Send direct mail. Place ads. Create news releases.

Electronic marketing is one great way to get the attention of large numbers of prospects, but the fact that it's cheaper and easier to put together than more traditional tried-and-true marketing methods doesn't mean it can stand alone. You'll still need to try every platform available for getting the ear of your target audience.

Myth 2: When It Comes to Web Design, Bigger Is Better

Web design has come a long way since the days of solid-color backgrounds and long pages of black and white text. Just look at the number of programming languages today's Web designers have at their disposal: Web designers previously only needed to know basic HTML, but now many can program in Java, ASP, PHP, Perl, CGI and Flash. No matter what language they work in, Web designers' palettes have also expanded to include frames, embedded movies, sound, high-resolution images and elaborate color schemes.

Striking the proper balance between what technology is capable of creating and what makes an accessible, useful and persuasive Web site is the marketer's challenge. Simply put: The fact that you can add virtual bells and whistles to your Web site does not necessarily mean that you should.

For example, you might consider installing a Flash movie on your homepage, allowing viewers to watch a brief commercial that promotes your brand before accessing the site. The video is sure to impress visitors and convince them that your company is sophisticated, knowledgeable and cutting-edge, the first time they view it.

The second time they visit the site, they'll search for the "skip intro" button the moment the video starts to play.

If you haven't provided them with the option of bypassing the introductory movie, you'll only irritate your most important audience group (repeat visitors) and maximize the chances that they'll get frustrated, close the window and move on to another site.

Avoid another common Web site pitfall by remembering that most Web designers are more likely to be artists at heart, not marketers. They'll use their talents to create gorgeous, eye-popping backgrounds and visuals for your site, with innovative fonts and bold color schemes.

The downside: Many visitors, especially older browsers or those with bad eyesight, might be unable to read the information, or distinguish what is important from what isn't. Internet searching and browsing is all about speed. If seekers can't find what they want quickly, they will move on. Quickly.

Your job is to strike a balance between a site design that's eye-catching and one that's easy to read and navigate. Remember: A great design will dazzle viewers once, but in order to maximize repeat visits, put the emphasis on functionality.

Myth 3: Web Marketing Is Free: There's No Downside

One of the most repeated facts about marketing on the Internet is that it allows word-of-mouth to spread more quickly than ever. Today, breaking news spreads instantly. There's no need to wait for the morning paper to find out what happened the day before when information is available at the touch of a button almost as soon as events take place.

However, there is a considerable downside to this: Negative or, worst of all, completely inaccurate "news" spreads even faster than good news.

Now, one person with a negative agenda can create a story about a company, e-mail it to a widely read blog or post it to a high-traffic message board, and see the rumor reprinted as "truth" all across the Internet in only a few hours.

The adage about bad news spreading faster than good news is still true, especially online. Web sites and blogs that update their headlines several times a day also suffer from much stronger deadline pressure than traditional print media outlets, which publish content only once a day, once a week or once a month.

This race to be on top of news as it happens means that there is less time to go through a full fact-checking process before publishing; he who hesitates in the Internet age might completely miss the chance to cover a breaking news story.

The next time you're struggling to adapt your marketing campaigns to our brave new world of buzzwords, pointing, clicking and blogging, keep in mind the three common misconceptions discussed in this article, and your campaigns will deliver major results, in virtual reality and in the real world, too.

Nancy Drexler is the Marketing Director, and Sam Neuman is the Communications Specialist for Cynergy Data, a leading 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.
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 and supportive service. For more information on Cynergy Data contact Nancy Drexler, Marketing Director, at nancyd@cynergydata.com .