Niche marketing in the digital era

Nothing is easier than getting lost in the Internet. Legions of businesses' websites have virtually (sorry) disappeared because there was nothing to distinguish them from the literally millions of sites hawking their wares. This is especially common with publishing companies' sites; all the neat graphics in the world will not save you if your company has no focus, no clear direction to set you apart from the herd. Put simply, you can't just "sell books"; you have to carve out a niche for yourself as the best place to go for certain kinds of books. The Internet should be an ideal place for such specialization; in an environment where you can literally (sorry, again) be anyone you want, the possibilities for niche marketing seem endless.

So, why aren't more publishers using this marvelous technology to make a place for themselves on the Web and in the real world?

The theory espoused today by our guest -- that companies are biding their time to better understand this new marketing form so they can carve out such a niche -- rings hollow to me. To me, the more likely explanation boils down to a simple, harsh word: LAZINESS.

The Internet has been mainstream for 20 years, folks; the big guys in publishing have had plenty of time to adapt (and, in all fairness, a few have). But most put forth only the most token effort, as many of us have seen from earlier assignments. I understand that radical change is not easy, but if publishing firms want to survive in this brave new world, they will have to alter the model in order to create a special, identifiable presence on the Web.