"Brand is what makes Americans go to a McDonald's in Paris," said Liam Shannon, creative director of Trinity Communications. "It's a promise of an experience. It's knowing what to expect."

Shannon was a panelist at this morning's Internet Breakfast Forum, "Building Your Brand Without Breaking Your Budget." About 125 people attended the event, run by internet.com and sponsored by Holland & Knight, at the Boston Harbor Hotel.

Other panelists included: Larry Gulko, vice president of corporate and brand marketing, SC Corp.; Laura Mete-Frizell, managing principal, Hook Media; Greg Jarboe, vice president of marketing, WebCT; and Michael Reilly, president of Reilly Communications.

Jarboe, whose company helps college professors integrate online content into their courses, said a multi-million ad budget is far less important that doing the little things earn customer loyalty.

"Buzz can be a good first step to get people to check out an Internet site, but branding is something that happens post-sale," Jarboe said. "Word-of-mouth from a satisfied customer is the kind of advertising you can't buy during the Super Bowl."

One way WebCT has capitalized on word-of-mouth is by hiring customers to go on the road. Academics dislike talking to salesmen, but have an open ear for colleagues, Jarboe said. Once the faculty at a college is sold on the idea they take the proposal to administrators, who control the purse strings, Jarboe said.

WebCT will also continue its Internet marketing campaigns, which it has found produce better cost-per-lead than other ads ($4 per lead for online ad compared to $800 for newspaper ads and $200 for radio spots).

"This is really a transformational media, it will be where the money goes in the future," Jarboe said. "There is a temporary bubble because many of the biggest advertisers were Internet companies but it will turn around."

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Other marketing tips dispensed by panelists were (in no order of importance):

• Know your goal. To win customers? Investors? Partners? A combination?
• Be sure your message is consistent through all marketing materials -- press releases, website content, brochures, e-mail newsletters.
• Establish a customer retention program.
• Track the effectiveness of your current marketing programs and make appropriate adjustments.
• Meet weekly with employees to discuss ways to get the company's message out.
• Explore alternate avenues such as submitting articles to business publications.
• Use customer testimonials; these items are often more valuable than advertising.
• Join an industry group.
• Sponsor industry events.
• Host a launch party for customers and employees.

Editor's note: The Internet Breakfast Forum will take December off due to the holidays. In January, area Internet experts will look ahead to the technology and business trends that will drive the dot-com economy in 2001. For more information, or to register, please see internetbreakfastforums.com