Online marketing plan requires dedicated Web site, expert says.

Marketing insurance successfully on the Internet requires a Web site that does marketing and nothing else. Trying to design a Web site to be all things to all people is a recipe for failure, said Donald Jackson, a principal with Jackson Consulting Group Ltd.

The Internet is potentially "the most powerful medium in the direct-marketing practitioner's arsenal," but insurers have to streamline their presentations, Jackson said. Web sites should have a 10-second download time, and "you can't do 10 seconds with streaming media and pop-ups," he said. "Content-heavy sites are not succeeding on a transactional basis."

Internet marketing also requires that marketers control their organization's Web site. "Pull it out of IS or IT," Jackson said. "You can partner with those groups, but don't give up control."

Underwriters can help drive online marketing by adopting channel-specific pricing. "Insurers are going to have to move away from the theory of universal pricing," Jackson said.

Recommended Steps For Marketers to Achieve Web-Site Success:

* Learn the battleground.

* Follow marketing instincts and outsource.

* Avoid the temptation for one-stop Donald Jackson shops.

* Deliver a customer-centric experience.

* Avoid dot-corn wolves in sheep's clothing.