Victus, a company that sells products to diabetics, entered the U.S. market two years ago with its nutritional supplement Enterex. The Miami-based firm was determined to swipe market share from competitors Unilever, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Abbott Laboratories. But while those big guns that possess 90% of the marketing territory spend millions on mass media advertising, Victus' marketing is centered on its Web site.

The results, two months after the site was redesigned, are negligible — just 5,000 potential customers have registered for free samples. But that's OK with advertising director Ray Rodriguez.

Enterex and the audience he's trying to reach are best served by building market share gradually, he says. And the way to do that is not to make the quick hit, but to engender loyalty for the product over time.

Rodriguez believes the Internet is an ideal tool for establishing a dialogue with potential and existing customers because of its interactive nature.

The Web site (www.enterexdiabetic.com) provides numerous avenues for customer response, including nutritional and purchasing information and an advice column called “Ask Janis” which is staffed by a diabetes educator.

The site also engages visitors by offering free samples. By pressing the “Free Enterex Diabetes” button, the visitor can sign up to receive two 8-ounce cans — one chocolate and one vanilla. They also get a coupon for $4 off their first purchase, and — if they order online — 20% off their first case and free shipping. Second-time online buyers get a premium, a chill-gel pack that fits around the Enterex can so that it can be carried in a lunch box.

The product is also available at Wal-Mart and Kroger supermarkets among other national chains, Rodriguez says. Victus hasn't tracked which retail sales were the result of Web marketing.

It's important to get potential customers to ask for free samples so they can try the supplement. Rodriguez claims that Enterex tastes better than competitors' products. (The slogan on Enterex cans is “The Delicious One.”) And taste is what will get folks to make a purchase, he adds.

“If people need our product, and they try it, they will see it is the best product,” Rodriguez says.

Victus drives people to the Enterex Web site through full-page print ads in magazines such as Diabetes Educator, Diabetes Forecast and Diabetes Self-Management. The ads push ordering the free sample on the Web site. The order form asks visitors “How did you hear about us?” Rodriguez hasn't crunched the response rates from each publication, but says, “On average, I can count on 300 to 400 requests per day.”

Rodriguez is about to kick-start the level of visitors to the Web site by tapping into an 80,000-name database of consumers who had ordered samples over the last two years.

An e-newsletter will broadcast to all 85,000 names collected from both the old and the redesigned site. Its objective will be to get recipients to click through by hitting one of four links to either order a sample; reach the “Ask Janis” column; order online; or receive nutrition and testimonial content.

An opt-out link will be included. Depending on response, Rodriguez will decide when and how to reach them again. “We don't want to be out of sight, out of mind.”

Enterex is a harder sell than many other packaged goods because it's not only a food product, but also a health item.

“Taste is the most important element, but unlike Coca-Cola, after someone tastes Enterex it also has to perform for them,” Rodriguez says. “Our sales are dependent on the efficacy of the product.”

Plus, Enterex must break through a psychological barrier. Diabetics (there are 16 million in the United States) are often mired in denial about their condition and find it as tough as any other consumer to eat right.

“We're living at a very frenetic pace — people just run into a place and grab a burger and fries and run,” he says. “For most people, as long as you don't do that two or three times a week, it's not really going to hurt you. But people coping with diabetes have to be very conscious of what they consume and count their carbs and sugar.”

Enterex offers balanced nutrition — one 8-ounce can provides 237 calories — which can replace one of the five or six meals diabetics should eat each day.

“We never recommend that people go without eating,” Rodriguez points out. “We are saying that if you can't get around to eating one of those meals, you can have our product.”

One way Rodriguez gets consumers to try Enterex instead of Ensure or Choice is through diabetes educators. When a physician diagnoses diabetes, he or she refers the patient to a diabetes educator. Doctors, with their packed waiting rooms and quick turnarounds, don't have time to set up a care program for their patients.

These educators have a background in nutrition, insulin and other areas pertinent to the disease. The site seeks to enroll these professionals in a program called “Participate2Educate.” Victus then pays them to appear at health fairs to discuss Enterex and distribute samples. Some 300 educators are enrolled.

The site design is simple and straightforward, decorated with pictures of happy older folks with their families, and there are no fancy graphics or Flash technology. “A lot of diabetics are seniors with limited computer resources and many are viewing our site on Web TV,” Rodriguez says.

Each area of the site is one click away. “Ask Janis,” for instance, gives personalized answers by e-mail about the product.

The Nutrition page details all ingredients in Enterex. The Find a Store area presents all the stores that carry the supplement. And the Contact Us page publishes a phone number and a customer service e-mail address.

“Our major objective is to have an information-rich Web site,” Rodriguez says.