Have you created a marketing plan for your Website? If not, it is time to think about developing one. An Internet marketing plan helps you make the right day-to-day and long term decisions. Without a marketing plan, it is more likely your Website will be a drain on finances rather than a business builder.
Creating a marketing plan need not be scary or difficult. It does not require a marketing degree or a lot of experience. You do, however, need to put some quality time into writing your plan. There are different ways to write a marketing plan, one of which is to create a marketing plan outline (or single summary page) through a five step process.
Those five steps are:
1. Gather and Analyze Information
2. Verbalize Your Main Challenge(s)
3. Develop Your Website Objective(s)
4. Create Strategies
5. Choose Marketing Programs
As you create your marketing plan, fill in the knowledge you gained while developing the five steps.
You will need information about your company, competitors, customers, and other industry players to reference while creating the plan. This includes all you can find about how the Internet is currently being integrated in your industry with respect to products, promotions, pricing structures, and distribution channels. From this information, you can complete industry and SWOT analyses as well as identify your target customers.
Write down the main Internet related challenges you want to overcome as a result of your plan. Referring to these main challenges will help keep you focused while creating your marketing plan. You may even want to write your challenges down in question form - "How do we _____________?". When your marketing plan is completed, it will answer the question "How do I address these challenges?"
The objective addresses the "big picture". Your objective answers the question "How will I overcome my main marketing challenge(s)?" in broad, general terms. If your company's main site-related challenge is figuring out how to use your Website to help build client business, for example, an objective for your Website marketing plan could be "To enhance online client service as well as build site awareness and interest with clients."
Strategies support your objective, defining the general approaches you will take to meet your objective. For example, strategies to support the objective outlined in Step 3 could include 1) improve online communication, information, and education, 2) build awareness of and interest in your company on the Internet, and 3) communicate the Website's existence and advantages to existing clients.
Marketing programs are where the action takes place - these are the things you will do to bring your strategies to life. Marketing programs to support strategy 2 in the above example (improve online communication, information, and education) could include 1) sharing experience and observations in your industry through participation in discussion boards, 2) offering an email newsletter, and 3) listing/submitting your site to targeted search engines and directories.
Once you have created a marketing plan summary by working through the five steps, there are numerous ways to create an expanded write up. If you are a company employee, there may be existing format and content you must follow. You can find some write up suggestions in "What to Include in Your Marketing Plan Write Up" at http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/Ar ts/WritePlan.htm.
After the initial plan is created, you should treat it as a work in progress. Tweak and adjust as needed in response to changing conditions. Many companies update marketing and business plans annually when developing budgets for the coming year.
Whether you are a one-person shop or part of a good-sized company, having a Website marketing plan can help your business prosper on the Web.
Bobette Kyle draws upon 12+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, Marketing MBA, and online marketing research in her writing. Bobette is proprietor of the Web Site Marketing Plan Network, http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com, and author of the marketing plan and Web promotion book "How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Website Marketing For Small Budget Business," ( howmuchforspider.com/TOC.htm ).
© 2002, 2004 Bobette Kyle. All Rights Reserved.
NB: You can read part one here: ... Read More
Rule Number One when writing marketing materials is "Know Your... Read More
The single biggest, non-renewable asset you have is your time.... Read More
When asked "what business are you in" many business owners... Read More
The "Matures" are the generations that came along between 1909... Read More
Every now and then I will meet someone who has... Read More
Whether you go to a Chamber of Commerce event, a... Read More
If your members, parents or donors wear clothes, watch t.v.... Read More
There are many ways to reach out and find the... Read More
I was about seven or eight years old when I... Read More
1) Word of mouth is the most cost-effective, powerful form... Read More
Good business is about communication... not just what you say... Read More
A seasoned networker knows the real meaning of networking --... Read More
When marketing your practice, as well as designing yourbrochure, web... Read More
Whether you're a former retail store owner known for your... Read More
It's not unusual for entrepreneurs to find the whole idea... Read More
When your envelopes aren't opened, you can't make money! Beforeyou... Read More
For generations people have been saying that laughter is good... Read More
Telemarketing has its place in the marketing arsenal. But telespammers... Read More
If the promotional items you give out end up in... Read More
1) Create systemsCreate systems for everything you do, especially those... Read More
One of the best ways to get a restaurant free... Read More
6 Secrets to Stellar Sales PresentationsEvery sale is won or... Read More
When conducting strategic planning for any company -- online and/or... Read More
What would you do with 500, 1000 or more additional... Read More
Most entrepreneurs first write their business plan and then develop... Read More
You have read part 1 & 2 of this article... Read More
"Both the market and the distributive channel are often more... Read More
The basic lead generation process is pretty much the same... Read More
Niches are like bathrooms; you never notice them until you... Read More
It used to be if you were a small business,... Read More
Most of the service providers I've worked for or with... Read More
If you're in the IT business, that's an important question.Most... Read More
Donors read postscripts. This is a sad but important reality... Read More
Many service professionals tell me that they are uncomfortable with... Read More
In direct mail lore, there's a rule stating that you... Read More
Perhaps, with apologies to Dale Carnegie, we should call this... Read More
If I were to ask you right now, what marketing... Read More
When commercials come on the television do you get up... Read More
Will postcards be an advantage for you?The latest craze these... Read More
To read the beginning of this special report, you can... Read More
The famous P.T Barnum once said, "Without promotion, something terrible... Read More
Many business owners do not understand the authenticity and validation... Read More
With all the shuffling that's been seen in the search... Read More
Benefits! They're what marketing is all about. No doubt you've... Read More
Offline, it's called word-of-mouth advertising. Online, it's known as viral... Read More
Trade shows are part of the marketing mix and the... Read More
Do you spend a lot of time and energy courting... Read More
After 11 years in sales, I've put together and delivered... Read More
To tell you the truth (and about 53% of this... Read More
One of my associates sent me a promotional email she'd... Read More
The most important, yet overlooked aspect of marketing is an... Read More
Make Marketing a Must, Not a MaybeWhen business is booming,... Read More
You probably know that February 2nd is Groundhog Day. But... Read More
Simply put the marketing people and the sales people depend... Read More
This is it what I use BEFORE I begin to... Read More
1.Evaluation of Existing Products / Therapies2.Assessment of New Products3.Market assessment... Read More
Business cards are such wonderfully creative little marketing products. Most... Read More
Any economics student can tell you that price is a... Read More
I am doing what you do, sitting at my computer,... Read More
Whether you're a contractor a local merchant with 150 employees,... Read More
In "Developing a Marketing Plan", we covered the first steps... Read More
"My clients can't afford higher rates."When more than 330 business... Read More
There are many different ways to increase your traffic on... Read More
Do you ever wonder if you could be doing a... Read More
Why Trying to "Get the Appointment" Can be a Recipe... Read More
Marketing |