Internet Marketing Strategy

Developing effective and professional internet marketing strategies

[DavidL]

I would like to invite people to give their advice on what are the best methods to compile and present an Internet marketing strategy. Does anyone have any sample internet marekting strategy reports? I would really like to know more about what elements are expected to be part of an internet marketing strategy report. An analogy would be that an essay should have an introduction, a main body and a conclusion (a simplistic essay that is) what sections should an internet marketing strategy contain?

Also what is the difference between an Internet marketing strategy and a website strategy?

-Thanks in advance to all those that contribute.

[Marketing Guy]

Hi David and welcome to WW! :)

I would say and Internet Marketing Plan would hold the same format as a regular marketing plan, but with a different context.

Given the amount of hard data available to you, it is easier to set targets and assess effectiveness. You can reasonably set a target of xx% increase in traffic and yy% sales conversations over a period of time based on your existing statistics.

Also, I would say an important component of your Internet Marketing strategy would be to analyse where your existing traffic and new traffic is coming from and the demographics of users.

Depending on the status of your site, your marketing plan will have a different focus. A plan for a new site will focus on bringing in traffic and adapting to unexpected trends. A plan for an existing site will look to develop exisiting traffic, identify problematic areas, etc.

Personally I do nothing in the way of reports, but if I were to, I would most likely use the following sections:

1. Objective
2. Review of existing strategy / website
3. Overview of areas requiring attention
4. Suggested courses of action
5. Implementation of strategy
6. Statistical review (tracking your progress)
7. Final Analysis

(just off the top of my head)

Your initial plan would summarise those sections, with your final strategy document going into more detail with regards methodologies, costs, processes, etc etc and finally an analysis of how effective your campaign was (ie it would be compiled as you ran your project).

Finally:

Internet marketing strategy = focus on traffic
Website strategy = focus on sales conversions

But both could be encompassed under a "Website business strategy" I suppose.

regards
Scott

[Shane]

Internet marketing strategy = focus on traffic
Website strategy = focus on sales conversions

I would look at it slightly differently and say:

Website strategy = focus on sales conversions
Internet marketing strategy = focus on all things that build traffic, content, ad words, print ads with URL, special promotions just for the web, zines, .....

My 2 cents,
Shane

[DavidL]

Thanks for the wise words, Marketing Guy, your piece was really useful to get me thinking about the structure of an internet and/or website strategy report.

The situation I'm in is as follows:

I have recently joined a resonably sized website with a very poor and ad hoc approach to the website and internet marketing strategy as a whole.

There are very few viable statistics to work from, in some areas none, so in a way I'm starting from scratch.

For me personally, I have to write 2 reports, one on the gerneral marketing strategy and one on the website strategy. I want to present these to senior management and hopefully convince them that a more professional and serious approach to the websites and internet have to be adopted.

That's just my self-serving concern, I certainly hope that information useful to anyone in a similar situation will arise from this discussion, juding by the sage comments already made, I feel positive!

-Again, thanks in advance for your help folks!

[Shane]

You may want to add to the list or sections "competition" (or "opportunities" if there is a vacuum).

..... $hane

[Webwork]

"Corporate think" makes me shudder, but setting that aside, let me start by asking "Whose idea is this project"?

Do you first have to educate your consumers before providing the particulars?

Perhaps a piece about current practices and trends in internet marketing might be a good entre to warm up the decisionmakers.

Then an analysis of what your company is or isn't doing. Perhaps a side by side of what company A is doing and what company B - your competitior - is doing, with a check off list showing what company B isn't doing (and an analysis of why they may be right/wrong in what they are doing).

Perhaps if you impress them with your understanding they might be inclined to give you the ball and tell you to run with it.

In your analysis and explanation of current trends you might soften the boss up by providing pricing info.

Just some prelim ideas.

[Marketing Guy]

Actually one of the things that really bugs me about my job is that my boss pays attention to the competition and Im forced to do what they are doing (which is generally unimaginative crap).

Personally I put very little stock in competition on the web, because through SEO, keyword targetting, etc it's largely irrelevant (ok, your competition can be good for picking up a few ideas and checking out the state of the market, but not more than that - you should be better than them).

Shane, I think you just said what I meant, but in more detail, although I would be inclined to include content under website strategy.

David for your 2 reports:

Website strategy - Analysis of current site, suggestions for improvements (SWOT analysis for example), identifying major competition (sigh, keep the boss happy! ;)), possible niche markets. You should also try to come up with a few innovative ideas, eg content , news, forum, features - ways to retain traffic and convert sales.

Most marketing plans I have written, I have included every idea I have come up with. Only a few get used in the end, but it's good to have them all down on paper.

General marketing strategy - cover web and conventional methods of marketing your site, including SEO, advertising (print and online), publicity, etc etc.

Ideall, I would suggest your overall objective should be to "increase traffic with an aim to retaining it" or something along those lines.

Your marketing strategy should also detail how you intend to monitor the effectiveness of your activities.

Regards
Scott

[fathom]

Successful Site in 12 Months with Google Alone [webmasterworld.com] 26 steps to 15k a day. by Brett Tabke

Assuming you just want ideas as to what is involved, this is it.

Followed by many newbies here with great success! ;)

Admittedly it states "Google" but generally if you are well placed in Google -- that's 80%+ search properties, and the rest you're not that bad either.

[DavidL]

Thanks again guys, your help is extremely useful.

I was a bit confused as where to post my topic as it is a marketing issue intuitively (I work in the marketing dept.) but when I looked in the marketing world, it didn't seem to fit in any of the main categories, so I stuck it here in the business. It's amazing how many categories working online or with a website encompasses, and there exists a great amount of details on many of those. On the subject of developing a professional Internet and/or website strategy however, I didn't seem to find much. Or if I did it was quite superficial.

I think that techniques to change and ameliorate the general functioning of a company vis-à-vis the internet/website are very important, and a sound report on the matter can really help change mentalities of management. In that spirit, I await more words of wisdom that I hope will be of help to everyone interested.

P.S. does anyone have any 'war-stories' about attempts to change their (a) company's attitude towards the website/internet and/or does anyone have any sample reports they could share (details do not matter, just to get a feel for what is professional level internet marketing strategy report)

-Thanks everyone

[Shane]

I know that in our "company" someone costed the various channels of signing up a new client. The web method was by far the lowest cost method and this drove further development and refinement of the web based process.

Regards,
Shane