Effective internet marketing starts with a vision of how the web fits into your overall strategic plan.
The most important step of a website and website design is to develop an internet marketing strategy. This seems simple enough, but you would be surprised at the number of executives and marketing people that move forward with their website design and internet marketing without having a strategic plan with goals and objectives.
Most importantly, if it hasn’t been planned right, it won’t generate revenue and a return on investment. Worse, it’ll drain valuable resources, turn customers away, and your online marketing efforts will be mediocre at best. After all, a successful Internet marketing strategy goes far beyond the look and feel of your website.
Crafting a sound Internet strategy requires planning and effort, not to mention high-level business acumen and an expert understanding of the technical and communicative structures and trends of the online environment. It is an action plan for achieving your online marketing goals. It should be an integral component of your overall business strategy for creating and keeping customers and based on your business goals. And it’s one of the most important items a company can invest in.
Whether you’re developing your first web site or upgrading an existing one the basic steps for building a online marketing strategy are the same. It should begin with a broad vision, one that includes but is not restricted to visitor traffic and is centered on the entire sales life cycle. Internet marketing is all about hard results, so stay focused on increasing sales, increasing market share, and increasing and developing your brand.
Before you build or upgrade your website, before you even write a single word of content step back and understand the role of your web site. Then define your potential market before you enter it.
It’s the basic building block that the internet is built around. Put in time and research. Assess the possibilities and the reality of your business situation. Define and set measurable goals and objectives – those that will bring you a temporary boost in traffic as well as a steady stream over time. Learn and apply the 3Cs and the 10Ps of Internet marketing to build a solid and practical foundation. And develop action items that will help you achieve your goals. If you currently have a site, do a comprehensive web site audit evaluating structure, content, navigation, past performance, and usability. As a process, it all boils down to research, strategic planning, implementation and measurement. It’s important to understand your traditional marketing goals, and how your Internet marketing strategy meets and exceeds those marketing goals? The Internet is a different beast but should have synergy with your current traditional marketing efforts to drive your business forward and increase your revenue. Companies with the highest success rates are those that use the Internet in combination with their off-line approach. If you view your web marketing strategy as a separate entity from your traditional marketing efforts, you’re setting your organization up for failure.
Keep in mind that Internet marketing is an ongoing process in which you plan and implement a marketing strategy, analyze the results, adjust the technique to improve traffic and identify new opportunities. It’s not a one shot deal. In short it’s a process not a project. Look at your Internet marketing strategy as a plan that is constantly evolving. Like the every changing environment of the Internet keep on top of new trends and innovation, continue measuring, benchmarking, and adjusting your plan.
Today, more companies are looking to outsourcing a portion of their Internet marketing to experts who can deliver successful results. There are a multitude of web design companies and also a number of internet marketing consultants. The two are different disciplines and to find a company that offers both skill sets under one roof is rare. If you are looking to outsource all or a portion of your Internet marketing look for an integrated Internet marketing agency not just a digital agency and one that has a dedicated Internet strategist on their team.
A skilled internet marketing strategist is an expert in online marketing. They possess a broad but advanced skills set of tools, resources, and knowledge along with highly specialized expertise in creative, technical and the marketing field. Moreover, they understand how people use websites, not just why. This psychological perspective and human understanding is important when it comes to web design, optimization, and marketing.
Lastly, don’t make the mistake of thinking there is one basic Internet marketing strategy that can be adapted to your business – in fact there are thousands. No two companies have the same working background, the same specificity of business or the same features. A sound Internet marketing strategy is complex, vital, and unique to your business. Avoid prescriptive strategies because every brand is different and ‘one size fits all’ just does not work.
Today, the Internet is the most measurable, results-driven mass-marketing vehicle available but strategy and planning is essential to reaching success on the Internet. It’s the foundation for delivering powerful results. Like traditional marketing, it’s a business investment, and it is an investment that has the potential to bring forth many returns.
Sun Tzu said it simply but perfectly, “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Plan for victory!
Sandy Behan
Director of Marketing and Client Services
Stratejus
