Developing Your Plan
It is important to recognise that planning for e-marketing does not mean starting from scratch. Any online e-communication must be consistent with the overall marketing goals and current marketing efforts of your business.
The main components of an e-marketing plan will typically include the following stages:
- Identify your target audience - if you identify multiple targets, rank them in order of importance so that you can allocate resources accordingly. Profile each target group and understand their requirements and expectations so that you can pitch your costs and benefits at the correct level.
- Set your objectives - please see the Business Link guide on how to generate business from your e-marketing plan.
- Decide upon the marketing mix - you should choose a mix of e-marketing activities that will help you achieve your objectives and fit with any existing traditional marketing activities you already have planned. For an outline of the range of e-marketing options, please read the Business Link guide on how to generate business from your e-marketing plan.
- Agree a budget - careful budgeting allows you to prevent costs spiralling out of control. By identifying the returns you expect to make from your investment in e-marketing activities you can compare these with the costs in order to develop a cost/benefit analysis.
- Action planning - identify the tactics for implementing the selected e-marketing activities. The plan should also cover other non-internet marketing activities that are being undertaken.
- Measure your success - build in feedback mechanisms and regular reviews to enable you to assess the success of your e-marketing activities, particularly as e-commerce is such a dynamic and fast-changing area.