The Internet Marketing Plan

Internet marketing plan is an operational plan to achieve an Internet marketing strategy through implementation of a new version of a web site and associated marketing communications. Chaffey et al. (2003) suggests that eight important decisions should be taken to formulate the Internet marketing plan:

· Decision point 1: Who are the potential audience?
· Decision point 2: Integrating ‘the nets’
· Decision point 3: Defining the scope of Internet marketing communications
· Decision point 4: How do we ‘migrate’ our brands on to the Internet
· Decision point 5: Strategy partnerships
· Decision point 6: Organizational structure
· Decision point 7: Setting the budget
· Decision point 8: The schedule

A suggested Internet marketing investment plan

1. Objectives statement
§ Corporate objectives of online marketing (mission statement)
§ Detailed objectives: tangible and intangible benefits, specific critical success factors
§ Contribution of Internet to promotional and sales activities
§ Value proposition of website to customer
2. Strategic positioning
§ Impact of Internet on existing sales and promotion channels
§ Impact of Internet on market structure and representation needed
§ Strategic positioning in response to perceived impact
3. Assessment of current position
(a) Internal audits
§ Internet marketing audit (business, marketing and Internet marketing effectiveness)
§ Audience composition and characteristics
§ Web site contribution to sales and profitability
(b) External audits
§ Business and economic environment
§ The market and customer activity
§ Competition – threats from new services and new companies?
4. Assess opportunities and threats
§ Market and product positioning
§ Methods of creating digital value and detailed statement of customer value proposition
§ Marketplace positioning (buyer, seller and neutral marketplaces)
§ Scope of marketing functions.
5. Partnering arrangement
§ Promotion
§ Distribution
§ Development
6. Integrating the ‘nets’
Assessing the role and plans for integrating:
§ Internet
§ Extranet
§ Intranet
7. Channel choices
(a) Use of:
§ Seller-controlled sites
§ Buyer-controlled sites
§ Neutral site
(b) Channel choices: split of sales between manufactures and resellers.
8. Promotional and communication activities
Specifying online and offline promotion methods and costs such as advertising and PR. How will existing promotional activities be represented on the web site? Role of one-to-one marketing.
9. New media branding
Options and risks assessments for brand:
§ Migrate traditional brand online.
§ Extend traditional brand: variant.
§ Partner with existing digital brand
§ Create a new digital brand.
10. Measuring site effectiveness
Identify a measurement process and metrics covering:
§ Business contribution
§ Marketing effectiveness (offline measures, e.g. leads, sales, brand enhancement)
§ Internet marketing effectiveness (online measures, e.g. page impressions, visitors, repeat visits, registrations).
11. Resource requirements:
§ Budget including costs for development, promotion and maintenance
§ Time-scale
§ Staff
§ Outsourcing
12. Implementation
§ Project management.
§ Team organization and responsibilities
§ Risk assessment (identifying risks, measures to counter risks).
§ Legal issues.
§ Development and maintenance process.
(Source: Chaffey et al. (2003), Internet Marketing

Recommended Book
Dave Chaffey, Internet Marketing