Strategic Internet Marketing Explained
There are many different interpretations of this term “Strategic Internet Marketing”. It is a process that encompasses all aspects of interactive marketing and creates a holistic overview of where you want to be succesful online. With so many different channels and mediums to choose from it may seem overwhelming to most as to how to start or begin marketing online.
It is important to think of your online marketing as a journey, broken down into the following sections:
- Start At the End (of your journey)
- What Does the Journey Look like?
- What is the Cost of Your Journey?
- Fitting the Puzzle Pieces in place
Step #1 – Start At the End
(What does your company want to be when it grows up?)
Ask this question? Where do you want your company in 3-5 years? Where would you like for your company to be from the following:
Sales, HR/Staff, production, customers, etc.
This should be much more than a night out conversation. You should think long and hard with the other leaders/partners and determine how you see the company 3 years from now.
For example, ABC company is $3 million in sales and they want to be at $5 million in sales in 3 years. Most companies spend too much time dwelling on the day to day and don’t think about what’s on the horizon because they can’t gaze out that far. This simple tactic is what separates great companies from good companies.
Step #2 – What Does the Journey Look Like?
(How will you make your dreams a reality?)
Next, think about how you are going to get there? Like retracing your steps, you have your destination in place, now you need to figure out how to get there. Work to build your our “map of success” that shows how you plan to make these dreams a reality. This is a compass, you need to figure out need to understand what it will take to get there.
Step # 3 – What is the Cost of Your Journey?
(Determine your KPIs before you consider any tactics)
This is the most critical step in your journey because this step helps you understand the measures of success. If you do not create the benchmark KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) then you have no idea how successful you truly are.
For example, if you were driving across the US and had unlimited funds to draw upon then you wouldn’t be concerned about your journey because you know that regardless of the cost you will reach your destination. What’s surprising is that many companies operate exactly this way and don’t realize that they are paying 100x more than they should to reach their destination.
First determine how many customers it will take to reach your desired goal. Then, calculate how much it takes to cultivate that sale for both a new and existing customer. This cost should include all factors that compose the sale or transaction. Once this is established, you now have a benchmark KPI from which to measure your success.
Now consider this example, if you were taking the same drive across the US and only had $500 to spend to reach your destination. Your journey has now become critical because you have to plan out how you are going to make it across the country (roughly 5,000 miles) and stay within the budget.
STEP #4 – Fitting the Puzzle Pieces in Place
(Your KPIs Determine the Tactics you implement)
Once you determine the benchmark ROC (Return on Conversion), then you now have positioned your company into a mode of success. Like a puzzle, you now are focused on finding the right tactics that will bring in the proper ROC and successfully align with your branding strategy. It is easy to drive thousands of people to your Website, but if none of them convert then how successful are you?
For example, you
