Remember Me
forgot your password?

Your Strategic Web Plan

E ven good web site developers make the mistake of leaving their customers alone at the most critical step of web site development, strategic planning. Strategic planning is the process of marketing your website effectively to meet the goals established at the beginning of the web site development process. Giving a business a website without a strategic plan is like giving a kid a bike without teaching them how to ride. Luckily kids will learn after enough cuts and bruises how to stay on the bike, unfortunately for business falling of the bike means loosing customers and ultimately profit.

According to Morgan Stanley Research June 2003 the Internet is the growth channel of the decade, currently used by 600+ million people world wide. When the research shows such market potential it is hard to imagine that a web site could fail to meet its objectives. However, without marketing your website to really compete online and offline, your site will not meet your company goals and objectives.

R emember the thrill of seeing your very first bicycle for the very first time? Oh the places you could go with that bike! The process of developing your first website can be just as exciting, just like getting your first bike. A brand new address for your business with all the bells and whistles and your logo shining up in the corner can be the next step to your dreams.
An important part in the selection of your website developer is to find a company that will work closely with you in every step of the design process to make your website the envy of your competition and the desire of every customer.

U nfortunately, many organizations are left feeling a little like they did when they got their first bike and realized they didn’t know how to ride it. They have a great website that could really drive sales and growth for their business, but they don’t know how to market it to achieve the results they are expecting.

W eb sites, like bikes, are a means of transportation that can take you wherever you want to go. If you don’t know how to ride the bike, then you are not going to get very far. If you don’t know how to use your web site strategically, you won’t get beyond your own front door.

M arketing your web site must include at least 2 of these 3 basics: Search engine submission, Email Marketing, and Link exchanges.

About 85% of Internet users use search engines to find solutions and vendors, according to iProspect. Taking a step beyond the search engines is where you can gain a competitive edge and not only get noticed, but win lifetime customers on the web.

I t’s important to not only submit your site to the search engines, but to optimize your website to target those people most likely to become your customers.

E mail marketing to a select group that has opted to receive your information is a great way to gain customers. By sharing information that will help your customers and prospective customers save time or money you will be cultivating a relationship.

Jupiter Communications, a website research company, predicts 85% of online transactions will occur with sellers that have developed a relationship with their customers. When developing your website, keep in mind the importance of developing customer relationships.

L ink exchange programs are a relatively new way to market your website online. The benefit of a link exchange is twofold. First, you get a better ranking in the search engines if your site is perceived as “popular.” Second, when exchanges are set up correctly, you get targeted traffic from the websites linked to you. Twenty-nine percent of all traffic to a website comes from referrals, link exchange programs are a great way to build referral traffic.

B eyond the basics, there are there are countless ways to market your service or product online that are cost effective. The key to devising your web marketing strategy is to first decide upon the objectives of the website.

C heck your website (or website plans) against this list of possible objectives.


  • Establish an internet presence, increase marketing and product branding

  • Increase sales

  • Generate leads

  • Create a national or international presence.

  • Generate requests for information

  • Support existing advertising or promotional efforts

  • Offer customer service

  • Build store or business traffic

  • Provide updated information about products / services / sales / specials

  • Build database for email marketing

  • Position company as technologically advanced

  • Survey customers / prospect

  • Recruit new employees / post job opportunities


A sk your web developer about some of the most common marketing practices on the web that you can use to grow your business and get a real return on your investment. After all, what good is a bike you don’t know how to ride?

-----------------------

This article written by Teajai Kimsey, Interenet Marketing Strategist, Ideas That Work - April 2003
It may be reproduced and reprinted provided the author's information including web link is kept intact.

Teajai Kimsey

Teajai "T J" Kimsey is an internet marketing strategist and the founder of Advanced Web Strategies Inc, (Beyond Web Design) an internet advertising agency serving over 300 clients with a full range of online services including web development, custom programming, search engine marketing and all channels of online marketing and marketing integration.

She is recognized as a leader in internet marketing having been a featured expert on the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce website, a featured contributor to the Wichita Independent Business Association newsletter, and featured as the expert on 2 episodes of Minding Your Own Business, a statewide television program.



Teajai has also taught as an adjunct at Wichita State University and Cowley County Community College. She has been featured in a number of articles and called upon as an expert on internet related topics in the Wichita Eagle and Wichita Business Journal.



Teajai holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Friends University, 24 hours towards a Master of Science in Management and has recently begun the path to earning a Doctorate in Human Factors Psychology, specializing in human computer interaction.

Rate this Article: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s)
Print Email Re-Publish

Add new Comment



Captcha

  • Latest Internet Marketing Articles
  • More from Teajai Kimsey

Baker realestate

By: Pinki Gupta | 29/12/2009
Buy it, fix it, flip for it! Buy, fix and sell! These are slogans that many investors live by. They explicate the hypothesis of finding a quarters that needs repair, fixing it advance and then selling to an win buyer, regularly a homeowner.

Make ebay business

By: Pinki Gupta | 29/12/2009
There would be little astonishment if it is said that London is proper the economical hub of the cosmos. It is acting since a gateway between Americas and Europe.

ebay business as

By: Pinki Gupta | 29/12/2009
Making sales is an art which reflects the person’s ability to convince others so that they stand together the product he is selling.

ebay business down

By: Pinki Gupta | 29/12/2009
SafeHarbor are the eBay police allotment. If you break the rules, commit fraud or tryout to buy urgent you're not supposed to, they'll be coming you.

Established ebay business

By: Pinki Gupta | 29/12/2009
Sales meetings are a thing of deal and alacrity and they are important as a separateness of reasons.

ebay business without

By: Pinki Gupta | 29/12/2009
Gages are important parts effect apportionment industry to measure the gap-widths. Feeler gages are excellent gadget in engineering to variation the clearance.

ebay business is

By: Pinki Gupta | 29/12/2009
The brief peculiarity of UK is superb and every leading troop has its office there. Each van wants to retain the charm of the national and that is why palpable becomes very important for any company to market its products in a much better way.

ebay and business

By: Pinki Gupta | 29/12/2009
Buying a business is a task that requires discipline and focus. It in toto is a much different process than buying a property.

The Pilgrim Way: Lessons from the Past Useful in the Present

By: Teajai Kimsey | 01/12/2009 | Internet Marketing
The characteristics of the pilgrims made for an overall successful voyage and sustained them during the difficult times when settling in the new world. Below are a few lessons we can take from the pilgrims and apply to business in our new world, the World Wide Web.

Twitterpated for Business Success: How To Use Twitter for Business

By: Teajai Kimsey | 24/03/2009 | Internet Marketing
Social sites provide a great opportunity to reach potential customers. Twitter is one of the most popular social networking tools. Online social networkers are more likely to refer to their online community when making purchase decisions. This article provides some of the lingo and tips for using Twitter. It will guide you through setting up your account and get you started in the Twitter world so that your business can benefit optimally from its online potential.

Just Say It! Writing for the Internet

By: Teajai Kimsey | 07/07/2008 | Article Marketing
Here's a number that will get you thinking: 79% of website visitors only scan the pages they come upon, only 16% read word-by-word the entire page. What does that mean? In short, that means writing for the internet must cater to the majority of visitors who won't be reading the all the great copy on your site.

Putting Your Website to Work

By: Teajai Kimsey | 07/07/2008 | Internet Marketing
When it comes to web marketing, it’s all about “conversion” – how many of your site visitors you can convert into a lead or sale. Here are the key elements to cultivating quality leads, sales -- conversions.

7 Ways to Get Measurable ROI From Your Website

By: Teajai Kimsey | 07/07/2008 | Internet Marketing
Consider this: $4.3 trillion will be spent in 2005 in the business to business market based directly upon internet research prior to the purchasing decision. Further, purchases made after researching online are 30% higher on average than traditional purchases. Following these guidelines will help you experience a better return on your internet investment.

Why Use Email Marketing

By: Teajai Kimsey | 06/07/2008 | Email
The simple truth is that of the 94 Million American Adults that use the internet every day, the number one reason for going online is to check their email. According to a DoubleClick survey, 81% of internet users go online daily to check email. That's too big a number to ignore.

User Friendly Web Design

By: Teajai Kimsey | 06/07/2008 | Web Design
Companies that are developing or already have an online presence often find that the internet provides an efficient way to cut costs while offering convenience to their customers. But often overlooked in the zeal to have a great website is the end user experience. To be successful on the internet companies must focus on making the customer happy by providing a truly user friendly website.

Submit Your Articles Free: Signup
Article Categories




Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.29, 6, w3)