Integrating Your Marketing Strategy
Know your company's overall business goals before developing a web marketing
campaign to ensure an integrated message.
What is the strategic purpose of my business?
Who are my customers?
Why do they buy from me?
How will a web marketing campaign complement my overall business and
marketing strategy?
What is my purpose for marketing on the web?
Who are my target customers/audience now and in the future?
How will I reach my target customers/audience on the web?
What are the advantages/disadvantages for marketing on the web?
What will make customers/visitors want to come back to my site?
What valuable information can I provide on my web site?
How can I make my web site easy to use?
How will I market my web site?
How will I measure the success of my web marketing efforts?
What are the pros and cons of supporting e-commerce capabilities now or
in the future?
What are my strengths/weaknesses for developing a successful on-line
marketing campaign?
Choosing a Web Site Developer
Web developers can vary drastically in terms of focus, skill sets and pricing.
Some may focus on the graphic design and content of your site while others may
offer various programming-related functionalities. The goal is to know what it
is you want your site to do and then select the web site developer who most
closely serves this purpose. As with all business relationships, the terms of
your agreement should be negotiated and documented. Here are some useful
questions to raise when interviewing web site developers:
How long have they been in business?
What other web sites have they developed (i.e., industries, types of
businesses, site features)?
Do they support my competitor's web site?
Can I communicate with company representatives productively?
Can I contact three references?
Relative to my needs, what types of web development services do they
offer:
Web marketing strategy development
Content development
Graphic design creation with fast loading file capabilities
E-commerce capabilities
Database services and access capabilities
Online marketing services
Security features
What is their capacity to test their web site on various browsers,
equipment platforms, operating systems, and communication protocols to
ensure that my web site is compatible?
Who will own what (software, content, graphics, logos, trademarks,
etc.)?
How will the site be maintained?
Can I make routine content updates (new product data, pricing, etc.) to
the web site myself?
Can the developer offer additional web site functionality as my business
grows?
What will my web site cost (flat fees, hourly rates, per project
pricing, etc.)?
What benchmarks will be used to monitor development progress?