Examples of promotional
tactics are numerous, as are sources of advice. Public
relations, search engine optimization, affiliate
programs, reciprocal linking, advertising, direct email,
newsletters, and customer incentives are all promotional
tactics that may be appropriate for your plan.
A key to knowing which
tactics to choose involves thoroughly understanding your
target markets and your positioning relative to each.
Other elements in your marketing mix (price, product,
and place/distribution) come into play as well.
Once you have addressed
these strategic issues, you will be better able to
choose tactics with the most potential to increase your
business.
Target Market
A target market is an
identifiable group of people that could benefit from
purchasing your product, visiting your site, and/or
responding to some other call to action. You can define
your target market(s) according to some combination of
behavior, demographics, psychology, and/or social
influences. You are likely to have several potential
target markets; focus on those you can most profitably
help.
Marketing to a target
market involves understanding how you can help them,
developing effective messages, then reaching them via
appropriate tactics that use all of the four p's. By
using this approach you can focus your marketing mix
resources on tactics that are most likely to increase
sales for your business. Hence, earning the greatest
return from your marketing activities.
Positioning
Positioning defines your
product, business, and/or site for those in your target
market. It sets the stage for your image - how your
target market perceives your business - and shows your
market the benefits you provide.
The positioning process
involves first understanding the needs and wants of your
target market. You should also know the positioning
strategies of your competitors and have a thorough
knowledge of your own product’s features. Armed with
that information, you can better develop tactics that
will most closely fit your positioning.
Another factor to keep in
mind is your online positioning will be tightly
interwoven with your off-line positioning. Because your
business and products are a reality in both the physical
and virtual worlds, your positioning should be
consistent across both. Accordingly, your marketing
tactics should be consistent as well.
The Four P's
Price, Product, Place, and Promotion
Too often, we tend to focus
on "promotion" to the detriment of the other marketing
mix elements. When choosing tactics for your Website
marketing plan, consider *each* of the four P's (4 P's)
in your marketing mix - price, product, place
(distribution), and promotion. You are likely to find
the results much better than if you include promotions
alone.
The opportunities for
incorporating all four P's (4 P's) into your plan are
numerous. You may find, after studying the competition,
that increasing or decreasing your price is likely to
result in better profits for your business. Perhaps
there is a distribution channel (electronic delivery or
mailorder, for example) you haven't fully integrated
into your business. With respect to products, developing
a new product or giving an existing product a facelift
may be an effective business-building tactic.
By considering the Four P's
(4 P's), your target market(s), and positioning, you can
be better prepared to choose effective tactics for your
Website marketing plan. Once your tactics are chosen,
you are ready to begin implementing and evaluating
results.
About The Author
Bobette Kyle draws upon 12+
years of Marketing/Executive experience, Marketing MBA,
and online marketing research in her writing. Bobette is
proprietor of the
Web Site Marketing Plan
Network:
http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com
and author of the marketing
plan and Web promotion book "How Much For Just the
Spider? Strategic Website Marketing For Small Budget
Business,"
http://www.HowMuchForSpider.com/TOC.htm
