Individual Report On The Development Of Digital Marketing Strategies And Tactics

Overview of the Promotional Method

Through studying, reading, researching, attending lectures and previous assessment, students will have enhanced their understanding of how to develop an e-marketing strategy. Assessment 2 emphasised the implementation of industry, competitor and consumer research for the purpose of strategic goal-setting. Assessment 3 is aimed at further developing the understanding of e-marketing strategies through taking students to the next step of the plan, which is implementation. . 

Outline the key issues that must be taken into account in order to optimise the design and usability of your business’s website.  Refer to our lectures for more information for what to consider. Provide a wire frame diagram for the home page for your new site.

Provide a short brief (one paragraph) for the graphic design of the site.  This should refer to the brand values, target audience, positioning strategy etc.

Outline the content, features, and functionality for the site. Discuss and justify based on your objectives, the positioning strategy, USP and target market.

Outline an approach for measuring the effectiveness of your website/digital marketing (See SHEET FOUR).  This should include how you will monitor the ongoing design and usability, using professional services where necessary

Getting Customers Attention – Driving Traffic to the Site: Search Engine Optimisation

1. Provide a list of the search engines, directories, portals in which you plan to be listed.  Justify your choice.
2. Outline your search engine listing monitoring and optimisation strategies. (In other words, the way you will ensure that you continue to get top rankings and the methods you will use to monitor it. Also, how often you will monitor your web site search engine positions.)

Getting Customers Interest, Desire and Action – Driving Traffic to the Site

1. Outline how your communications/promotions strategy will achieve your stated objects in relation to your target markets, brand valuesand positioning strategy…

(Use an Integrated Communications Strategy Model)

1. Outline and justify all onlinepromotional strategies and tactics to be used.

Linking Strategies, Banners, E-mail Marketing, etc.  Identify each approach as ‘paid’, ‘owned’ or ‘earned’.

1. Provide the following:
2. Mock up of banner ad (line drawing/wire frame)
3. Wire frame diagram of web page where you will get customers to sign up for your e-mail
4. Copy (content) for your first e-mail letter.
5. List of all companies you plan to collaborate with in the first year.  Provide a very brief description of each company to demonstrate why it is a suitable collaboration partner.

• Explain whatyou will do  (e.g.:  E-mail Marketing Campaigns – 4 times yearly)
• Justify whyyou have chosen to do it. (Demonstrate that you understand the benefits of each type of promotional method.)

1. Demonstrate how it contributes to your brand valuesand positioning strategy, how it benefits your target markets, and what objectives it will help to achieve.
2. Identify whether the media used are ‘paid’, ‘owned’ or ‘earned’.

• State when or how oftenit will be done.

1. If using a professional service, state which one.
2. Show how each method will be integrated with other methods
3. Banner ad

• Web page wire frame
• Copy for e-mail letter

1. List & description of companies you will collaborate with

NOTE:  You must include all of the following:  on-line advertising,
e-mail marketing, public relations, and collaborative programs (eg:  contra deals, co-branding, linking, associates, affiliates etc.).  You will need to choose two other methods and justify your choice.

Outline all additional strategies that you will use to generate revenue for your site. If already described above, just provide a summary in this section.

1. Briefly outline your customer service and customer relationship management (CRM) strategy.
2. State your strategy for providing excellent customer service.
3. Outline your strategy for generating customer loyalty (e.g.:  one-on-one strategies, personalisation, interactive dialogue, rewards, etc)

• Using a one year chart, show when each type of promotion will be done
• Some forms of promotion will be done more than once over the year (eg:  Banners, Email Marketing)
• Some forms of promotion may be done in relation to specific objectives or specific offers (demonstrate)
• Explain the rational for your timeline

1. Provide a brief discussion of what new technologies and features you may add to your web-site in the future as they become widely available.  Justify. (Half page maximum)
2. Provide a brief discussion of the options you plan to pursue in the five years after launch. Justify)  (0.5 of a page maximum)

For how to best set up your promotional strategy, see SHEET SEVEN.

Assessment 3: Individual Report on the development Digital Marketing Strategies and Tactics

GRADING CRITERIA

Student Name	Student Number
1.

Criteria for Assessment: Tutors Please write comments in the space provided

Criteria

Maximum marks

Overall Presentation	This document is an outstanding example of a professional implementation plan. Overall, the report demonstrates written communication skills at a very high level. The material is very fluent, very well-structured (for example, appropriate use of headings, bullet points, tables etc.) which makes the report extremely easy to read and understand. Demonstrates appropriate use and understanding of an extensive range of subject-specific vocabulary. The report demonstrates evidence of meticulous proof reading. Length of each section conforms to specified number of pages.	20
Strategies and Tactics to Achieve Objectives	Comprehensive coverage of the requirements listed in the Assessment Guidelines in the module handbook. Demonstrates an excellent understanding of the issues relating to site design and optimisation of usability. Provides a comprehensive justification for proposed website content and features. Demonstrates excellent understanding of the promotional methods to be used and how they can be integrated with one another. Provides a comprehensive rationale for using each promotional method, with reference to objectives, brand values, positioning strategy, target market, competitors, etc. Demonstrates an excellent understanding of approaches to measuring effectiveness of online marketing.	30
Customer Service, Relationship and Loyalty Plan	Comprehensive coverage of the requirements listed in the Assessment Guidelines in the module handbook. Shows evidence of comprehensive research into what keeps customers coming back to a site. Demonstrates excellent understanding of customer service and CRM strategies and tools (for gaining and keeping customers) in a digital context.	15
Time Line	Excellent rationale for timeline of promotional strategies.	5
The Future	Excellent discussion of what technologies and features may be available and added in future, demonstrating comprehensive awareness of technological developments and their implications.	10
Application of research	Points made are relevant and comprehensively supported by relevant, academic or other suitable evidence.   Conclusions and/or recommendations are comprehensively supported with arguments based on the evidence presented.   Conclusions and recommendations are informed by highly perceptive judgement in accordance with the evidence from theories, research, practice and concepts of the subject matter.	10
Referencing, Glossary and Appendices	A comprehensive range references have been used. Referencing is excellent throughout, using the Harvard referencing style very consistently. If included, glossary and appendices are highly accurate and appropriate	10

Additional Comments Overleaf:

Seminar Tutor – Additional Comment

Part One:  Industry Analysis.

Your industry analysis should include the following 5 sections:

1. Industry Classification, Definition,  Size and Growth Rates, Major Trends,  and Expected Events

Your industry overview should provide some, if not all of the following information:

• A way to define the industry and where your business and website will fit in.
• Size of the industry in terms of the number of players, number of customers and volume of sales (by units or  £)
• Geographic dispersion and/or concentration of your industry
• Annual Growth rate of industry
• Reasons for/against growth.
• General description of the client/user/customer.
• General structure of the industry – how business is conducted, where it is conducted, etc.
• Current and possible future trends and events affecting the industry.

The environment in which a business operates is made up of political, legal and regulatory forces; economic conditions and trends, socio-cultural factors and technological advances and processes.  Each of these forces can present both opportunities and threats to the business, so managers need to identify and prepare for them.  For your industry analysis, identify the PEST factors that might affect your business or your customers’ willingness and ability to purchase from you.

Conveying Brand Values, Positioning Strategy, and UVP

Key Political Factors that may affect your industry:  Sector Regulation, Privacy Rules, Health and Safety Regulations, Product Regulation; Taxation, Employment and Environment Regulation.  Identify current and planned regulation, as well as the ongoing debate and points of view.

Key Economic Factors:  Business Cycles, disposable income; gross national income; Gross National Product (GNP); inflation; interest rates; investment; prices; productivity; unemployment and wage rates.  Identify which economic factors will affect your business and the willingness and ability of your clients to use your services.  Identify current economic conditions and five year trends.

Key Socio-Cultural Factors: Attitudes towards your product category; general changes in consumer attitudes, values and lifestyles that could positively or negatively affect you; consumerism; income distribution; levels of education; demographics; social mobility and values; ecological issues. Identify other lifestyle, demographic, and cultural factors that pose opportunities and/or threats.

Key Technological factors:  New processes and technologies, general adoption of technology in society.  Stages in adoption process of your customers.

Identify new and potential technologies that pose opportunities/threats to your industry/therapy.

1. Opportunities and Threats

From your review of the industry and business environment, summarise the key opportunities and threats to your proposed business/web site. Be as specific as possible. Suggest how you will deal with them.

1. Key Success Factors

Key Success Factors determine the financial and competitive success in the industry in general, not so much your specific business.  Businesses can gain competitive advantage in an industry by concentrating on one or two Key Success Factors.  Describe the Key Success Factors in your industry under the following headings or other headings that you deem relevant and important.

Skills/Training related: eg:  Having certain type of training, having certain combinations of training (business/management skills, teaching and training skills; technology, human resource skills, etc). Ongoing training, affiliations, associations, networks.

Technology related:  eg:  Access to and/or use of certain technologies such as the internet, mobile communications, business management software, computer systems.  Knowledge or certain processes/practices.  Research.  Innovation.

Distribution related:  eg:  Location(s), ability to provide service swiftly when needed. Ease of ordering/buying offered.  Speed of delivery. Individual network advantages. Cost advantages.

Marketing related: Design, layout, image, brand, service offerings, price, payment systems, service, products offered, promotional, selling skills, customer (target market) related.

Other:  Identify all other factors that you view as important to making your businesses in your industry successful.

1.    Stakeholders

Stakeholders are any individuals, groups, or organisations that will be affected by or affect your business.  They may include:

Investors/Shareholders Suppliers Government

Employees Training Establishments Media

Clients/Customers Special Interest Groups Competitors

Alliance/Network Partners Associations

State how any or all of the above may affect your industry and your business and how. View both positive and negative effects.

Competition from your on line business can be direct or indirect.  It can also be current or potential. Direct competition could include other companies offering the same products and services as your site in an on-line environment as well as in an offline environment. Indirect competition includes other ways that clients may seek to deal with their particular need in addition to those listed above.  You will need to be creative in defining and identifying both your direct and indirect competition; your current and potential competition.

For this section of the marketing plan, you will need to:

1. List all your key direct and indirect competitors, and
2. Rate the sites you consider to be your top three competitors.  In order to rate the sites, you will need to create a checklistof factors to assess their sites. (See checklist used in Week Three classroom exercise as an example) Include the original checklist and the three completed checklists in your appendix.   
3. Once you have completed the checklists, provide a summary of the key strengths and weaknesses of your competitors and a “gap” analysis– areas that your competitors are not doing a good job or parts of the market they are not covering which YOU could cover. State your competitive advantage again at this point.

In order to help you find your competitors and decide what factors to look for, please refer to some or all of the following references:

1. a) The following is a list of directories and publications that give industry and market information, research reports by sector, and information on your competitors.  Most of these sources can be found in the University Library.

1. Kelly’s Business Directory(East Grinstad: Reed Information Services) – 82,000 companies listed in this database.
2. KOMPASS Register(East Grinstad: Reed Information Sources) – more detailed information on over 44,000 companies.
3. Major UK Companies (London:  Financial Times, annual)
4. Key British Enterprise and Europe’s Major Companies Directory

(London:  Euromonitor, annual).

1. The Worlds Major Companies Directory(London; Euromonitor).
2. Who Owns Whom(Annual)  (High Wycombe; Dun and Bradstreet International, Ltd) – guide to the ever changing ownership of companies and brands.
3. Dun and Bradstreet Registers(High Wycombe; Dun and Bradstreet International, Ltd)– 30 volumes with detailed company information
4. FAME–financial information database on over 100,000 UK private and public companies.  Available on CD-ROM at most University libraries.
5. FT Extel– part of the FT Group; provides financial and marketing information on companies around the world.
6. Standard and Poor’s Register of Corporations– a key American service.
7. Key Business Ratios (High Wycombe:  Dun and Bradstreet International, Ltd, 1997) – a guide to British business performance.