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Strategic Marketing From an Internet Perspective

J. Warholic

What is Strategic Marketing?

Internet Marketing StandoutStrategic Marketing attempts to determine how an organization competes or how it will compete against its competition in a market place. In particular, it aims at generating a competitive advantage relative to its competition. From Wikipedia.

Various marketing buzz words abound online. The above definition for strategic marketing is probably one of the most concise and defines it in a manner which can be easily grasped.

There are strategic marketing firms that will analyze the market place for the entire business structure and come up with a marketing strategy for their clients to compete on a global scale. While this type of service is needed to help determine a direction a company wants to go, there are however requirements for more specific strategic marketing evaluations that can have a major global marketing impact.

Understanding Internet Marketing

It is imperative for companies, as part of their strategic marketing, to understand the relationship the Internet has on a company’s market reach in both vertical and horizontal markets. The Internet provides a wealth of information, tools, and potential to expand a company’s sales through the use of the company website, online advertising, and Web 2.0 technology. Learning to use the Internet to fine tune (optimize the website) for various market segments are one of the keys to having more penetration both horizontally and vertically online.

Developing the penetration into these markets is what Internet marketing really is all about. A company can be all over the Internet, or not at all found online, but if it is not found in its industry specific area for engineers, buyers, and consumers searching for the products or services provided by the company, it will have little impact on the bottom-line sales generated.

Strategic Internet Marketing Evaluation

Marketing has what is known as a SWOT analysis tool. The acronym SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. The SWOT analysis  is a way of evaluating the direction a company wishes to go. For example below is a SWOT Chart courtesy of businessballs.com

Subject of SWOT analysis:
(define the subject of the analysis here)

strengths

  • Advantages of proposition?
  • Capabilities?
  • Competitive advantages?
  • USP’s (unique selling points)?
  • Resources, Assets, People?
  • Experience, knowledge, data?
  • Financial reserves, likely returns?
  • Marketing – reach, distribution, awareness?
  • Innovative aspects?
  • Location and geographical?
  • Price, value, quality?
  • Accreditations, qualifications, certifications?
  • Processes, systems, IT, communications?
  • Cultural, attitudinal, behavioral?
  • Management cover, succession?

weaknesses

  • Disadvantages of proposition?
  • Gaps in capabilities?
  • Lack of competitive strength?
  • Reputation, presence and reach?
  • Financials?
  • Own known vulnerabilities?
  • Timescales, deadlines and pressures?
  • Cash flow, start-up cash-drain?
  • Continuity, supply chain robustness?
  • Effects on core activities, distraction?
  • Reliability of data, plan predictability?
  • Morale, commitment, leadership?
  • Accreditations, etc?
  • Processes and systems, etc?
  • Management cover, succession?

opportunities

  • Market developments?
  • Competitors’ vulnerabilities?
  • Industry or lifestyle trends?
  • Technology development and innovation?
  • Global influences?
  • New markets, vertical, horizontal?
  • Niche target markets?
  • Geographical, export, import?
  • New USP’s?
  • Tactics – surprise, major contracts, etc?
  • Business and product development?
  • Information and research?
  • Partnerships, agencies, distribution?
  • Volumes, production, economies?
  • Seasonal, weather, fashion influences?

threats

  • Political effects?
  • Legislative effects?
  • Environmental effects?
  • IT developments?
  • Competitor intentions – various?
  • Market demand?
  • New technologies, services, ideas?
  • Vital contracts and partners?
  • Sustaining internal capabilities?
  • Obstacles faced?
  • Insurmountable weaknesses?
  • Loss of key staff?
  • Sustainable financial backing?
  • Economy – home, abroad?
  • Seasonality, weather effects?

The table above can be used for all types of analysis. Using the four main keys and applying it to an Internet marketing plan is beneficial for helping visualize and evaluate what needs to be done.

While the particular example above is more general in nature, it can be applied to specifics. For example when determining how a website needs to be optimized and/or the Web presence, a person needs to look at the four keys. Some of the questions that can be asked are: What is the company’s online strengths in meeting their marketing goals? How well is the website designed? Does the website provide quality information for readers, visitors, and the search engines? What types of links point to the website? Are these links quality links? What opportunities exist in the types of niche markets that the business can expand online? What are the current weaknesses with the business’s Web efforts? How can the business improve their brand recognition online? Does the website provide a solid tool for the sales and marketing departments? What threats are faced from the competition and other market factors online? What other tools are available to take advantage of online opportunities? Is the company advertising online? Is the competition advertising online? All of these items and more can be written down or verbalized to help develop an Internet marketing plan to help grow and promote your company.

Once the market analysis is performed then a strategic plan needs to be developed, and then implemented. Certain items can be quickly changed or applied, while others on the list will need substantial time and effort to attend to. All of the items will factor into the viability of the company competing across the Internet.

Developing a quality web presence is one of the most important items a company can invest in. It is very shortsighted to think in terms of “the cost” of developing a website. It is a business investment, and it is an investment that has the potential to bring forth many returns.

Get the Business Solution today from Professional Web Services. Contact us today for a free Internet marketing evaluation or other Internet marketing services.

Video On Demand Marketing For Business Websites

J. Warholic

Marketing Services
Make a major marketing impact with video on-demand marketing.

Make a marketing impact for your business with a video. If a picture tells a thousand words, then a video is magnitudes greater, if done in a creative and smart marketing way. The business website is a great place to incorporate the essence of your business and share it with the online world. An unveiling of a product, with a video introduction of the actual product in use, is a cool way to spice up a website and provide a reason for customers to come back. As is common in the B2B, Business to business world, the process of making a sale is many times, significantly longer than the B2c (business to consumer) counterpart. Various levels of management typically get involved with large machine purchases or any type of major capital investment. Having a video of the capital equipment in action can help make the sale.

A video can also be used to highlight the importance of your product or services provided. There are many videos online that make a stunning marketing impact to provide the detailed understanding of what your business is all about.

Here are a few websites with videos that I think capture the essence and ideas of what online marketing is all about.

Actually, I am a little biased on some of these websites, because they are related to Professional Web Services, Inc.

First off, the design and customization group, that has taken great designs, and customized them for various customers to promote their brands. Many times simply changing a heading picture on many of the professional open source designs will set the business apart. Take a look at our Professional Web Services designs for a creative marketing video that has been incorporated into the website.

Second, we have our Marketing Forces in force. This particular website has been incorporated with another video that we discovered that is really cool animation. The creator put a lot of time and effort into creating a super quality artistically designed video using another open source program. It is simply amazing at what can be done.

Last But not Least From a Business Industrial Perspective

This website incorporates several marketing concepts that provides information in a particular market segment, just by viewing the short video online. The clip is educational about the circuit board industry and how PCB CNC drill machines actually drill holes in the circuit boards. It also provides an inside look to show other related industries of the types of CNC machines and electronic equipment serviced and maintained by Probe Industries.

Consider using video on demand marketing for your company. For more information, contact Professional Web Services today to have powerful marketing strategies make an impact for your business online.