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Papers & Articles > Web Site Promotion > Planning

...Web Site Promotion

KEY STAGES IN PLANNING A PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN
The key steps in planning for any web site promotion, involving at least moderate investment, are:

SET OBJECTIVES
This is essential to be able to evaluate whether a campaign is working or not. Also it focuses all effort on what really matters. Objectives may be defined in terms of numbers of site visitors or percentage increase, or actions taken such as clicking on a banner or reading a message, or purchases either online or offline. Also need to decide whether to go for a 'shotgun strategy' (maximum exposure, with possibly low click-throughs or equivalent), or a 'rifle-shot strategy' (lower exposure, but higher click-through).

IDENTIFY TARGET AUDIENCE
This must be defined as closely as possible - demographically, geographically, psychographically, lifestyle, etc so that as little of the campaign as possible is wasted on a disinterested audience. Also, wherever possible, the most profitable customers should be defined, as these are clearly the highest priority for a business.

IDENTIFY CHANNELS
Find out what media the target audience prefer, and in what proportions - e.g. percentage of time/money spent on magazines, TV, Internet sites.

ESTIMATE MEDIA SPEND TO MEET OBJECTIVES
Work backwards from objectives (top down approach) to estimate type and volume of promotional activities required. Alternatively, find out what can be done with available budget to get as close as possible to the objectives (bottom up approach).

SET BUDGET
Decide what is required, or re-negotiate fixed budget amount. Re-cycle through above steps to refine the basic plan and budget allocation. iteratively if necessary.

PLANNING AND INTEGRATION
Brainstorm to explore all options and creative possibilities. Make plan and ensure it integrates with overall marketing and business plans. Use MOP concept if appropriate to help make decisions about which media channels to use. Communicate plan to all who may be interested and ask for feedback. Ensure all other company activities that may have a bearing on the plan are in harmony with the plan. For example, web site design must not conflict with any special promotion message. Make sure the value proposition of the web site matches that of the promotion.

IDENTIFY POSSIBLE PROBLEMS, SOLUTIONS, RESOURCES
Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Asses what might go wrong, identify possible solutions, and check what resources may be needed.

SENIOR MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT
Once plans and budget have been agreed, it is vital to get senior management involved, and fully committed. INSTALL

MEASUREMENT SYSTEM
Ensure that the mechanisms for measuring results are in place, and that feedback is rapid - e.g. site log analysis, purchasing records, etc. If results start drifting away from expectations then either remedial action can be taken, or losses can be cut sooner rather than later.

WEB SITE READY?
Can the web site deliver the goods when the campaign succeeds in delivering visitors? No matter how good the promotion, it will fail if the web site does not engage and persuade. It must have a convincing value proposition, and good design, navigation, content and functionality. Conduct web site audit before launching promotion, and carry out dynamic load tests on the server to check it can cope with anticipated demand.

BIG BANG OR GROW SLOW?
Decide on whether to go all out on campaign, or start slowly. Big bang approach may be required by large start up business for example - need to establish market share first, before competition. The danger of this is that if anything goes wrong, it is much harder to recover. The slow start enables low cost experimentation and the ability to zero in on the most effective methods - but it takes longer.

MEASURE AND REFINE
Constantly monitor results, and make adjustments if necessary - re-set goals, budget, methods. Speed of response and flexibility are paramount.