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On-line marketing strategies
On-line marketing strategies help to plan, when, where and how the Internet
and information and communications technologies (ICT) can be used to promote business effectively.
Just as with a 'conventional' marketing strategy,
consideration of the target market comes first. In on-line terms, this means defining markets as 'Business to
Consumer' (B2C) or 'Business to Business' (B2B). This is an
important definition because the strategies, skills and
technologies needed for each can be very different.
NBS specializes in the development
and implementation of on-line B2B marketing strategies
for small businesses and assisting businesses to incorporate the
strategies into overall business plans.
On-line Business-to-Business marketing strategies have
a number of characteristics that differentiate them from Business-to-Consumer
strategies. For example:
| Business to Business (B2B) |
Business to Consumer (B2C) |
| Business probably unknown to potential
customers |
Business likely to be known to its customers |
| On-line 'visibility' must be created |
On-line visibility assured via conventional
promotion |
| Delivery of information must be simple, fast |
Presentation maybe more important than
content |
| On-line effectiveness monitored via logs, statistics |
On-line effectiveness monitoring measured by
sales |
The term 'on-line' is used here to embrace all
the technologies that might be employed as part of an on-line marketing
strategy. These might include: the Internet, 'Usenet' newsgroups, 'closed'
mailing lists and email.
Key aspects of on-line marketing strategies usually
include on-line promotion,
inter-business communications
and effectiveness monitoring
as part of a follow-through support
package
Key Benefits of On-Line Marketing Strategies
- Integration of on and off-line activities.
On-line and off-line activities are coordinated as part of the overall marketing strategy.
- Reduced costs.
Electronic document delivery rather than hard-copy. Reduced traveling
and representation costs. Reduced hard-copy design and production
costs - e.g. deliver complex data electronically via on-line
databases. Minimize translation costs by using language
'templates'. Reduce peer-group discussion and meeting costs by using
'closed' mailing lists. etc.
- Market penetration. Greatly
increase representation in distant markets at minimal cost.
Reduce or eliminate foreign representation costs. Facilitate 'instant'
delivery of brochures, quotations, bids. Keep ahead of competitors
- Feedback. Monitor interest
in products and services in 'real-time' via on-line statistics and adjust
the marketing message continually to meet changing markets. Ensure
'instant' feedback from prospective customers.
- Performance milestones. Set
measurable promotional and feedback milestones. Gear marketing
expenditure to achievement targets - and, have the data to hand to allow
adjustment of milestones.
- Integrated training. Ensure
that personnel are adequately trained to use the technologies employed or
that technologies are tailored to meet staff or resource capabilities.
Plan for parallel skills and technology growth.
- Plan support. Plan
skills outsourcing and support at the outset. Plan for in-house
training and integration based on performance milestones.
- Competitor analysis Monitor
competitor's on-line activity. Ensure early warning of competitor's
changes in marketing strategy. Benchmark your activity against
competitors. Continuously develop competitiveness improvement
strategies.
NBS Capabilities
- Robert Beasley has
thirty years experience of
developing marketing strategies for small businesses and, over the last fifteen years, has developed a pragmatic and practical approach to
encompassing on-line technologies in the marketing 'mix'.
- NBS has assisted in the Implementation of on-line marketing
strategies by, for example; scripting and managing the production of Websites
and stores; managing the creation of customer and peer-interactive on-line
technologies; undertaking on-line
promotion; monitoring and benchmarking
on-line activities.
- NBS assesses the practical needs of Clients arising from
agreed strategies and sources, co-ordinates and manages expert
subcontractors to ensure that the right skills are brought to bear on the
Client's behalf to implement the strategies.
- NBS provides continuing support by, for example;
monitoring
on-line activity to assess milestones and competitor activity; maintaining
and updating Web sites and other on-line facilities; advising Clients as to
changes and developments in Internet strategies etc.
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