by Bobette Kyle

For many of us, finding time and commitment to complete a marketing plan for our Web sites is difficult. There are so many other obligations vying for our attention it is tempting to push planning to back burner. Giving into that temptation, however, means putting your business at a disadvantage. Your marketing plan is compass by which you navigate. As opportunities arise or your business environment changes, objective and strategies in your marketing plan will point you toward best action. Without a marketing plan, you risk becoming unfocused in your marketing and are only guessing what might be best for your business.

In this article, you will learn parts to a marketing plan. I will also point you to some marketing plan resources. In parts two through four of series, I will discuss objectives, strategies, and tactics for your Web site marketing plan.

To be most effective, your Web site marketing plan should be a part of your business marketing plan. By aligning online marketing with your offline efforts, you can better achieve overall company objectives. Additionally, you will present a consistent style and message across all points of contact with your target audience.

Your Web site marketing plan's focus will be partially determined by your site's status. If you already have a site in place, your plan can focus strictly on marketing issues - how to most effectively market using your existing site. If you have a site that needs improvement, your plan should incorporate enhancements into site’s design in conjunction with marketing activities (While you may not think of these enhancements as "marketing", in this case, they are instrumental to an effective plan.). If you do not yet have a site, you can create one while developing your Web site marketing plan, with your plan focused on launching site. In any case, remember that your objective, strategies, and tactics will change over time as your situation and focus change.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Parts of a Marketing Plan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Web site marketing plan is similar to a business marketing plan, but with a narrower focus. Completing a marketing plan includes developing strategies and tactics (also called action plans) that, when implemented, will help you reach your marketing objectives. Objectives, strategies, and tactics are each progressively narrower in scope.

One of maxims of any advertising campaign is to try to make your company a household word. Many of major corporations such as Budweiser and Wendy's have discovered how to do this, and we could take a few lessons from them.

The Internet today, gives smaller players a "level playing field" with some of big guys. If we are to succeed, it is vitally important to recognize what they are doing in their branding programs.

First, and foremost, if you are serious about doing business on Internet, you must have a web site. When visitors arrive there, it should be immediately obvious as to what you actually do. Too many web site developers forget this, and try to impress their visitors with graphics that take to long to load.

Don't forget - people visiting your site have come there for a reason. If you don't make it immediately clear what you do, they may just "click away". Any good ad will feature what benefit person will receive by doing business with you. You want your "brand" to be loud and clear, and not hidden behind a lot of "glitz".

You must have contact information. A picture of you can go a long way to humanizing your web site. People prefer doing business with other people, not a nameless company, without anyway of contacting them, other than a form to fill out. You must have a physical address, and preferably a phone number where someone can contact you. The more you can make your potential clients comfortable with you, better your odds of getting their business.