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Online Marketing; Think Holistically

Today, there is an immense volume of press dedicated to promoting various online marketing practices and technologies.  Every morning my email "Inbox" is full of articles advocating the use of different solutions, practices, and service providers.  Although these concepts represent key opportunities, the manner in which the information is encountered inadvertently encourages narrowly focused marketing plans.

In reality, business is very complicated and using the Internet to grow a business is much more about integrating a carefully selected set of tactics together than emphasizing a single approach.

So, here are some things to remember when considering online business initiatives:

1. Before you do anything, take a step back from the hype:
Businesses are dynamic endeavors relying on many working parts.  In turn, marketing efforts to grow your business should work together in order to efficiently and optimally build your brand, customer base, and drive revenue growth.

Resist industry hype and don't fall in love with one particular marketing tactic or service.  The picture is much bigger than that, and most marketing tactics can actually perform better when harmoniously integrated with others.

Require that solid online strategy include a thoughtful combination of synergistic initiatives to optimize results.  For example, knowledge gleaned from your Paid Search campaigns (SEM) should be used to:

Also, think carefully about your technology platform choices. They will have ramifications across your business. For example, a bad choice for content management system (CMS) will curb your ability to:

Bottom-line; avoid the Band-Aid approach. Construct a solid plan through layering your marketing mix.

Related articles:
EBay Outlines Integrated Marketing Bid
By Mickey Alam Khan, Editor in chief, Dmnews.com
http://www.dmnews.com/cms/dm-news/shows-assns/27998.html

2. Shore up your online experience before you start marketing your site:
Ultimately, before you decide to launch a massive traffic driving effort, make sure your online business is sufficiently developed and ready to scale.

Related article:
Zillow Goes Live--Too Soon?
By Peter Coy, BusinessWeek.com
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/archives/
2006/02/zillow_goes_liv.html

3. Remember what your brand stands for:
(This is really a subset of Bullet No. 2, above, but it deserves separate attention.)

Theoretically, your brand is the most important asset you have.  It positions you in your market place and sets you apart from your competitors.  At the highest level, good banding embodies the most important attributes and benefits of your business, conveying this "promise" to your customers.

So before you reach out and create additional "touch-points" with new customers, bear in mind that they will remember whether the experience was positive or negative.  And, this will affect the long-term success and value of your company.

Related article:
Brand Valuation: The financial value of brands
By Interbrand
http://www.brandchannel.com/papers_review.asp?sp_id=357

4. Don't distract yourself; remember your role:
Remember your role within your organization. For example, if you're a top-level executive, you've been hired as a seasoned professional, able to make decisions, drive growth and lead people. And just as importantly, online marketing is the intersection between marketing practice and technology, and requiring an ever-evolving knowledge base and the support of specialists.

So, for example, if you find yourself personally launching Search campaigns, typing keywords into Google or assembling spreadsheets to analyze performance, there is a severe opportunity cost, let alone the comment you're making about your role within the company.

A properly planned initiative should consider the reality of your situation and include all costs in the ROI goals.

Related article:
The Five "W's" of Outsourced I-Marketing
by Robert Samuels, VP of Client Services - NetLine
http://www.netline.com/newsletter/h/feature02_01.html

Search pros now specializing
By Carol Krol, BtoBonline.com
http://www.btobonline.com/article.cms?articleId=28285

5. A vendor's.role; transfer of credentials to other roles:
Finally, I'd like to make a careful point about specialty service providers, their expertise, and their roles. If you hire good people or a firm that you trust, hold on to them and foster your relationship(s). Being able to rely on a vendor is a terrific asset in developing your business

However, don't get carried away and transfer the credentials of a vendor to other areas of related expertise.  A dermatologist is not a surgeon and a graphic designer specializing in brochures, for instance, probably shouldn’t be designing your website…I've seen this.  It's all too common for long-standing vendors to become involved in other areas of a client's business.

So, although your vendors may be good sounding--boards with valid opinions, resist the urge to invite one trusted specialist to play a driving role in other areas of your business.

Scott Lyle is a Managing Partner at Alliance Network Group, LLC (www.alliancenetworkgroup.com).  Scott’s experiences encompass positions at KPMG, Interbrand, CNET Networks, and Macromedia.  Scott's career expertise include brand development, corporate finance, financial acquisition analysis and integration, corporate budgeting, negotiating strategic alliances, and business development. His expertise was developed in traditional industry, the internet, and emerging platforms, including both broadband and wireless. Scott also has an MBA from THUNDERBIRD – The American Graduate School of International Management and a professional license as a CPA.  Scott can be reached at:  scott@alliancenetworkgroup.com.

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