Planning Activity

Considerations

1. Planning

Fail to plan = plan to fail

• Don't just dive in there and start throwing together your online solution.  
• Set time at the beginning of the project to plan what strategies and tools you will use to achieve the right outcomes for your business.
• Be clear about who will be responsible for what

2. Purpose

What Business Results Do You Want Online?

• What products and services will you promote?
• Who is your target market?
• set measurable Goals and Objectives
• Typical objectives are increase leads; increase sales; get existing clients to buy more frequently, spend more and refer their friends; and streamline your business.

3. Promotion

Attract Leads, get noticed

• Use multiple online and offline strategies to drive your target market to your website such as search engine optimisation, social networking and print advertising.

4. Persuasion

Get Them To Take Action

• Define the ultimate action you want the prospect to take - buy, fill out a form, contact you etc.
• Then drive them towards that as soon as they arrive on your website with calls to action, promotions and advertisements 
• Which tools will improve the sales process by informing, engaging and selling to your prospects.

5. Productivity

Convert Them To Customers

• Use systems (eg. CRMs) to better manage leads from your website (and other sources) to increase your conversion rate and productivity.
• Improve response times and provide higher standards of support
• Cut down in redundant phone calls and email queries
• Automate and publish online

6. Persistence

Capture Their Details, Build Relationships

• 9/10 (when visiting your website) are not ready to buy ....... yet.  Therefore you need to add them to your database and build a relationship with them.
• Consider: newsletter signup, free book or a report.
• Build relationships with existing customers and prospects by: being the expert, making offers of value, providing information 
• Facilitate referrals.

7. Profile 

Keep your branding and communications consistent

From online to offline be consistent.

• Branding
• Communication 
• Language

8. Platforms

What communication channels will you use?

• Which social media are you engaged with ?  Blogs?  Twitter?  Video ? Facebook? Forums?
• Which online channels will you be involved with? Forums? Business Blogs? Publications?
• Where will you host your website?

7. Performance

Measure your success and rate of return

Test, measure and adjust - Review goals and objectives

• Google analytics
• Sales results
• Inquiry results
• Database size