e-Business, e-Commerce, Online Marketing & Web Strategy

Creating the e-Business - Part 3: Critical Steps for Success

SEO Quickie

The Role of the Web Manager Continued - Understanding the Buying Spectrum

The Role of the Web Manager Continued - SWOTT Analysis

The Role of the Web Manager

E-Commerce Example - The Travel Industry

Creating the e-Business - Part 3: Critical Steps for Success

SEO Quickie

The Role of the Web Manager Continued - Understanding the Buying Spectrum

The Role of the Web Manager Continued - SWOTT Analysis

The Role of the Web Manager

E-Commerce Example - The Travel Industry

Critical Steps for Success

Critical Steps for Success

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Oct. 28th, 2008 at 9:25 AM

There is a theory when it comes to implementing a successful project and that theory maintains that there are four (4) critical areas of any project:

Time Frame
Quality
Scope and
Budget

The project manager gets to choose three (3) of these critical areas, leaving one critical area for the implantation team to decipher. The same holds true for any e-business implementation. The team charged with the task of completing the assignment must be given the freedom to hold one of these critical areas to their discretion; otherwise, the project has a good chance of failure. An e-Business manager, Web manager or any other manager put in charge of the e-business implementation must negotiate the fourth critical area beforehand so that the final product is achievable.

To illustrate, let us say that the new e-commerce package has to be up and running 100% by January 1^st and it has to be able to do XYZ. The team was just given the Quality objective at 100% complete; it was given the Time objective of January 1^st; and it was given the Scope objective of “able to do XYZ”. Therefore, the implementation team must create the Budget for this project. If the budget they come up with is not satisfactory, then the company heads can create the budget, but they must release either Time Frame, Quality or Scope back to the implementation team. The point here is that, assuming you have a competent and qualified team, they will be able to give the company accurate information of that fourth criteria. And if the team is not allowed that discretion, they will fail a good proportion of the time. Now, let us talk about the steps that ABC Company needs to take in order to move towards a successful e-business transformation.

The first step that ABC should take is to move towards standardizing its procedures in order to increase efficiencies and decrease costs and the likelihood for errors. Another major step in the process is for ABC to establish a detailed disaster recovery plan. If a majority of its customers are self-servicing themselves, and if new customers are ordering or looking for the first time, the site must be up and functional all of the time. A disaster action plan and team should be put into place in order to assure that ABC’s site remains online and functional 99% of the time.

Further, ABC should market itself on horizontally and vertically integrated marketplaces. Lastly, the sales and customer service force should be trained on the implications of the website. They should understand how to use the site and be aware that any time-savings that the site affords them should be used to gain new leads and sales and to grow sales among the current customer list. In these ways, ABC’s strategic plan can have a direct impact on business and customer relationships. After this has been accomplished, the focus should turn to developing a marketing strategy that incorporates ABC’s goals.

For ABC to create a successful e-business marketing strategy, it must answer some fundamental questions regarding its business practices, external obstacles and long-term strategic vision. Among the most intrinsic questions for ABC to answer are its marketing strategy, internal realties, effective measurement of benchmarks and its overall branding and positioning strategy. Each one of these questions can be broken down into more detailed and insightful questions for ABC to answer.

In our next discussion, we will turn to the topic of marketing strategy.

Copyright | emarketingprofs | All Rights Reserved

Oct. 6th, 2008 at 4:08 PM

SEO Quickie

Search engine optimization really just takes the best parts of corporate tribal knowledge and Web tracking reports and uses that information in all areas of the site in order to flood the site with the “right’ information in order to be found by the search engines and placed toward the top of the results.

It is somewhat just a matter of focus and consistency. One must focus on the keywords and phrases that attract the best potential customers and then be consistent in how those keywords are spread across the site or the page. For instance, if ‘soft feel golf balls’ is a strong keyword that the Web manager needs to optimize, then at least one page URL on the site needs to be created with the term ‘soft feel golf balls’ in it, as well as a having that terminology in the source code for that page’s title, keywords and metatags.

Further, a strong heading on that page should read ‘soft feel golf balls’ and that term should be used several more times on that page; this is called keyword density. Plus, any pictures on the page that are related to that term should have an ALTAG of ‘soft feel golf balls’. Now that that page is optimized for that key term, it is time to use the rest of the site to further enhance that term.

Anywhere on the site where the term ‘soft feel golf ball’ is used, it should be linked to that optimized page. DO NOT link to the page with a ‘click here’. Link to the page with a ‘soft feel golf ball’ link. This is called “interlinking” and is a great tool for Website optimization. Further, any other Websites that agree to link to that optimized page should be instructed to use that terminology. So, instead of having a link to ABC Company, have them link to ‘soft feel golf balls’. This keyword relevance gets picked up by the search engines and helps move the page up the results ladder. So what’s the theory behind all this stuff?

This stuff is not just theory; it is proven practice. If a company ABC is a completely brick and mortar business and wishes to branch out online as well as create e-business efficiencies within its organization, how would it go about accomplishing those goals? It would look to its e-Business Manager, Web Manager, Technology Manager and other Managers, and ask them to lead the way. But there is far more detail involved when it comes to putting this knowledge into practice?

In our next posts, we will examine the multiple facets involved in creating the e-business.

Sep. 25th, 2008 at 10:37 AM

Bridging the Confidence Gap

A Web Manager must work to understand future trends in their customer’s industry by researching, surveying, attending sales calls, and understanding that some customers are further along the educational spectrum than others, and therefore must be marketed to in varying approaches and styles. When speaking of the Customer Education Spectrum, it must be understood that customers go through many stages before ultimately buying from a particular company.

First, they must realize that they have a problem or a need that needs to be solved or fulfilled. Once this is done, the customer will conduct their initial research, usually online or by asking colleagues and friends. After this, they will attempt to narrow down their choices and make contact with the organizations that most closely match their perceived need. The companies that are selected are still under much scrutiny by the potential customer. They must still work to bridge the confidence gap that the customer feels. The customer still wonders if this company is really the right one to solve their need. The problem is that often times, the customer is towards the end of the buying spectrum before they even contact the company. So it is even more important that companies have a solid presence and external perception, as well as a unified marketing and sales strategy so that it is not sending out conflicting evidence on why this customer should chose it in which to conduct their business. Therefore, understanding and creating that value to the customer is one of the most important rolls of the Web Manager.

Another important role of the Web Manager is to understand the value proposition the Web brings to its company. A good Web presence can bring increased business to the company through greater leads, new sales and sales growth with existing customers. Increased customer loyalty is also an important aspect of a company’s Web presence. The Web can help a company grow in existing markets as well, by integrating intelligent software applications that allow marketers to use cross-promotion and up-selling to target new segments within existing markets or bringing relevant buying information into the fray for new titles within an existing profitable account.

Some critical steps that a Web Manager must take to begin successfully implementing a Web campaign are making sure that the site functionality is good and user-friendly, understanding and preparing the marketing techniques and campaigns that are to be used, organizing the sales chain and methodology of the organization, and having an unbiased view of the corporation’s internal realities such as time, money, personnel, the ability to meet goals, keeping track of leads, sales, customer feedback and business networks. Without these things in place, the Web Manager cannot successfully drive a technology-enabled company. In our next post, we will discuss how the marketing mix has changed and what you need to know about it.

Sep. 18th, 2008 at 3:10 PM

Swott Analysis

The very first task to be accomplished as a Web manager is the creation of a plan. This plan must take into account the long-term goals and vision of the company. Then a strategic business plan can be based on these goals. As in Marketing, a Web Manager must perform a SWOTT analysis for their company. This analysis consists of finding out the company’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats and Trends. During this phase of the Web Management plan the competitive landscape should be examined thoroughly as well as the creation of trends analysis reports derived from the company’s Business Intelligence software and its Website analytics reports.

A brief company description should be laid out for examination before describing the company’s areas of interest and major goals. The strengths might consist of competitive advantages that the enterprise holds such as dominant software, increased market share, increased industry knowledge, advanced machinery, better leveraged buying power, deeper consumer or industry data, or heightened growth potential due to the industry’s business climate. Weaknesses to consider are not growing fast enough or growing too fast. It is hard to imagine growing too fast, but this phenomenon happens more often than one might think, and can lead to damaging results. When a company is growing too fast for its business model, it can overextend its finances to keep up. This could cause a company to be slow to react when challenged with environmental issues. Smaller companies could make faster changes and leave the company in question unable to make adjustments.

Hopefully one would find that a company has many opportunities on its horizon. Being a customer-centric organization is an opportunity. Being first movers in industry, machinery, business philosophies or technologies can bring significant competitive advantages. If a company has systems in place to capture end user trends and information, then it has a chance to grow its market share. In fact, a company that rushes to manage its knowledge assets will partake in increased business intelligence; and business intelligence is the tool that talented business professionals and decision-makers need.

A threat to be weary of is competition that is more focused than the company in question. Niche players in production practices, product deliverables, industries or technologies can illustrate their advantages readily. These companies, although not focused on business intelligence or bridging existing business units, are focusing their energies on technology enhancements that are threatening to leapfrog the company at hand. This scenario risks these companies eating away at said business’ critical client base.

The SWOTT analysis must also consist of a problem/resolution statement. A primary problem, either with the company or within the industry, must be highlighted and a statement presenting the opportunity for the company in question must be presented. This is followed by a conclusion in which the Web Manager wraps up for the decision-makers and tells them what they are doing right, what they are doing wrong, what areas they stand to gain the most, and what is coming down the pike in terms of industry trends.

The next goal is to create value to the customer. We will discuss this next time.

Copyright | emarketingprofs | All Rights Reserved

Sep. 17th, 2008 at 2:21 PM

The Role of the Web Manager

Now that the e-commerce example has been given, let us discuss the roll of the Web Manager. The roll of a Web manager is to create a plan for the company’s Web Presence and to manage each aspect of that plan to its fullest and most profitable end. But before this plan can be created, the Web manager must be versed in all the facets of e-commerce, including: e-law, e-marketing, e-operations, e-strategy, e-communities and ‘blogs, and best practices in Website management and usability.

E-law knowledge is important because a Web manager must know the law in order to enforce it. For instance, a Web manager should work to protect his/her company’s intellectual property. Entire Websites can be registered as a copyright in the U.S. Copyright Office. The only requirement is that the site must be original and creative. This copyright will provide exclusive statutory rights for the company and would include protection for pictures, logos, software, music, literary works and databases. Further, databases can be copyrighted and protected even further in terms of their methodology for choosing, extracting and showing information.

Linking agreements can also be made between linking partners of a site in order to avoid misunderstandings regarding copyright infringements. Knowing the law is also particularly important when it comes to e-mail marketing. Understanding who can be emailed, under what circumstances they can be e-mailed, and how to create and maintain a legitimate, opt-in in-house e-mail list is critical. It is also important to understand privacy laws when it comes to sharing and protecting vital customer information.

All of the “e-knowledge” listed above is required from a Website manager. With 90% plus of the business community researching, sourcing and buying their goods and services online, a company’s very existence will hinge on the knowledge and successful business implementations of its Website manager. Given this, we will next discuss creating a Web Management plan and delve into the world of the Web manager.

Copyright | emarketingprofs | All Rights Reserved

Sep. 2nd, 2008 at 1:41 PM

E-Commerce Example - The Travel Industry

Before we talk about the role of the Web Manager, let's go over a relevant example of how e-commerce is changing the landscape of business. In this case, I'll use the travel industry as an example of which we can all relate.

The travel industry has been dramatically altered due to e-commerce. In an examination of the effects that e-business has had on this dynamic and extremely personalized industry, we see that not long ago, travel agents ruled the travel industry. These agents performed their service from their brick and mortar offices. After the popularity of the Internet hit mainstream, travel became a new animal. Individuals decided that they enjoyed researching their vacations online before they called their travel agents. These individuals became a prime target for online, e-commerce travel companies. Two of these companies are Hotel Reservations Network and Priceline. These two companies have done the best job thus far in reaching the do-it-yourself audience of travelers.

Hotel Reservations Network, or Hotels.com, made strategic alliances with major hotel chains around the world. They were granted rooms to these hotels at a discount, even when the hotels are “sold out”. Travelers have really begun to utilize Hotels.com in a major way. Another big hitter in the industry has been Priceline.com. Priceline offers the customer the opportunity to enter what they are willing to pay for a service, and the companies on Priceline’s list all bid on accepting your request. One other thing that sets Priceline apart from its competitors is its horizontal partnerships. They have brought in companies from airfare and hotels to companies that offer car rentals, vacations and cruises. Priceline has become the one stop source for all your travel needs. This one stop source mentality has become the war cry of many do-it-yourself e-commerce users. The belief is that both bricks and clicks will win in this thriving industry. However, one would give the edge to the clicks.

Travel is so personalized that most people, other than the busiest individuals, would prefer to make their own travel plans over the Internet. More horizontal partnerships in the industry will also lead to increased online research and procurement. Travel agents will be forced to move from their bricks into clicks in order to compete with the other online travel houses. Of course, the travel industry is just one example of traditional business being transformed by the e-business revolution. As companies move from bricks to clicks, or clicks within bricks (such as ordering from an electronic user interface at a fast-food restaurant), they will need competent Web managers to lead the transition. Professionals that understand sales, usability, functionality, tracking, storing customer information, advertising, community building, customer research, surveys, content building, and many other areas of e-business will be in high demand. These attributes can all fall under the umbrella of a "Web Manager". In our next post we will discuss the growing role of the Web Manager within an existing brick and mortar.

September 2009