Ian McAnerin has a post today on Internet Marketing 101. His ten-step approach makes great sense to me:
- Step Away from the Computer
- Identify the Target Goal
- Identify Your Message
- Identify the Target Audience
- Identify Traffic Vectors
- Identify The Conversion
- Write The Copy
- Perform the actions necessary to bring in your traffic vectors
- Track and Chart Results
- Go back to number one
His detailed explanations for how and why each step is important are worth a read and this is an issue I can certainly identify with. So many folks call us up seeking SEO, but needing a full-fledged Internet Marketing plan (and, in some cases, a business plan, too). If you don't have your marketing plan and business goals in place, SEO alone can't save your company.
A lot of people dont realise that this type of marketing did in fact exist before SEO and Internet Marketing sprang onto the scene.
People cant be good at everything. I think recently that people are under the impression that with Google and a few SEO Forums, they can do everything by themself, but to be truely good at marketing takes quite an exceptional talent.
You should always plan on paper before you implement on the computer. Drafts, thumbnails and idea-generating charts are great ways to get clear about what you really want to do. And because it's paper you can think "outside the box" without getting trapped within the technology. I also find flaws in planning before doing the work which saves time and money and prevents the innevitable terrific headache.
Yes, they makes sense. Reminds me about something Michael E. Porter wrote in 2001 in Strategy and the Internet: Other words in the Internet lexicon also have unfortunate consequences. The term "e-business" and "e-strategy" have been particularly problematic. By encouraging managers to view their Internet operations in isolation from the rest of the business, they can lead to simplistic approaches to competing using the Internet and increase the pressure for competitive imitation.