INMA_A01.QXD

Our rationale is that online channels are still in their infancy, yet they have had and
will have dramatic effects on how customers select and use products. We sometimes hear
that the Internet is ‘just another channel to market’. However, the potential significance
of the Internet as an influencer and direct contributor to sales is such that often it does
warrant separate attention. Strategies to increase the contribution of digital channels to
a business are required and the e-marketing plan can help define these strategies.
In the longer term, once an organisation has successfully defined its approaches to
Internet marketing, it is likely that a separate Internet marketing strategy or e-marketing
plan will notneed to be developed each year since the Internet can be considered as any
other communications medium.
These problems are typical and commonplace when there is no clear planning or con-
trol for e-marketing:

1 Customer demand for online services will be underestimated if this has not been
researched and it is under-resourced and no or unrealistic objectives are set to achieve
online marketing share.
2 Existing and start-up competitors will gain market share if insufficient resources are
devoted to e-marketing and no clear strategies are defined.
3 Duplication of resources will occur, for example different parts of the marketing
organisation purchasing different tools or different agencies for performing similar
online marketing tasks.
4 Insufficient resource will be devoted to planning and executing e-marketing and there
is likely to be a lack of specific specialist e-marketing skills, making it difficult to
respond to competitive threats effectively.
5 Insufficient customer data are collected online as part of relationship building and
these data are not integrated well with existing systems.
6 Efficiencies available through online marketing will be missed, for example lower
communications costs and enhanced conversion rates in customer acquisition and
retention campaigns.

AN INTEGRATED INTERNET MARKETING STRATEGY

Figure 4.2 Hierarchy of organisation plans including e-marketing plans

Step 1. Annual business plan

Step 2. Annual marketing plan

Step 3. Annual communications plan

Continuous E-marketing activity – Search, Partners, E-mail marketing

E-marketing plan?

Campaign 1 Campaign 2 Campaign 3 Campaign 4

E-campaign

component 1..n

E-campaign

component 1..n

E-campaign

component 1..n

E-campaign

component 1..n