find their online counterparts. In other words, use all the strate-
gies you would during a direct-mail campaign and apply them to
the Internet. For example, instead of sending a paper brochure,
you would develop an online brochure.
BUSINESS PLAN
Before you can reap the benefits of online marketing, you must
first know exactly what your business is all about. In addition to
the standard business plan you have for your organization, you
will also need a marketing plan. The Unofficial Guide to Market-
ing Your Business Onlinesuggests doing one of the following to
begin your online marketing plan:
- Use a Web-based tool. Visit http://www.bplans.comto down-
load and edit sample business plans. - Buy a business planning software. Palo Alto Software prod-
ucts(http://www.paloaltosoftware.com)offer easy-to-use
packages, which will help you create a business plan. - Follow an online outline. Instead of creating your own, you
may feel more comfortable following an existing plan. The
Small Business Association (SBA) has a template for indi-
viduals to follow. Visit http://www.sba.gov/starting/
indexbusplans.html. - Hire someone to write your plan. If writing your own plan
is not your bailiwick, you can always hire someone else to
do it for you. If you don’t know someone, check out
http://www.guru.com,which is an online forum that links
independent contractors with projects.
DEFINE YOUR BUSINESS
Prior to marketing your event online, you need to clearly define
your event and know your goals and target audience. It’s impor-
tant to perform the following:
■Determine clear and concise objectives and goals of the event.
■Establish the best way to position the event in the
marketplace.
■Ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of the event.
■Identify the customer, to include demographics and con-
sumer behavior.Developing an Electronic Marketing Strategy 57