Your Small Business and the Web

Small Business eCommerce Tips

Marketing Plans for your eCommerce Business

If you own an eCommerce business you should have a marketing plan for your store. You will not be successful on the web unless people know how to find you. If you have a well thought out marketing plan, your online business can be marketed to potential customers all over the Internet.

Here are a few questions you will need to answer that will help you write your marketing plan for your online business.

· Who are your customers?

· How did they find you?

· What do they buy?

· When do they buy?

· Why did they choose to buy from you and not your competitor?

What are you goals for your marketing plan? How will you measure those goals? You can measure an increase in traffic but are they buying and not just looking? Determine a percentage increase you would like to see in your conversion rate.

What time frame will the marketing plan encompass? A one-year marketing plan with monthly goals is sufficient, but remember to review your plan regularly to be sure you are on track. Your plan can always be revised based on current conditions.

Here is the tough one - how will you accomplish these goals?

· Does your website reflect your products? For example, if you are selling tools, does your design immediately convey that image to your customer? Cool colors such as blue and silver would reflect tools while pastels would reflect children's clothes.

· Does your website appeal to your client? For example, if your target customers are senior citizens, does your website have large fonts to help read about your products?

· Is your website up to date with the latest features for search engine optimization? Is your content relevant to your site? · Do you have a budget for advertising? What is your ROI (Return on Investment)? Determine how much $1 of advertising should generate in sales. If you are not accomplishing your ROI, consider revising your keywords.

· Do you have an email campaign? (Caution - only send emails to those who have submitted their address. Never buy lists!)

· Write a newsletter every month and send it to your customers inviting them to your store. The subject of the email should be something that prompts their curiosity. Instead of "Monthly Newsletter for ABC Company", try "New Addition to the Family? Unique Gifts for Little Ones".

A Marketing Plan should be an ongoing plan that is reviewed and revised to achieve your goals. Take the time to write your answers down and review them often.

About the Author Shawna Fennell is the President of Build New Store, Inc., a company dedicated to building new Online Stores. Please visit http://www.buildnewstore.com for free advice and tips on SEO, Marketing, Design, and much more.