the role of the web in integrated marketing white paper

8/14/2019 The Role of the Web in Integrated Marketing White Paper

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a results-driven web agency

the role o the web inintegrated marketing

four components marketing

directors should include fora successful web strategy

an eect web agency white paper
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2 the role of the web in integrated marketing

table o contents (links)

Executive Summary.................................................................................................. 3

Introduction .............................................................................................................4-7

Defning Goals and Measuring ROI..................................................................8-9

Design and Implementation ...........................................................................12-15

Attracting the Target Audience .................................................................... 16-18

Ongoing Strategy or Growth ........................................................................19-21

Concluding Summary.............................................................................................22


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3eect blog twitter acebook | emailconnect:

executive summary

This white paper is for the marketing executives who want to lead their organizations to

greater brand awareness, better prospect interactions, and increased sales by leveraging

the full power of the web. As the lines between media continue to blur, effectively reaching

potential customers requires a comprehensive, tactical web strategy. When blended together,

tools such as a corporate website, blog, social media, search marketing, mobile applications,

and video help organizations connect with their audience in meaningful, interactive ways.

Web strategy needs to collaborate seamlessly with traditional marketing efforts to form

a unied message and appearance. A holistic web strategy not only reaches the target

audience in an efcient and cost-effective manner, but also provides the best channel to track

results, measure ROI, and make adjustments.
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introduction

Integrated marketing strategies have become a necessity for marketers as consumers

continue to abandon mass marketing vehicles in favor of more niche, web-based channels.

Integrated marketing starts with selecting the communication channels (advertising, sales,

public relations, social media, etc.) that would be best suited to reach the target audience

with the message.

To be effective, all of the communication tactics that are employed should be based upon the

same communication hub. This allows for the message to be harmonized under the same

concept with a unied voice. The impact of this cohesive message on the target audience is

more powerful than if any of the tactics were used in isolation.

Because the web is now central to most consumers (both B2C and B2B) search for product

and service information, its critical that a solid web strategy become the foundation for

integrated marketing campaigns.

It may be helpful to think of a

integrated marketing strategy

like the wheel of bicycle. Each

communication channel acts as a

spoke within the wheel. At the axis

is an organizations online strategy,

which is fundamental in making

the wheel turn. The spokes cannot

turn the wheel alone. Rather, they

provide supplemental support to

make the axis turn more easily. The

spokes and axis must work in unison

in order for the wheel to spin as it

should. If the axis is not strong then

the wheel could break, rendering the

spokes useless.


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David Card, a leading expert on marketing and

consumer behavior of Forrester Research also

acknowledges the need for marketers to put

a strong emphasis on the web as it applies to

integrated marketing. Card said, Marketing

leaders must work with their teams, agencies,

and media partners to update their vision of

integrated marketing in order to counter the

effects of the meltdown and to harness social

media. Tomorrows integrated marketing:

Is multichannel

Uses branded content

Employs social media

Creates a feedback loop that ideally will

enable on-the-y message and media

tuning 1

The following four core components are

a critical part of establishing a comprehensive web strategy, as a part of an integrated

marketing approach:

Dening goals and measuring ROI

Design and implementation

Attracting the target audience

Executing a plan to continually evolve the ongoing strategy to achieve growth

Marketing leadersmust work with their

teams, agencies,

and media partners

to update their

vision of integrated

marketing in order to

counter the effectsof the meltdown and

to harness social

media.

David Card,

Forrester Research


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integrated marketing in actionA great example of a brand that has found the most successful integrated marketing effortsare a result of a strong web strategy is Glacau Vitaminwater, a leader in the enhanced water

market. Their target audience is comprised of youth, teens, and adults who are interested in

healthy drink options. The majority of the audience tend to either be athletes themselves or

sports fans.

Vitaminwater employed traditional marketing vehicles such as print and TV advertising but

the real thrust of their campaign targeted online channels.

At the foundation of their strategy was their website which was created to be more thanjust a collection of pages with static content. It was intentionally designed to create an

engaging experience for visitors. Users could interact with Vitaminwaters various avors,

read the story behind each avor, and learn about its nutritional benets. Visitors could also

participate in current promotions and contests.

A key contributing factor to growing

their market share with their

audience was an aggressive focus on

social networking giant, Facebook.Most of Vitaminwaters advertising

drove their audience to their

Facebook fan page. They choose to

use Facebook as a landing page over

their own homepage because their

marketing team recognized not only

how heavily trafcked the site was

by their target customers, but also

the potential of the social medium to

drive their campaign viral.
http://www.facebook.com/vitaminwaterhttp://www.facebook.com/vitaminwater


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By channeling their target audience to Facebook, the marketing team was able to establish

a permission-based presence in the daily lives of their targets. This created a connection on

a very personal level which wouldnt have been possible through traditional media or even

through the corporate website.

Vitaminwater turned their audience into brand advocates by making their fan page a cool,

fun place to be. They offered Facebook exclusive content, posted insider videos and photos,

asked for input and feedback via custom apps, and encouraged participation and expression

from their 944,000+ fans.

To further strengthen their brand, Vitaminwater used cohesive design, visuals, message, and

voice consistently across all of their media channels.

1. Media Meltdown Creates New Mandate for Integrated Marketing, Forrester Blog. August 2009.


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defning goals and measuring roi

establishing smart goalsFor marketing managers measuring return on investment (ROI) for their various marketingefforts is a big part of the their job. With the right web partner providing effective tools and

analysis, measuring ROI with web-based marketing efforts is easy compared to traditional

channels where audience interaction is much more obscure.

The rst step toward measuring results is setting goals. According to search marketing

expert Carrie Hill, The most successful online marketing campaigns use an idea and a goal

and leverage that idea and goal as much as they can before its exhausted.1

Effective goals need to be SMART Goals - Specic, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and

Time-Bound. Solid examples of SMART web goals include: Increase trafc by 60% in six

months or Add 1500 new subscribers to the newsletter over the next year or Connect

with 10 people per week on Facebook.

Dening web goals is a job best

completed before designing a

website or other web based

marketing tool. Setting goals as an

after thought can lead to extendeddevelopment time, additional

incurred cost, and poor performance

Also by proactively establishing

goals, web designers can tailor the

site structure in a way that will best

help achieve the goals set forth.

1. Going the Distance -- Integration of Your Marketing Efforts, Searchengingewatch.com. Sept. 2009.


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Planning how to reach these goals is surprisingly simple by breaking the down the goal into

more easy-to-understand steps. Lets use XYZ company who sells printing press machinery

as an example.

Establish a SMART goal

Increase web-based revenue by 20% ($20 million) in 12 months.

Knowing the average annual customer purchase amount, determine how

many customers are needed to make up the increase in revenue. $500,000 average annual purchase x Y customers = $20 million.

40 customers are needed

Using historical business data, the average rate of converting a perspective

into a client can be determined. Lets say for this example the conversation

rate is 30%.

30% conversion rate x Y number of perspective customers = 40

customers

133 perspective customers are needed

Knowing on average that 2% of website visitors will convert into perspective

customers, determine the number of web visitors needed.

2% x Y number of web visitors = 133 perspective customers

6550 web visitors needed annually or 554 web visitors per month


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measuring eectiveness

Determining ROI and overall effectiveness of online efforts involves analyzing both

quantitative and qualitative data in order to clearly see the bigger picture. Tracking and

measuring results also helps marketing managers to make informed adjustments about

future marketing efforts.

For example, tracking how many visitors

reach a goal page on a website can

help determine how effective the visual

presentation is at guiding users toward the

goal page. Another trackable metric is how

many people reach a specialized landing

page that was inserted in an advertisement.

This helps determine specic ROI on that

ad. Tracking can even be as specic as

determining which search engine keywords

bring people to a site, as well as which

keyword deliver visitors who make a quality

interaction with the site and contribute to

goal conversions.

Tracking efforts with search marketing can be measured both as a website climbs in the

rankings and by observing the surge in trafc that occurs as a result. Determining how well

natural search engine trafc compares to pay-per-click results, social media, and ofine

marketing can be viewed by measuring goal conversion ratios from these various trafc

sources.

Measuring social media effectiveness involves tracking how many followers, fans, or

connections an organization has. In addition its important to keep track of how many

engaged conversations are taking place, as well as how much of a websites trafc is being

referred from social media sites. Another key indicator of social media success is to measure

how many people are subscribing to a blog. It is also possible to track sales back to their

lead source and compare those revenues with the resources expended to convert them to

determine ROI.


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Since not all social media interaction will translate directly to a sale, its also important to

measure the chatter or reputation of the brand online. Tools such as Google Alerts and

Backtype can search and monitor public perception regarding a company.


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design and implementation

Website design and implementation standards have come a long way in the last 10 years.

What had previously been a world of disjointed and cluttered information, is evolving to clean

and simple - even elegant. Modern designs are unique and polished, and are focused around

creating rich, engaging user experiences rather than page after page of static content.

By analyzing current trends and research its evident that consumers expectations have also

changed. Consumers are more demanding in terms of what type of content they want and

how they want it delivered. In order for marketers to meet the needs of consumers they

must reach out to them with a uid, exible, cross application effort.

Shantanu Narayen, Adobe Systems CEO, said, We are moving into a new world where from

print and just a single screen, we are truly witnessing an era of interactive applications that

have to work within the browser, as well as outside the browser, across multiple devices. Its

an exciting time for us.

objective presentationWebsites have also become more user-friendly and easy to navigate. Professional designers

are intentional in creating objective presentations. An objective design successfully

channels web visitors down a specic path to reach the dened goals, as opposed to non-objective design that would involve simply placing images and text on a page without much

forethought.

concise messageConsumers have extremely short attention spans. They are constantly bombarded with

messages they dont want and dont have time for. To cut through this clutter web text needs

to be concise, meaningful, and easy-to-read. Since web users skim rather than read word-

for-word, its important to only give the user the information they need and avoid the uffysales copy.


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According to Jakob Nielsen, leading web usability

expert, On the average web page, users have

time to read at most 28% of the words during an

average visit; 20% is more likely.

video & motion graphicsMarketers no longer have to rely on the written

word to convey their message. Complex or

detailed processes are often best expressed

visually. It allows quick, precise communication

that generates true understanding. Web-

based video is a great way to connect potential

customers in a meaningful way with a companys

personality and story.

Having a video presentation on a companys website is a win-win for both the company and

the target audience. It enables the company to differentiate themselves from the competition

and to powerfully convey their message in a cost-effective format. From the visitors point

of view, video can be entertaining and easier to understand than static graphics or print andmakes information more easily absorbed.

Whirpool does a great example of providing product features and benets to their visitors in

short, enjoyable video segments.

Another example of how businesses can leverage video would be a distributor using an

interactive motion graphic presentation which would allow customers to see how the ordering

process works and to get quotes on the site. Sales people could use it when they are out on

a call or at a tradeshow.

The ways in which businesses can leverage video are endless. In addition, its clear that video

is a favorable format for information (and entertainment) with web users consuming videos

at a record rate.

On the average

web page, users

have time to read

at most 28% of the

words during an

average visit; 20%

is more likely.

Jakob Nielsen,

Web usability expert
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Online video usage has increased by 53%1 from

2008, while nearly 79%2 of the total U.S. Internetaudience has viewed online video.

applicationsDynamic functionality pieces like custom-built

applications can help users nd information

easily and quickly. They can also add a level of

engagement and interactivity that can keep brands

top of mind.

For example, a personal injury law rm may

implement a contact application on their website that would gather important information

about a visitors accident and then direct them to the appropriate contact method or to a

library article to learn more about their options.

Another example is eBay Desktop developed with Adobe Air technology. Once downloaded,

the application allows users to experience enhanced browsing and bidding capabilities thatare not available in standard web browsers.

This tool helps eBay stay top of mind with their customers by allowing users to get real time

updates about bids and products, rather than continuously watching bidding activity on the

eBay website.

mobile devicesAs wireless Internet has become more readily available and affordable, the amount of usersconsuming content on mobile devices has also increased. According to the Pew Internet

Wireless Internet Usage Report,Use of the internet on mobile devices has grown sharply

from the end of 2007 to the beginning of 2009.

Online video usagehas increased by

53% from 2008,

while nearly 79%

of the total U.S.

Internet audience

has viewed online

video.
http://desktop.ebay.com/http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/12-Wireless-Internet-Use.aspxhttp://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/12-Wireless-Internet-Use.aspxhttp://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/12-Wireless-Internet-Use.aspxhttp://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/12-Wireless-Internet-Use.aspxhttp://desktop.ebay.com/


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In addition the study also found that, 32% of all Americans have gone online with a mobile

device meaning they have used a cell phone or other handheld device to check email,access the internet for information, or send instant messages.

When developing a comprehensive web strategy its important to research opportunities that

may exist for mobile applications and sites that can reach the growing mobile audience.

search engine friendlinessWhen employing a comprehensive web strategy, optimizing websites and social media tools

for search engine friendliness should be done before the project launch. By giving pages

a clear content focus, the site will be able to establish credibility and compete for priority

ranking in search engines more effectively than if search engine optimization considerations

were retro-tted later.

1. A2/M2 Three Screen Report, Nielsen/NetRatings. Q1 2009.

2. Hulu Continues Ascent in U.S. Online Video Market, Breaking Into Top 3 Properties by Videos Viewed for

First Time in March, comScore Press Release. April 2009.


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attracting target audiences

The most well-designed, user-centric website can only bring value to a company when people

visit the site and complete an action. The more trafc a site gets from qualied visitors, the

more sales and relationship opportunities result.

natural search engine optimizationOne of the most cost-effective ways to increase the amount of qualied trafc to a site is

through the use of search engine optimization (SEO), since 70% to 80% of a sites trafc

comes from search engines. Even with the ever-increasing role of the web in everyday life,

search is the second most dominate user activity, topped only by email. 49%1 of web users

employ search engines daily. Clearly, search engines retain tremendous power in reaching atarget audience.

In order for search marketing to be effective its important that a website appears on the

rst page of an organic search result. Because 36%2 of search engine users believe that

companies whose websites are returned among the top results are the leaders in their eld,

68% of search engine users click a link within the rst page of results. Therefore, the higher

a site appears within the results the more credible the site become in the eyes of the user

and the greater chance a user will visit the site.

This heat map provided by Google

measures composite eye movement

from common search engine users. It

further illustrates that the majority of

users give attention primarily to the

top search results. Notice how greatly

the top few results dominate the

attention of the users.


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pay-per-clickPay-per-click (PPC) is a very viablemarketing tactic to drive qualied

trafc to a site, especially in the

short term. Often a company will

utilize PPC in conjunction with SEO

until natural SEO efforts lead to

increased ranking for their site.

Studies have consistently shown

that 75%-80% more people click

on organic listings versus PPC ads.But while many strategies tend to

decrease PPC usage over time, PPC is often useful when launching a new product or pushing

a time-sensitive promotion. Another way in which PPC can be helpful is in split testing

research of message and keyword strategies, which can shorten costly experimentation time

for any new business venture.

social mediaSocial media is an undoubtedly hot topic for marketers right now. The social media audience

is equal to 122 million people in the US, about 64%3 of the total Internet audience. Social

media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are becoming an integral part of the lives of target

customers. People engage in social media, not only for social interaction, but also with the

intent of receiving and sharing information about the products and services that impact their

lives.

Social media gives marketers the ability to connect with their customers in a way that was

not previously possible. It has removed boundaries and allows marketers to correspond

directly with their customers, in a format where customers feel comfortable and empowered.

The result is a mutually benecial relationship that lets a customers opinions and voices

be heard, and gives marketers a platform to build exposure loyalty and advocacy for their

brand.


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Currently 88%4 of marketers are using some form of social media in their businesses, but up

to 72% are new to social media have only been doing so for a few months.

Recently SquareSpace, an online publishing software company leveraged Twitter to

generate buzz and interest about their brand. They enticed Twitter users to post about

them by offering Twitter users a chance to win one of 30 free iPhones by simply including

#squarespace in their posts. SquareSpace never anticipated their campaign would work

so well. In one months time they increased their Twitter following by more than 37,500

people. This resulted in #squarespace jumping into the top-trending Twitter topics. Even

more encouraging was the 80% increase in trafc to their website and a 21% increase in a

conversion goal - trial subscriptions. Social media helped them achieve these measurable

results and improve the intangibles of brand awareness and advocacy.

1. Search Engine Use, Pew Internet and American Life Project. August 2008.

2. Blended Search Results Study, iProspect. April 2008.

3. Blended Search Results Study, iProspect. April 2008.

4. Social Media Marketing Report, Michael A. Stelzner. March 2009.
http://www.twitter.com/squarespacehttp://www.twitter.com/squarespace


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ongoing strategy or growth

proactive approachThe best marketers know that an integrated marketing approach with a strong web strategyis an ongoing process of planning, implementing, testing, and modifying. The web is a rapidly

evolving tool and its important to be proactive when seeking out new technologies.

Here are some practical ways marketing directors can begin employing a proactive approach

to their web strategies.

Review web analytics for a detailed picture of how many people are coming to the site,

where they are coming from, and what they are doing while they are on the website.

Solid website analytics programs include:

Google Analytics

StatsAdvisor

Survey customers for their likes and dislikes about the website, as well as their

communication preferences.

Invest in research and evaluating the websites of companies who are are successful at

web-based marketing.

Keep up to date by reading insightful blogs or white papers on improving web strategy.

Must reads include:

Mashable

WebProNews

MarketingSherpa

Marketing Profs Daily Fix

Partner with a web strategy agency
http://www.effectwebagency.com/http://www.effectwebagency.com/marketers-annex-blog/http://twitter.com/effectwebagencyhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Effect-Web-Agency/119921681765mailto:[email protected]://www.google.com/analytics/http://statsadvisor.com/http://mashable.com/http://webpronews.com/http://marketingsherpa.com/http://mpdailyfix.com/http://mpdailyfix.com/http://marketingsherpa.com/http://webpronews.com/http://mashable.com/http://statsadvisor.com/http://www.google.com/analytics/http://twitter.com/effectwebagencyhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Effect-Web-Agency/119921681765http://effectwebagency.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.facebook.com/pages/Effect-Web-Agency/119921681765http://twitter.com/effectwebagencyhttp://www.effectwebagency.com/marketers-annex-blog/http://www.effectwebagency.com/http://www.effectwebagency.com/marketers-annex-blog/


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web strategy partnersThere are many options when it comes to partnering with a company to develop a webstrategy as a part of an overall marketing effort. They can be broken down into three basic

categories:

1. Standard Web Developer:

Provide short-term solutions

Geared towards completing development projects

Build basic to mid-level websites

Offer a la carte services such as basic SEO or web hosting

Lack resources to develop all-encompassing web strategy

Rely on customers to have their own plan

Focus on budget, not ROI

2. Web Agency:

Integrate web strategy with overall marketing program

Develop a comprehensive web strategy, including all relevant ingredients such as SEO,social media, pay-per-click, site development, custom applications for the web and

mobile devices, etc.

Partner in understanding the client and their customers for long-term relationship to

deliver measurable results and ongoing growth

Design and build mid-to-high-end sites

Function as a specialized annex of customers organization

Test, measure, and prove ROI

Focus on achieving the desired results


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3. Boutique Agency:

Serve Fortune 1000-type client with massive budgets (Coca-Cola, Nike, etc.) Implement super high-end graphics and functionality

Update constantly with creativity and bleeding-edge innovation

Experiment with new web tactics and tools to enhance brand and presence on the web

Employ microsites and social media applications in ever-changing campaigns

Start at $100,000 or more per campaign, plus ongoing upgrades and improvements


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concluding summary

Undoubtedly, the importance of the Internet will continue to grow into the foreseeable future.

Investing in a comprehensive web strategy is no longer optional. For mid-sized companies

that want to grow it is essential. There are great benets that come from making the web

the foundation of an integrated marketing program. Consumers of all types now use the

web for as their primary source for information on the products and services they buy. And

with budgets being watched more closely than ever, the web offers the best opportunity to

focus outbound messages, generate meaningful interaction, track ROI, and make timely

adjustments.

For todays marketing professional, effective web strategy is the most efcient tool for

building and maintaining awareness and leads.

the role of the web in integrated marketing white paper

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