Chapter 4.
Internet marketing Objectives and Strategies
1.1. Product Strategies on the Web
To create innovative and beloved products, companies have to understand their buyers, identify
the problems they want to solve, and then develop and launch the solution successfully.
An important part of the process: having a product strategy that integrates different aspects of
product development, and serves as a compass for the entire organization.
Product strategy is the overarching plan explaining what your business aims to achieve with a
product or feature. It includes how you plan to create the product, how it will impact buyers, and
how it helps achieve your business goals.
It guides the ideation, creation, and launch of your product. Though some products — such as
the microwave and super glue — happen accidentally, the majority of successful products have
an underlying, high-level product strategy to back it up.
Having a cohesive strategy helps different teams stay on track, and they will refer to it when they
have questions or need to make decisions. Once you have a solid strategy set, you can then build
out a product roadmap and, eventually, the actual product.
Product Strategy Framework Components
A product strategy often includes three core components: your market vision, product goals, and
product initiatives.
Market Vision
Your market vision includes two aspects: the target audience and the business opportunity. It
highlights how you plan to position the product and how it compares to competitors. Your vision
should also explain how you plan to deliver a competitive offer that solves customers’ problems.
For example, a software company that creates a product management tool, similar to Asana or
Trello, might include the following in their market vision:
Audience: executive-level product managers
Product positioning: an intuitive, easy-to-use interface for less technologically savvy users
Competition: existing products are unspecialized, clunky, and hard to use
Product Goals
When measuring the success of a strategy, you need time-bound, measurable goals. For example,
you could set a goal of having a customer retention rate of 97% or driving $50m+ in revenue in
three years.
A goal addresses a specific problem you aim to solve, usually with a tangible way of measuring
progress.
Product Initiatives
Alongside specific goals, your product strategy should have a complementary big-picture
component. An initiative should explain your company’s focus and areas of investment. For
example, you might set an initiative to improve the responsiveness of an app.
Unlike a goal, an initiative involves complex planning that brings together multiple stakeholders
to achieve long-term success, often spanning the entire product life cycle.
Many use goals as the foundation for their initiatives. For example, you might set a goal of
reducing the churn rate by 15% in one year. An initiative, then, might be improving the
performance and responsiveness of the app.
1.2 On-line Distribution Options
What Is Ecommerce Distribution?
Ecommerce distribution describes the methods and strategies companies use to transport
products from the distribution center to customers. To put it simply, it’s how ecommerce
companies handle order fulfillment. This includes every step, from filling an order at the
warehouse to when the delivery person hands the package to a customer. And if a customer
chooses to return their order, the management of the return will fall under the umbrella of
ecommerce distribution as well. Online retailers can handle distribution entirely in-house, or they
can partner with a third party to orchestrate transportation and delivery. Regardless of who
handles the process, the steps are the same for all businesses.
4 Steps in the Ecommerce Distribution Process
The key steps in the ecommerce fulfillment and distribution process:
order management, shipping, last mile delivery,
1. Order management
Order management involves everything from receiving and tracking orders to preparing them for
shipment. Managing orders begins when a customer first makes a purchase and places the order
online.
Next, the business will approve the purchase, authorize and accept the payment, and send the
order to the warehouse. A business with good customer service will also send the customer an
email receipt, confirming the details of their purchase and providing information on how to track
their package. Next, the order fulfillment team at the warehouse will find the items to fill the
order and package them for the next step of the process.
2. Shipping
Shipping isn’t as simple as just putting an item on a truck. When a package leaves the fulfillment
center, it often doesn’t go straight to the customer. That’s because enterprise ecommerce brands
with high order volumes often have more than one fulfillment center, typically located in
different parts of the country. To maximize efficiency, those companies send packages to
shipping centers based on the region of the delivery destination. The shipping teams at those
centers then plan and schedule routes to deliver packages to the customer.
3. Last mile delivery
Last mile delivery is the final stage, when the package arrives at the customer’s doorstep.
Unfortunately, it’s also the most expensive part of the distribution process and the most difficult
to plan. There are countless possibilities for how delivery drivers can travel from one destination
to the next. It’s very challenging to evaluate all of the options quickly and find the most efficient
route without software to help streamline the process – especially when a company has more
than a few deliveries.
BRANDING
branding is the practice of differentiating one business from another through a name, logo
design, story, messaging, and so on.
Just like a business, any product can become a brand. This is known as product branding.
Companies may sell similar products and services, but depending on their branding, they can
attract completely different customers who feel connected to their brands for specific reasons.
Branding is not merely the design of your company. In fact, you can’t design a brand. Creating a
logo design and visuals is part of branding, but first, you need to define your brand values and
identity, voice, and personality.
Why is Branding Important for Your Business?
Make Your Company Recognizable
As we mentioned above, each brand has a unique personality and a visual identity. Giving your
products/services distinctive characteristics, you help them stand out among other similar
offerings.
According to a survey by Moosylvania, the top 10 favorite brands of millennials are Nike, Apple,
Amazon, Target, Walmart, Samsung, Google, Sony, Jordan, and Adidas. Each of these
companies shows an excellent example of branding.
Gain Competitive Advantage
Connect With Your Audience on an Emotional Level
Create Employee Satisfaction and Attract New Talents
7 Components of a Brand Style Guide
To establish a brand and keep its consistency, you’ll need a brand style guide. Your brand style
guide is all about how you present yourself to the public. As your company grows, it becomes
harder to maintain consistency. A simple Word document with brief guidelines on what your
brand should look, sound, and feel like will go a long way.
1. Brand Message and Values A brand message is a way to connect to your target audience.
With the right brand message, you can inspire and persuade customers to choose you.
Example: Apple – Think different. Nike – Just do it. Coca-Cola – Taste the Feeling.
2. Brand Personality
Your company’s personality is the way you embody your brand message. Brand personality helps
you connect to your audience on an emotional level and makes you different from your
competition.
3. Logo Design
Your company logo is a symbol associated with your company and is the face of your brand
identity. Branding statistics show that 75 percent of customers recognize a brand by its logo.
What comes to your mind when you see a bitten apple? The logos of Apple, of course.
4. Tone of Voice Defining your brand voice will help to solidify your aspired brand image in the
minds of your customers.
5. Typography Typography is another key player in branding. It extends your brand’s visual
identity also to include text. The way you write
6. Color Palette
Never underestimate the power of colors. Colors convey certain emotions and feelings, so you
need to find the right ones
7. Images, Videos, and Graphics
Another inseparable part of your brand is the visuals you create and distribute across your
website and social media.