Category: Other

Do you want to begin with marketing online, but don’t know where to start? You will need to follow a certain framework to know the benefits of digital marketing and avoid the pitfalls.

Visser, Berend and Berry (2018) talks about a 7 step strategic approach to internet marketing. Let’s take a look at these steps.

1. Goal
   First, you have to decide what you or your organization wants to accomplish and write down your goals. I recommend using the SMART method. It stands for:
   
   S – Specific – it has to be clear and sensible: make sure to describe it precisely.
   M – Measurable – make sure you can measure it in time, actions, currency and other units.
   A – Acceptable – the goal has to be acceptable and attractive enough for you and your co-workers.
   R – Relevant – it has to be realistic enough to feel/know that it’s achievable. It’s easy to go out of line and make goals that are hardly achievable.
   T – Time Based – always set time for each and every goal. A SMART goal therefore has a clear starting time and a clear end date. This will keep you focused and motivated.

2. Market analysis
In this step you are going to analyze the market. What is the current and the future situation in the market? To do that, you may use a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. To analyze the market, you are going mostly to use Opportunities and Threats, cause these two are external.

Opportunities: New ideas? New product? New market? Make sure to inspect every possibility.

Threats: These may include things that might potentially harm your business. Competitors, financial risks… you name it.

3. Organization analysis
In this step you du basically the same as in step 2. Typically, Strengths and Weaknesses are considered internal factors, cause they are the result of organizational decisions, but you may also analyze internal Opportunities and Threats. It’s important to find out if you can improve the technology, resources or competence, or/and if you need to to some changes.

Strengths: What are the things your company does well? It may be an unique product, or your name, norms or your people.

Weakness: What’s holding your business back? Be critical and self-aware.

4. Confrontation
This is the point where you are going to need to be as critical as possible. Go through the results of your SWOT analysis and make a plan for what you need to change.

5. Segmentation, Target Market and Positioning (STP)
You may have already had your segment, but after the SWOT analysis you may have found other relevant target markets for your business. Find your customer.

6. Objectives and Marketing Mix
What do you have to change to reach the customer? Here comes the Marketing Mix (4P’s). Using the SWOT analysis outcome, decide how your 4P’s: Product, Price, Place and Promotion are going to look like. Maybe you just need to do some small changes in Promotion and Price? Maybe you need to upgrade the product? There is no right answer, it depends on your personal business, your customers needs and SWOT.

7. Implementation
The last step: plan for what your business is going to have to go through to reach the goal. You may have to make changes in your technology. You may need to change the amount of resources. You may even need to change some of your organizational methods get to where you want to be.

It’s important to have a plan while striving for success. Clear strategic steps is the only thing that will keep you focused on your goals. There are many other factors that affect online marketing, but learning the 7 step strategy is a good start.

Sources:
Visser, Marjolein, Berend Sikkenga & Mike Berry. 2018. Digital Marketing Fundamentals. Groningen: Noordhoff Uitgevers
SWOT Analysis – WordStream

This semester I’m having Digital Marketing. For the last exam we were supposed to take different courses to learn digital secrets to analyzing customer’s behaviour. Here’s what I have learned in the last month:

To kickstart my knowledge, first I had to take Fundamentals of Digital Marketing on Google Digital Garage. The course is pretty simple, easy to follow. Mainly, cause it’s for people who basically have no knowledge in digital things. Since I’m finishing the second year of my studies and have had some experience with building my own web shop, advertising on social media platforms before, this course was a ‘piece of cake’ for me. Though, I would definitely recommend it to anyone. You don’t have to have any experience. Take the course and you may change your career in just 40 hours.

Google Analytics Academy was something completely new for me. I knew what are the most basics that this software does, but later on I couldn’t believe how much information you might learn by using it. For example I had heard about retargeting advertisement before, but now I finally know how to use it for my own. I now know that I can analyze almost every single type of data and action that my site visitors create.

I guess my favorite course was Introduction to Data Studio. This is a Google tool which vizualises information you import from different sources, like Google Analytics and Google sheets. I am the girl who likes visualization. Think of having all your data analyzed, arranged in a way you like and put to one place! This is something I’m going to use in the future.

Taking these courses was inspiring and motivating. I have learned how to track the sources which link people to my website, which of my pages are helping me to sell products, which products are performing the best and worst on my site, so on and on…

Are you thinking of taking these courses any time soon? Do you have a business which you are ready to take to another level? Or maybe you are just curious how stuff works online? Don’t hesitate and go on! You might be surprised how much you will learn in such a short time. Digital world is both interesting and exciting.

1. Decide what you’re going to sell

Before you start doing anything, think of the concept itself. You have to have a clear image (at least in your head) of what items you are thinking of selling, what prices you are going to offer and who is your ideal customer.

2. Choose if you’re going to hold your own products or use dropshipping

Carefully decide and calculate if you are thinking of buying your goods in advance. Why? Because you may find that it would be more reasonable to choose dropshipping. How does it work? When you sell a product, you purchase the item from a third party and they ship it directly to the customer. In this way you don’t have to manage your stock and handle the merchandise yourself.

3. Brainstorm your business name and buy a domain

It make take you awhile to come up with a unique name for your brand or service. Try to keep it as simple as possible. Customers engage in labels that are easy to type and remember. When you are finally satisfied with the name, you need to buy a domain to make your website look professional. You can find many different providers online (I used Webhuset.no). Take note that it may take up to 24 hours to confirm your domain. After that you can easily connect it to your website.

4. Find a platform to create your website, the one which suits you best

The most popular ones are Shopify, BigCommerce, Weebly, WIX or WooCommerce. I guess Shopify is the most popular one this year, but personally I like WIX the most. It is modern, simple to use, and it has way more tools and plug-ins than the other ones. But feel free to explore and compare your options!

5. Set up the most necessary features

Your main page is going to be judged like the cover of a book. Keep it simple, neat and easy to navigate. Browse your favorite online stores to see how others do it. You might also find inspiration for other features!

Don’t forget to set up your contact form. It’s extremely recommended, since it makes it easier for potential buyers to ask questions and for you to give them an outstanding customer service. You may also use a live chatbox. In that way you can answer questions even faster.

Implement payment methods. Credit card payment is a must have, since it’s still is one of the most used paying methods in the world. For this I recommend using Stripe. Don’t forget to add the popular PayPal or whatever payment method is popular in your country.

6. And last but not least: your marketing plan

It’s time to find out how you are going to bring traffic to your website and turn your visitors into customers. I highly recommend using e-mail marketing. It’s easier to attract someone’s attention by promising them awards. For example offer a discount or a free shipping and in return, ask them to sign up to your mailing list. My advice: do not spam people with e-mails, cause it takes only one click to unsubscribe. Your efforts might go nowhere.

Also, consider writing a blog. It helps boosting SEO. Blog posts that specifically use a variety of SEO tactics can give you more opportunities to rank in search engines and get customers to visit your site.

Congrats! You made it through the checklist. Don’t forget to keep your site up to date. Good luck!

Thank you for reading,

Deimante Kros

Summer season is just around the corner. Let’s make this season a green one. Wondering how? By investing in sustainable swimwear brands.

I discovered some of the nicest European brands that use recycled material: Econyl. It’s made from recycled fishing nets, plastic bottles and other plastic debris found in the ocean. By recycling, we are not increasing the demand for plastic and are helping to give new life to what otherwise would have to end up in the trash.

These are the top 3 of mine:

1. ilovebelove

”We believe in lasting aesthetics, creating timeless and versatile garments, with refined lines, where beauty and comfort converge, with the influence of our Mediterranean roots.
We use natural and sustainable materials in our collections. Our swimwear collection has the highest quality Italian recycled fabrics. We control the entire production process of our garments. All handmade and 100% local production.”

2. COCOTAM

”Our swimwear offers a modern approach to feminine silhouettes. The color palette is inspired by earth tones with a hint of fantasy including nude, red and deep rose tones. All garments are handmade in Lithuania using Italian ECONYL Lycra of the best quality. The fabric is produced from discarded fishing nets and other plastic waste found in the ocean. It is long lasting, chlorine and sun resistant, which minimize the waste.”

3. PURA Clothing

”Today, textiles are still being produced under inhumane and environmentally damaging conditions. Our goal is to contribute to a more sustainable textile industry. The PURA parts not only look stunning and underline the beauty of every woman, but it is also extremely important to us to focus on sustainable and fair production. All parts are made by hand in Switzerland and Italy using the softest, most beautiful and highest quality Italian fabrics (100% recycled).”

Do you know more sustainable swimwear brands which are based in Europe? Please, let me know in the comments below.

Welcome to your go to fashion and business marketing insider blog. My name is Deimante Kros and my plan is to keep you informed with latest marketing news. The main topics I am going to cover are fashion, brand management and developing and digital marketing. So sit comfortably and enjoy!