Writing an Internet Marketing Plan for Your Online Business

Creating an Internet marketing plan is a crucial step in launching an e-commerce website to make money on the Internet. Knowing the website's target market, competition, budget for the various Internet marketing campaigns, strengths and weaknesses allow for the most effective Internet marketing methods to be selected to get the most target visitors and profit with the least amount of investment and time.

A good Internet marketing plan should have the following outlines:

I. Executive Summary
Just like writing a traditional business plan, you need to include an executive summary into your Internet marketing plan. The executive summary is actually the overall summary of your Internet marketing plan. The executive summary will be written at the last section of your plan, but it is the first marketing plan element.

II. Market Analysis
Provide background information on market that your e-commerce website or Internet business is entering into. The background information for your market should contain the demographics of your target market, a description of the greatest competition and an analysis on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that your online business will face (SWOT analysis).

III. Internet Marketing Strategies and Goals
Once background information of your market has been completed. It is time to think about the marketing goal for your online business. Lay out your marketing goals in the Internet marketing plan, general strategies to reach those goals and write down specifically the Internet marketing methods you will apply.

IV. Finance
Setting budget is one of the most important steps in creating a plan for online marketing. You need to do some calculation and decide how much money you can invest in Internet marketing and promotion, and when some money will be allocated to specific Internet marketing methods and tactics. Also make a forecast including an anticipated revenue figure that will achieve from the planned Internet marketing efforts.

V. Evaluation
Mention how the success and failures on your marketing effort will be measured against the pre-determined marketing goals. List out the evaluation methods to be applied to prove the success of your marketing methods or tactics. Some evaluation methods you can use are online survey, focus group, etc.

VI. Addenda
Provide any additional details, charts, or other materials that cannot be included directly in the text of the Internet marketing plan.