Do Business Well

Once a strategy has been chosen, the next step is to ensure that implementation takes place as smoothly as possible. A number of key questions need to be addressed:

• Have the costs been estimated accurately (in terms of both people and money)?
• Can the customer service facilities that the site offers be fully supported?
• Can delivery of goods/services take place within stated timescales?
• Can returned goods be handled effectively?
• Are responsibilities for Web site maintenance and updating clear and appropriate?
• Is technology (fancy graphics that slow the site down, for example) used to support the business needs, or is it included just for technology’s sake?
• Will organizational change be necessary?
• How will the change processes be managed?
• Can traditional supply chains be maintained alongside new direct selling options online?
• 
• Do online marketing campaigns complement traditional marketing channels?
• How can the success of the Internet strategy be measured and evaluated?

Strategy implementation centres upon effective management of the marketing mix. To see the variety of ways that the mix can be employed in practice, have a look at the sample marketing plans later.

Whatever evaluation methods are used, they must be flexible enough to be adapted to the increasingly broad range of online marketing strategies that companies are pursuing. For example, if the site is not transactional, then the relevance of financial measures may be limited.

It is also possible to measure site usage patterns electronically, which can help with the evaluation process. To remind you, here is a summary of key techniques with some practical examples:

• log file analysis (www.webtrends.com);
• panel data (www.netratings.com);
• online questionnaires (www.websurveyor.com);
• online focus groups (www.w3focus.com);
• online mystery shopping (www.emysteryshopper.com);
• benchmarking (www.gomez.com).

So once again, the key role of research here in evaluating the success of the strategy implemented is apparent.

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