Table 5: Rates of Return to Technical Skills: h
6.1 Engineers and technical job experience
In carrying out any project, you need to plan the processes of embarking on the project. Even when you want to embark on a journey, you need to plan by finding out the aim of your journey and what you expect to achieve at the end of the journey. An E-marketing plan is just a guide and document that helps a marketer on how to implement an online marketing process. Introducing online marketing to the library requires proper planning. The followings are the seven essential steps to follow in planning for internet marketing (E-marketing),
1. Situation analysis of your firm: here, you must evaluate or analyse your marketing and company’s environment, objectives and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of your firm or organisation, which the library. You have to examine your library’s internal strengths and weaknesses concerning the environment and the institutions or firms they are or may be competing with. Explain and review any existing plan
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of the library or firm by finding out their objectives and strategies used in the e-business. Explore other opportunities and threats around you to help you to identify a target market and in identifying new product opportunities
2. E-marketing research: your research will be based on finding out market opportunities available for the firm, research on demand and supply of the product. This can be done using marketing strategies like segmentation, targeting, differentiation of your customers, and positioning your product. Also, review the strategies used for your competitors to enable you to position and differentiate your goods and services from theirs.
3. The objective of E-Marketing: What are the aims or goals to be realized from your firm's e-marketing or internet marketing.
Consider things like what is the task to be done, how much, and the time frame?. Also, can it increase market share, sales revenue, achieve brand goals, improve supply and improve the database.
4. E-marketing strategies: you have to relate the objectives of the internet marketing to the marketing mix, which is what offer will it present, advertising the product on web site, online auctions sales, generate more revenue (product), of what value is it to your firm? does it encourage online bidding, or will it bring about dynamic pricing where first-time customers are given lower prices? (pricing); what are the distribution channels like selling direct to consumers or use of agents (place) and then the communication patternlike the use of email and web page in communication with buyers and business partners for positioning and creating awareness on new products (promotion).
5. Implementation plan: you have to decide on how to accomplish your goal at this stage. You have to match the marketing mix with the organisational goals of your firm before implementing your plan. Also, consider the person you will use in carrying out your objectives and application service providers.
6. Budgeting: this determines the expected income to be realized in the marketing process and matches it with the project's cost.
Where the cost of embarking on internet marketing outweighs the revenue, it will generate. This shows that embarking on such a marketing method is not essential. In check the cost for internet marketing, you have to consider the cost of technology to be used, the cost of site design, staff salaries for development and maintenance, advertisement cost and other miscellaneous expenses.
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7. Evaluation plan: here, you have to out the areas and methods to evaluate your performances. It is advisable to use tracking systems to measure the result of internet marketing. The essence of assessing the plan is to find out whether you have achieved the objectives. This means you check your plans to determine the implementation level and challenges to choose the way forward.
4.0 SUMMARY
In this unit, you have learned the concept of the internet and what the internet has helped us transform the way we communicate with our users, selling and buying products and services. You learnt that the Internet is a connection that allows computers to be connected, talking to each to share information throughout the world which operates on a standard protocol. Also, the internet has provided us with the opportunities to widen our business, promote interaction and build relations with friends and libraries. The internet has provided a virtual space for accessing information and marketing services to a target segment. You also learned that internet marketing uses the internet to achieve the objectives of marketing processes, which is selling goods and services online or applying information technology to traditional marketing. Furthermore, you learnt that steps to planning an internet marketing include situation analysis of your firm, e-marketing research to find out the needs of your consumers, the objectives of the e-marketing, strategies employed, implementation plan, budgeting and evaluation plan. Types of internet marketing are Business to Business (B2B), Business to Consumer (B2C) and Business to Government (B2G).
5.0 CONCLUSION
Internet marketing interactivity has enabled information users to interact or dialogue with the librarians constantly. The feedback the librarians get from them has given the librarians opportunities to improve their services and library image and increase the acquisition of information resources in line with users' information needs. But you as the librarian should be careful and modest in interacting and communicating with your users online because when your user is not satisfied, it takes little time to spoil the library's image. Take your time to attend to the tutor marketed assignment below to measure your level of understanding of this unit.
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Self – Assessment Exercise (SAE)
Explain the various steps for planning internet marketing.