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Ralph Wilson: Planning your Internet Marketing Strategy 
Ralph Wilson, known to many as "Doctor Ebiz," is the guru of online marketing. He began as a web designer, but by 1995, he saw the potential in helping small businesses develop their online presence. He now focuses on helping other businesses benefit from his knowledge of Internet marketing. Although more and more businesses were finding their way to the web, Ralph saw that there was a critical shortage of information available on how to develop a successful marketing plan for the Internet.
Many businesses started with a great service or product, but ended up floundering because they lacked the knowledge to leverage the Internet as a marketing and selling tool. Ralph´s initial strategy was to publish an email newsletter with information on web marketing that would allow him to nurture potential design clients. But while the newsletter began as a way to cultivate new business for his design firm, it had taken on a life of its own, eventually growing to over 120,000 names. He abandoned design in favor of consulting, and is now recognized as one of the top authorities on e-business. Currently, Ralph is the Editor of three separate newsletters: Dr. Ebiz, a weekly newsletter aimed at relative newcomers to doing business on the web; Web Marketing Today, his most popular newsletter; and Web Commerce Today , a paid subscription service focusing on e-commerce. Ralph is also the author of Planning your Internet Marketing Strategy, which was released this year. He has taken some of his most valuable lessons and ideas about Internet marketing and made them available offline in this "Doctor Ebiz Guide." What he has created isn´t simply a "how to promote your website" book, but an explanation of how to plan an online business so that it will succeed. We spoke with Ralph recently and asked him about his latest venture. To begin with, we wanted to know whom he sees as the audience for this book. Not surprisingly, the answer was us: small business owners and operators who want to grow their business on the Internet. "I talk and correspond with a lot of small business people who are trying to make something work on the Internet and can´t seem to get the hang of it. I´m convinced that careful planning and research is necessary to develop a successful online business. Planning your Internet Marketing Strategy is designed to take people step-by-step through the process of developing an Internet marketing plan that will actually work." The book coaches business owners from the planning stage through to implementation. Ralph thinks that business owners need to approach their marketing strategy in the same way that they would approach their business plan. A successful marketing plan is the result of solid research, brand development, knowing the competition, careful budgeting, and effective promotion... Not just flashy banner ads or a pretty homepage! We asked Ralph why, in his opinion, do only 50% of today´s mainstream companies have a web element to their businesses? He believes that many company owners feel simply that their business has been successful without it, so they´re not interested in taking a risk to try something new. If they´re not familiar with computers or the Internet, perhaps they´re not fully aware of all the benefits an online component can provide for them. Maybe they´ve heard the horror stories about the fall of the dot.coms and fear that they, too, will fail. Lastly and most simply, he felt that quality web sites for a reasonable price aren´t necessarily available, or even useful, to everyone. "Not all businesses are suited to internet marketing, per se," But for those existing businesses that want to investigate an online component, his recommendation is this: "Don´t think in terms of putting your whole business online. Figure out which parts of your business lend themselves to an Internet presence and put them online." Every chapter of Planning your Internet Marketing Strategy closes with a hands-on exercise so you can get your feet wet on paper before you apply new skills. It is analytical without being ponderous, and thorough without being tedious. Even those of us who are familiar and comfortable with Internet marketing ideas would do well to read this book and take a closer look at how we´ve built our marketing plans, and what else we can do to ensure our success. If you´re a concerned that a book on Internet marketing will be filled with intimidating technical jargon or complicated computer discussions, fear not. Ralph uses familiar business and management tools throughout the book, translating them to fit the needs of the Internet. ,p> For example, he suggests performing a SWOT analysis to create a concise snapshot of where your business currently stands. It´s a perfectly valid exercise to apply to your web business, but odds are, you probably hadn´t thought to use it. When reading Planning your Internet Marketing Strategy , it quickly becomes clear that everything you already know about running a successful brick-and-mortar business remains important Ð and applicable- to the online world.
Ralph F. Wilson can be reached at http://www.wilsonweb.com/ << Back to Homepage |