Small business owners often search for quick examples of real life action plans, marketing strategies and case studies. This action plan, which was called an ‘internet strategy’ by the businesses from which it was gleaned, highlights some of the key areas of improvement that were targeted for development over the course of a fiscal year.

Identifying information has been removed for confidentiality purposes.

1. Search Engine Advertising
   1. Expand Google Adwords budget and targeted ads
      1. Select key product/service groups to highlight
      2. Create a new web landing page(s) as the destination page of the new ad campaigns
      3. Implement “conversion tracking” on key ads
   2. Expand campaigns to Yahoo/Bing
2. Newsletter Marketing
   1. Create a second newsletter and distribution list for an important customer segment
   2. Create an annual plan for newsletters that target special occasions, offers and deals throughout the year
      1. Holiday-themed Newsletters: Independence Day, Halloween, Memorial Day, Christmas
      2. Social media promo/invite newsletter
      3. New product/service announcement
      4. Two newsletters/mo.
         1. One general and one targeted
      5. Online Surveys
         1. Expand strategy for capturing and measuring customer experiences
         2. Auto add new customers to newsletter email list
            • When new email is added an auto responder would be sent with a link to survey.
            • Followup positive reviews with links to online review sites
3. Internet Advertising
   1. Choose an internet advertising firm for expanded banner ad strategy
      1. Example: Richmond Times Dispatch
4. Crowd Sourcing
   1. Consider using and/or promoting Foursquare, GroupOn, etc.
5. Social Media
   1. Create a Google + page for the business
   2. Geo-location check-in deals
   3. Facebook
      1. Increase daily ads budget by 15%
      2. Continue offering weekly prizes
      3. Create quarterly prizes for bigger gifts
      4. Encourage staff to ‘like’ our FB page and ask them to invite their friends to ‘like the page and interact with fans.
      5. Create exclusive coupon(s) for Facebook fans using a reveal tab.
         1. Example: Another Way Driving School
   4. Linkedin
      1. Encourage key staff to sign up for an account and list the business as their place of employment
   5. YouTube
      1. Create a second channel to solely highlight products/services
      2. Create a schedule for publishing videos
6. Referral/Review/Local Directory Sites
   1. Claim free local directory listings on key local sites
   2. Consider upgrading key local listings
      1. YellowPages.com ($50/75/104/144/mo)
7. Content/Article Marketing
   1. Cross post product inventory and blog articles on other websites
      1. Example: Ezinearticles.com, eBay, Craigslist, etc.
8. QR Code Expansion
   1. Use in print-based advertisements and on product packaging
9. Existing Website
   1. Improve home page layout and overall navigation
   2. Create mobile version of site
   3. Create expanded pages for key products/services
10. New Websites
    1. Create an affiliate website that targets a key product/service