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Kevin and Debra Rollins Center for eBusiness - Planning Your Internet Marketing Strategy
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Planning Your Internet Marketing Strategy

Planning Your Internet Marketing Strategy

Ralph F. Wilson

Reviewed by D. Richard Dance, CPA, President/CEO of UPchannels and Ann H. Jenkins, Office Manager

February 2003

Richard Dance reviews the book Planning Your Internet Marketing Strategy. The book is designed for start-up to mid-sized companies. Notable chapters include discussion on strategic planning and "naming your online business."

Dr. Ralph Wilson, the book's author, was the 2001 recipient of the Tenagra Award for "Individual Contribution to Internet Marketing."

The Book

The purpose of Planning Your Internet Marketing Strategy is to help you think through your strategy in a fairly comprehensive, yet practical manner. The book was written for small start-up to medium sized businesses that are trying to increase their impact and profits by leveraging inventory and services via the Internet.

To get a flavor of the type of suggestions that Dr. Wilson gives his readers, we refer you to Chapter 11 on "Understanding Your Customers." A sub-section in Chapter 11 discusses how to learn about your web site's visitors. Here are Dr. Wilson's eight suggestions:

  1. Monitor email inquires and complaints
  2. Provide online questionnaires
  3. Send out email questionnaires
  4. Use cookies strategically
  5. Examine order files
  6. Provide site personalization
  7. Study your traffic logs
  8. Employee JavaScript

The book itself is not expensive. Appendix A, "27 Ways to Promote Your Web Site," is worth the price alone.

The Author

In 2001, Dr. Wilson received the Tenagra Award for "Individual Contribution to Internet Marketing." This award is considered the "Nobel Prize of Internet marketing," according to Dr. Cliff Kurtzman, Tenagra president and CEO.

Dr. Kurtzman made the following comments at the awards presentation:

"Dr. Ralph Wilson is widely recognized as an International authority in the area of Web marketing and e-commerce. He is the founding editor of three popular e-business publications: Web Marketing Today, Web Commerce Today, and Doctor Ebiz. He is read by over 140,000 subscribers monthly, in more than 130 countries worldwide. His Doctor Ebiz column is syndicated on over 300 web sites. His work has been praised and cited in over two dozen books, numerous Web directories, and many periodicals, such as: The Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily, Business Week, PC Magazine, and MSNBC. Ralph Wilson is the champion of the small business person who wants to do it right and inexpensively. As an educator, speaker, and writer he has had a great impact on e-marketing for this market segment. His web site is a tremendous resource."

Here is what Karen Cheney said about Ralph Wilson in the 31 January 2000 issue of Business Week:

"For tips and news on Internet marketing or e-commerce, Internet guru Ralph Wilson's web site www.wilsonweb.com is a favorite spot among small-business owners. For full access to the site, you must pay an annual $49.95 subscription fee. But there is plenty there that is free, including the twice-monthly e-mail newsletter Web Marketing Today, which covers everything from site promotion to optimizing listings on search engines. Chat on web marketing in the site's active forum or check out the Research Room for the largest collection of articles on e-commerce at any single site, with 43 categories, including credit card issues, Internet commerce law, and shopping software technology."

In the May 2001 issue of Business 2.0 Marcia Yudkin said:

"Someone happening upon one of the web sites of Wilson Internet Services for the first time might imagine an army of writers and editors working behind the scenes, all fed by venture capital millions. With about 1,000 idea-crammed pages at www.wilsonweb.com and its associated Doctor Ebiz site, plus more than 7,500 links to web marketing and ecommerce resources, the Wilson site comprises the largest research center on Internet marking anywhere on the Web. Yet creating and managing Wilson Internet Services is largely the work of one man, Ralph F. Wilson. Wilson, a Baptist minister, runs the site, handling ad sales and nearly all of the writing with the help of just two link editors and his daughter, Ann, as sub-contractors."

Dr. Wilson said, "I've very deliberately kept my organization lean so I can focus on what I do best, be nimble enough to change as the markets change, and have the freedom to pursue my calling in the Christian ministry."

E-Business Sites and Services

Dr. Wilson's main web site is www.wilsonweb.com. The site offers the following goods and services:
  • Telephone Consulting
  • Speaking
  • Internet Newsletters
  • Internet Marketing Seminars
  • E-Books & Other Publications

Telephone consulting is $125 dollars/hour for a one hour minimum and maximum. Anything over that is $375 per hour or $3,000 for the first day and $1,500 for subsequent days. Speaking is for tradeshows and conferences. Fees range from $2,995 to $4,995. 50% must be paid in advance.

Dr. Wilson offers three Internet newsletters:

  1. Web Marketing Today, a free service, has 120,000 subscribers
  2. Web Commerce Today is $49.95/year
  3. Doctor Ebiz is also $49.95/year

Internet marketing seminars are usually held in the Spring and Fall. They cost anywhere from $197 to $265. Visit www.wilsonweb.com/seminar to see the full schedule. The seminar materials are also available in VCR, VCD, and DVD formats.

Where to Obtain the Book

It can be purchased directly from the following sources:

  • Amazon.com web site www.amazon.com [Paperback] $13.97
  • Barnes and Noble store or web site www.bn.com [Paperback] $19.95
  • Booksamillion web site www.bamm.com [Hardcover] Regular price $19.95, Club price $13.38

Standard Information about UPchannels

UPchannels focuses on delivering five primary services:

  1. Provides hope for information overload through Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) training and seminars for individuals, families, and organizations.
  2. Offers the CRM Researcher's Directory through Bob Thompson's CRMGuru.
  3. Serves as Knowledge Management editor for the Open Directory Project on the Internet.
  4. Creates XBRL Financial Reporting knowledge bases and training for CPAs and companies.
  5. Does special projects and marketing whitepapers for growth oriented software vendors.

For more information on UPchannels visit their website at www.upchannels.com

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