marketing proposal

Executive Summary

Social media, and a strong online presence is imperative to the successful future of E.G. Geller. Now that we’ve completed our entrance into the online world, we now must utilize social media and online marketing to grow the E.G. Geller online store to new heights.

In order to achieve this, we need to not only grow and strengthen our existing customer base, but we also need to create new, lifelong E.G. Geller customers. E.G. Geller can successfully attain these goals by creating a Social Media Manager Position. This position would utilize social media to cement E.G. Geller’s online presence.

Over the next year, a Social Media Manager can implement a successful social media strategy through the likes of Search Engine Optimization, Facebook, Twitter, and Blogging. Not only will this strengthen the E.G. Geller brand by reminding our customers that we are an industry leader, but it will also grow the online store to the heights you have envisioned.

PROPOSAL

Social Media Manager: Establishing, building, and growing social media integration into our communications structure. My role also includes designing, implementing, and managing tracking measurements to monitor goals of building E.G. Geller’s image, customer involvement, and ROI. Additionally, I will be coordinating, facilitating, and integrating social media functions throughout E.G Geller.

Long-Term Goals: Get, Keep, and Grow Customers

· Get/Acquisition

· Find new customers through social media

· Decrease acquisition costs of new customers by utilizing social media

· Facilitate referrals and pass-along information between customers through the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, and Youtube.

· Keep/Retention

· Improve retention rates for newly acquired customers

· Improve retention rates for on-going customers by engaging with them online.

· Shorten repeat sales cycles or time between visits by creating lasting relationships, and reminding them through social media outlets.

· Grow/Build Share of Wallet

· Increase average ticket size

· Facilitate cross-sell and up-sell of items, through suggesting similar or complementary products through website.

· Develop a community and build involvement on all levels

Short-Term Day-to-Day Goals: Content that leads to Communication that leads to Conversation than leads to Conversion

· Content

· Audience targeted and relevant to the receiver

· Create share worthy, meaningful content that our customers will pass along.

· Media specific (tweets short, blogs longer, etc.)

· Communication

· Available through multiple social media outlets including email, newsletters, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook

· Syndicated our message through these various outlets to provide clear and consistent message

· Coordinated throughout the organization, not only online but also in the 3 physical stores.

· Conversation

· Engages organization with constituents and constituents with constituents

· Curate the conversations (not censor)

· Focus on listening and encouraging others to speak by asking them to take part in the conversation. 2 way conversation.

· Conversion

· Facilitate “Advocate” relationships with high PR value, offer reassurance and support to new customers

· Make the process of gathering information before the sale easier for customers with easy to find relevant information online

· Make the buying process easier regardless of media

One Year Plan: To establish a consistent presence across social media, coordinated with the organizations on-going functions and goals, that has a defined set of tactics, measurements, and expected ROI contribution.

Goalposts by Time Frame:

Phase 1 (0-60 Days):

· Develop a plan to coordinate communication needs and develop share-worthy content online.

· Determine existing capabilities and restraints in coordinating systems and IT functions through new/different media, define how to coordinate CRM functions and touch points

· Develop a specific map of what social mechanisms will be used or managed by the Social Media Manager (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.)

Phase 2 (3-6 Months):

· Develop a calendar of communication to develop and place content along with “best guess” social benchmark goals (Reach, CPA, PR Value, ARPU, SEO, etc.)

· Establish initial social sites and blogs, beginning feeding content and managing communication

· Put in place tracking mechanisms, syndication software, and live-test order-taking (mailchimp, Modern Retail, and Google Analytics)

Phase 3 (7-12 Months)

· Establish social media benchmark goals (based on testing) to refine “best guess” goals

· Determine the optimal management structure where social media best fits within E. G. Geller

· Create both communication and tracking measures that relate to Get, Keep, and Grow, and develop a Social Media budget with both specific cost and specific revenue ROI goals

Expected Cost:

Salary: $40,000 ($15/ hour + 3% commission of all online sales)

Benefits: $2,000

Software: $1,200 (Email management, analytics software)

Google Adwords: $14,000 (agreed budget for 2013)

Outside Services: $12,000 ($1,000 a month Modern Retail)

One-Year Total: $55,200

Direct Mail

Main Priorities:

· Remind existing customers of new products and campaigns.

· Send timely communication to customers so they have a chance to be a repeat customer.

· Create individualized messages that cater to the customer’s needs.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· Continue to send out direct mail to get our existing customers back into the store.

· Utilize CRM and cater direct mail to our individual customer, thus increasing the conversion rate.

· Target new customers with giveaways to grow our customer base and get new, local customers into our doors.

Email

Main Priorities:

· Efficiently reach large customer base at a very low price.

· Allows us to send out timely information, as it is instantly delivered.

· Allows for immediate action from customers, they can click the link in the email and go straight to purchase a product.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· Target new customers and continue to grow our email list

· Measure the response rate. We need to analyze the open rate, click-through rate, and most importantly conversion rate.

· Try something different each email-test different times, colors, topics, and continue to optimize our emails.

Website

Main Priorities:

· Provide information on products and store locations as well as hours.

· Give customers an even easier medium to purchase through.

· Provide customers with the option to see our products without even coming into the store.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· We can create a “new products” section of the website that allows our customers to see all the new products in one place.

· Use the website as a clearance store where we can sell through last years models.

· Gives us the option to capitalize on customers that are outside of the physical area of the local stores.

Segmentation and Targeting

Main Priorities:

· Create messages that can be segmented down to more appropriate reach sectors of customers.

· Target new customers that match some of the demographics of other customers.

· Allows for more successful/ higher conversion rate of marketing material.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· By segmenting our customers, we can more successfully cater to their individual needs.

· Target new customers that are in the same segments as our current customers—grow the business.

· By having more segmented products and marketing, we can increase sales.

Budgeting and Direct-Marketing Financial Measures

Main Priorities:

· Analyze the most cost effective means of reaching our customers.

· Look at priorities, (lifetime value, payback period, profit, etc.) and align direct marketing measures with budget.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· Using direct mail might be more expensive on paper, but it provides the highest conversion rate, as of current.

· Align online media budgets with expectations and sales.

· Constantly revisit and revise, this is a working budget.

Copy and Creative

Main Priorities:

· Stand out from the clutter.

· Increase reader involvement as well as interest by creatively displaying product.

· Establish/reaffirm the personality of the brand.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· Chance to show innovation and creativity by appearing different than our competition.

· Have fun with our customers, by creatively displaying information and products, our customers can relax and have fun.

· Clearly stand out from our competitors by showing that the E.G. Geller brand not only cares about our customers, but also cares about our employees by letting their personalities shine through the organization.

Tracking systems

Main Priorities:

· Let us look at past and provide a look at how future trends might play out.

· Look at customer purchasing habits and cater to their individual needs.

· Allow us to see how different changes effect outcomes almost immediately

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· Monitor trends and adjust inventory purchases accordingly.

· Increase the share of wallet of customers by catering specifically to their historical habits.

· Analyze changes in product offers based upon past successes.

White Papers

Main Priorities:

· Show customer’s our knowledge of European comfort shoes.

· Establish ourselves as the “go to” experts in the industry.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· White papers allow E.G. Geller to create meaningful online content that will increase website traffic by boosting relevancy and online presence.

· White papers allow us to go into detail with our customers, the importance of foot health which gives us an opportunity to show the benefits of our product lines.

· E.G. Geller will strengthen its brand with White Papers, as they establish credibility within the industry not only for new and existing customers, but also for those within the industry.

Blogging

Main Priorities:

· Blogging allows us to stimulate customer discussion. This two way discussion engages customers, creating much more involvement than traditional one way communication.

· Blogging once again allows E.G. Geller to create new, interesting content--promoting customer relationships and improving our online presence, thus strengthening brand image as a whole.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· E.G. Geller can use blogging to convert readers to customers. The blog will allow readers to see why our products are so important, and how our knowledge really sets us apart from our competition.

· Involved customers are much more loyal than passive customers. This interaction allows customers to join us in the discussion, and provide feedback. When they see that we care about each customer individually, they are likely to stay with us.

· E.G. Geller can use blogging to really listen to customer demands, and identify areas of improvement. We can hear what customers are looking for before they set foot in the store, and this information is invaluable in not only the in-store experience we can provide them, but also in picking out new lines of product for upcoming seasons.

· Blogging drastically improves SEO, as constant new content is made available and made searchable.

Twitter

Main Priorities:

· Trendy, concise, timely #140characterlimit

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· Although Twitter doesn’t closely relate to a lot of our current clientele, an effective Twitter campaign is still a must for E.G. Geller. This trendy tool can help us focus on a lot of the younger clientele our new lines are starting to aim at.

· Twitter allows information to be spread instantly. The speed at which Twitter is capable of reaching our customers can come in handy reminding them of last minute trunk-shows, updated store hours, holiday closings, and new lines arriving.

· Twitter reminds our customers that we are there. Our short tweets are unlikely to directly generate revenue, but customers simply seeing our light-hearted, simple messages will keep E.G. Geller in the back of their mind.

Facebook

Main Priorities:

· Provide customers with another channel to purchase through as the web continues its path of decentralization.

· Facebook allows E.G. Geller to their integrate social media channels into a streamlined, uniform message.

· Create marketing buzz through Facebook events, likes, comments, and posts.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· Facebook just another way to get customers talking about the E.G. Geller brand. It allows customers to join the conversation and create buzz about the brand themselves. Allowing our customer to do marketing through word of mouth is incredibly valuable to increasing the E.G. Geller brand, thus increasing sales both in stores and online.

· Facebook also allows customers another means to purchase E.G. Geller products through. Facebook lets customers purchases products available on the E.G. Geller website without having to even leave Facebook. This simplicity leads to higher conversion as customers don’t have to take as many steps to purchase.

· Having a strong Facebook presence is very valuable not only in the online/social media presence of E.G. Geller, but also the entire E.G Geller brand. With over 500 million users and counting, Facebook simply cannot be ignored.

YouTube

Main Priorities:

· Create instructional YouTube videos that connect to customers.

· Diversify blogs by utilizing YouTube to disperse information to customers in new, unique ways.

· YouTube can be used to once again connect with customers by showing the fun, light-hearted side of the brand.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· E.G. Geller can utilize YouTube to increase the success of blogs

· Increase the share of wallet of customers by catering specifically to their historical habits.

· Analyze changes in product offers based upon past successes.

Website Analytics

Main Priorities:

· Website analytics allow for the tracking of visitors on the company website.

· Analytics show the routes customers are taking to access our website, which allows for optimizing online advertising.

· Shows us what products customers are looking at, how long they are staying on our site, and most importantly which customers are actually purchasing.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· E.G. Geller can use analytics to tailor the website for optimal sales based upon what the website analytics show is most successful.

· Monitoring the traffic source will allow E. G. Geller to determine which social media outlets are appropriate for disbanding different information.

· Determine the success of SEO and Google Adwords campaigns by tracking website analytics to conclude successes and failures.

Search Engine Optimization

Main Priorities:

· SEO allows for improving search results organically, which increases search engine results without contributing additionally for pay-per-click.

· Provide our customers with easier find solution to their comfort shoe needs by making our products easier to find through search engines.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· E. G. Geller can increase website traffic greatly by making pages within our site much easier to find for search engines by adding text to footers and creating more unique, detailed product descriptions.

· By adding labels to all of the pictures on our site, we make the searchable through Google Images, driving our web traffic and increasing our page rank.

Pay Per Click

Main Priorities:

· Generate targeted traffic to website by bringing in new customers searching for keywords and phrases associated with our products.

· Create new customers that are searching terms that allow knew target market to be touched.

· Increase exposure and awareness of brand and products to existing customers.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· E. G. Geller can utilize pay per click advertising to reach new customers that align to the goals of the various product lines as well as the company as a whole

· Pay per click advertising can also allow an increase in traffic to the website by connecting with existing customers that may be looking for products from competitors.

Google Checkout

Main Priorities:

· Add convenience for shoppers as their credit card account information is stored by Google, and purchases can be performed with the click of the button.

· Increased fraud protection as Google has industry leading security and inscription on all Google Checkout software.

· Increase sales as, becoming a part of the Google Checkout allows products to be searchable through Google Shopping, which increases online presence.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· Google Checkout allows E.G. Geller to enter into the Google Shopping network, which increases the opportunities for customers to purchase.

· By implementing Google Checkout, E.G. Geller will once again solidify itself as a cutting edge company with the latest, up-to-date software and product knowledge.

· Google Checkout provides yet another level of increased fraud protection, just one less thing E.G. Geller has to worry about.

Pinterest

Main Priorities:

· Showcase products by posting or “pinning” pictures of the product on Pinterest

· Increase traffic to store website, as the pictures pinned on Pinterest are direct links to purchase the product.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· Pinterest allows E.G. Geller to show off a more creative, fun side to the brand. Showing our customers that we have a personality that they can connect with.

· The E.G. Geller website will see increases in traffic as a result of popular pins. As users pin our photos, they will be taken to our site, which gives them an opportunity to make a purchase right then and there.

· Pinterest once again allows E.G. Geller to connect with the younger demographic that the product lines are beginning to represent.

Website Optimization

Main Priorities:

· Optimize website layout for ease of navigation by customers

· Enhance content on website to align with SEO goals, contributing to the overall goal of increasing pagerank.

· Sync website descriptions with Google Adwords to insure ads are being used properly and most efficiently.

How this relates to E.G. Geller:

· Increased website optimization means our customers can more easily find our products, the easier the navigation, the lower the click through rate.

· Website optimization allows for a higher pagerank, which bottom line, brings more customers to our website. Not only does this mean increased online sales, but it also furthers the E.G. Geller brand, and helps contribute to in-store sales as well.

· Increased efficiency in the money used in Google Adwords campaigns quite simply means more money back into the business. Optimization allows for more of the money spent in advertising to actually go to our target audience, decreasing the amount of money wasted on non-potential customers.

Timeframe

Summary of Social Media Manager Responsibilities

The Social Media Manager would oversee the day-to-day operations of the online store and responsibilities would include:

· Work with management to determine target customers, and utilize different means discussed in this proposal to reach target market.

· Create and renew accurate, tailored product descriptions for website

· Allow for more prioritized in-store management by: overtaking responsibility of taking pictures of products, creating and renewing accurate, tailored product descriptions, resolving online customer issues, and updating all social media, blogging, and email communication.

· Oversee web customer relations

· Work with Modern Retail for updates and continual maintenance

· Discuss online store growth expectations and utilize the discussed metrics to ensure goals are met