One of the main services we provide to clients is creating an Internet Business Strategy. While I’d like to think there is a certain level of expertise to creating a formal Internet strategic plan, I do believe that every business owner can get into the mindset of thinking strategically. Even if you feel you’re not up to the task of creating your own Internet strategic plan, understanding what goes into creating one can help you think about ways to improve how you do business online.
At the heart of formal strategic planning is creating a strategic plan. While there are many different details that can go into a strategic plan, there are some basics that are important to think about:
- Executive Summary – Every formal report should have an executive summary which highlights the main findings. The summary should include all the top-level information that a CEO needs to know to make a decision (without reading the rest of the report). The trick is to keep the summary to only one page, so being concise is important.
- Methodologies – As part of the planning, think about who needs to be involved in the Internet strategy, how you’re going to plan the strategy, how to strategize, who is going to write the plan, and how to monitor the plan.
- Current Situation – Where does the company currently stand as far as web presence? What does the company stand for online? What do other people think of the company and products? What are your online competitors?
- Vision & Goals – What does the company want to accomplish online?
- Requirements – What are the requirements in order to meet the goals? These requirements need to incorporate all aspects of the company that are affected by the implementation.
- Implementation – How are you going to accomplish your goals? The plan needs to include milestones, budget, marketing, and, most importantly, how you will monitor for success.
This is the first in a series of posts discussing Internet Business Strategy. In the next set of posts, we’ll discuss these steps of an Internet strategic plan in more detail.
(photo by pshutterbug)
Related Posts:
- How to Create an Internet Business Strategy – Methodologies
- Internet Business Strategy – What is the Current Situation?
- Vision & Goals for your Internet Business Strategy
- What are the Requirements for your Internet Business Strategy to Succeed?
- Creating an Internet Business Strategy – Implementation
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