Situation analysis for digital marketing

Situation analysis for digital marketing 

The online marketplace is complex and dynamic organisations should carefully analyse the market context in which they operate, identify opportunities and then plan how they can compete effectively. Understanding an organisation’s environment is a key part of situation analysis , and forms a solid foundation for all types of marketing planning but especially when devising a digital market strategy. 

What should be reviewed in situation analysis?

From the perspective of a business creating a digital marketing plan, situation analysis should review these factors which we cover in this blogger.

A Customers 

Digital proposition and communications should be based around the customer: their characteristics, behaviours, needs and wants so our view is that marketers should start with the customer when analysing the situation. 

B Marketplace analysis including intermediaries, influencers and potential partners

This is a summary of the main online influences on purchase during the customer journey or path to purchase. We will see that there is a wide range of influences including search engines, publisher media sites, blogs, review sites and social networks which should all be considered. Marketplace analysis also involves reviewing opportunities and threats from digital media and technology including new business and revenue models. 

C Competitors

Benchmarking customer propositions and communications activities against competitors can identify opportunities for new approaches and digital marketing activities that need to be improved. 

D Wider macro-environment

These are the broader strategic influences we cover in this blogger including social, legal, environment, political and technology influences.
Another major part of situation analysis involves an inward-looking, internal review of the effectiveness of existing digital marketing approaches. This will include reviewing. 

The demands on marketers who are responsible for planning digital marketing strategies are growing significantly as they work out how to manage commercial contributions, the complexities of the competitive marketplace, social communities and innovations in technology. 

The growth in use of digital media and technology has led to a customer path to purchase that is now much more complex since purchase decisions are influenced by many more online touchpoints, which we introduced. 

In the online marketplace , consumer purchase decisions are influenced by many sources of information, such as search results, customer reviews, social media conversations, and company websites.

Additionally, potential customers are using multiple devices (sometimes simultaneously) to garner information that will inform their purchase decisions. For example, using smartphones or tablets while watching TV. 

This process is known as multiscreening . The digital influences are also supplemented by exposure to traditional communications such as TV, print or radio advertising.

In the next two chapters we look at how organisations might assess the digital environment and in doing so identify implications for digital marketing strategy.

We begin by looking at online consumer behaviour, focussing on the main forces that influence purchasing and the competitive environment. Then we consider how existing companies and startups can create business and revenue models which take advantage of online market place opportunities.

The demands on marketers who are responsible for planning digital marketing strategies are growing significantly as they work out how to manage commercial contributions, the complexities of the competitive marketplace, social communities and innovations in technology.

The growth in use of digital media and technology has led to a customer path to purchase that is now much more complex since purchase decisions are influenced by many more online touchpoints, which we introduced.

 In the online marketplace , consumer purchase decisions are influenced by many sources of information, such as search results, customer reviews, social media conversations, and company websites.

Additionally, potential customers are using multiple devices (sometimes simultaneously) to garner information that will inform their purchase decisions. For example, using smartphones or tablets while watching TV. This process is known as multiscreening . The digital influences are also supplemented by exposure to traditional communications such as TV, print or radio advertising.

 In the next two blogger page we look at how organisations might assess the digital environment and in doing so identify implications for digital marketing strategy. We begin by looking at online consumer behaviour, focussing on the main forces that influence purchasing and the competitive environment. Then we consider how existing companies and startups can create business and revenue models which take advantage of online marketplace opportunities.