Platform marketing planning is divided into 3 basic steps: confirming the marketing purpose, determining the marketing budget and reasonably matching the marketing channels to implement the marketing arrangements.
The first step in implementing platform marketing planning is to determine the marketing purpose, to clarify whether it is to improve the website exposure, click feedback and other operational data, or to cultivate the brand mind of buyers, which determines the choice of marketing channels.
The second step is to determine the marketing budget. Marketing is a resource-consuming activity, and the marketing budget determines which marketing tools can actually be used. In general, the basic marketing cost is relatively small and is a must for the daily operation of the store; paid marketing will adjust the promotion costs according to the product’s off-season and peak season, and event marketing will be coordinated according to the platform activity rhythm. For each specific platform marketing scenario, it is necessary to systematically consider channel costs and expected results when planning.
Third, make overall arrangements based on the specific situation of the store, and further determine the specific marketing goals, work arrangements and responsible persons.
Platform marketing planning is not a one-time thing. Once the platform marketing plan is written, the platform’s marketing plan will be sorted out. After each month or quarter, merchants also need to review in time, compare actual data with expected target data, and adjust the marketing plan for the next stage.
During large-scale platform activities, the platform will create momentum in various media channels to attract a large number of overseas buyers, so merchants need to seize the opportunity to make arrangements in advance. Alibaba International Station’s large-scale platform activities mainly include the March New Trade Festival and the September Procurement Festival. Platform marketing planning is generally considered from four dimensions: basic marketing, paid marketing, event marketing, and self-marketing. First, it is necessary to prepare for platform marketing activities by doing a good job of registration for website activities in advance, selecting products to participate in the registration, optimizing product links, and determining product discounts; secondly, to make full use of self-marketing, merchants need to publish popular product activity information and product videos on the TrueView channel in advance, preheat the activities in advance, use customer communication EDM marketing, inform new and old buyers of the website of activity information and popular products in advance, and prepare for drainage: thirdly, it is necessary to make reasonable use of paid marketing tools. For example, increase the P4P budget, choose a marketing promotion plan suitable for the website positioning, and kill the top booths on the mobile and PC terminals of high-heat core keywords in advance, but it should be noted that the brand advertising fee should be based on the marketing budget.
For platform marketing activities, two key points need to be paid extra attention to: first, platform activities have their own marketing rhythm, and we must closely follow the time intervals of the platform marketing preparation period, water storage period, warm-up period, outbreak period, and summary and review period to deploy the timing of launching marketing activities; second, platform marketing activities should be combined with visual marketing to create an atmosphere, and even increase traffic through other off-site marketing. For example, replace the banner of the popular shop with a platform-related event notice, add event information and coupons or limited-time discounts and other preferential information to the product details page, so that buyers can understand the marketing activity information in real time.