+1 862 207 3288 You are required to write a “Digital Marketing Plan”. Word Count: 2500 words main body text (+/- 10% without penalty excluding list of
references and appendices)
Contribution: 50% of overall module mark
Submission Deadline: Tuesday, 16th February 2016, 1500 hours
Written Assignment Title: Digital Marketing Plan for a business / product / brand / organisation / enterprise / entity of your choice
based on a thorough market and consumer analysis.
****** very important 1. You will need to select a business / product / brand / organisation / enterprise / entity of YOUR CHOICE. This
CANNOT BE a well-known brand name (such as Starbucks, Apple, Nike etc.). It CANNOT BE any brand that already has a well-developed
digital marketing strategy and/or social media presence. It CANNOT BE fictitious. Your choice must be a REAL entity but less well
known. This can be preferably a small business which is either only online (online retailer of products and services) or it can be a
small brick-and-mortar business with a small online presence. It can be a high street shop or small independent store or even a farming
business (e.g. café, tea room, gift shop, beauty salon, bookshop, antiques and crafts shop, organic food shop, horse stables, etc.). It
can be a marketing services for a public sector organisation (e.g. arts college, technical college, local council, fire department,
police services, research lab etc.). It can be a charity organisation (e.g any kind of human, animal, or humanitarian charity). It can
be a self-employed entrepreneur and / or individual (e.g. fitness trainer, yoga teacher, music teacher, translator / interpreter,
mobile hairdresser, cupcake maker, pet sitter, dog walker, builder, plumber etc.). It can also be based on your own business interests
if you are thinking about or are already running a business of your own.
Requirements:
For a business / product / brand / organisation / enterprise / entity of your choice, construct a comprehensive digital marketing plan.
This plan will be based on sound market and consumer analysis which will then guide the setting of appropriate objectives which in turn
will be achieved through the development and implementation of suitable strategies and tactics. The plan will also include aspects of
implementation, measurement, monitoring, evaluation, and control. The plan will be supported by appropriate theoretical concepts and
frameworks and will draw up recommendations and suggestions for further improvement of marketing practice.
Learning Outcomes Assessed:
A) Subject Specific Skills:
1. Explore and understand better key success factors and major trends in today’s business environment and how these elements impact
future market planning and the execution of strategies.
2. Understand the nature of digital marketing strategy, the relevant processes involved in developing it and how to design and
implement a strategic marketing plan for an organisation
3. Identify, analyse and utilise knowledge of the marketing environment, both internal and external to the company and understand the
nature of having competitive advantage.
4. Understand the different philosophies in digital marketing strategy and their relevance for the firms’ decision making.
5. Demonstrate an awareness of the extent of service marketing strategies, i.e. from consumer behaviour and the need to relate product
formulation to customer needs.
6. Appreciate the differences between the different levels and types of marketing principles and revisit them from the marketing
environment to marketing channels, and from pricing decisions to market planning under both a digital and service perspective.
7. Analyse competitive marketing strategies from a digital and service perspective.
8. Show an overall understanding of the operational tools in digital and service marketing, and in particular a closer look at revenue
management theories and tactical practice market segmentation product, promotional techniques in the extended marketing mix.
B) Cognitive and key skills
1. Critical thinking and creativity: managing creative processes in self and others; organising thoughts, analysis, synthesis, critical
appraisal. This includes the capability to identify assumptions, evaluate statements in terms of evidence, detect false logic or
reasoning, identify implicit values, define terms adequately and generalise appropriately;
2. Problem solving and decision making: establishing criteria, using appropriate decision techniques including identifying, formulating
and solving business problems; the ability to create, identify and evaluate options; the ability to implement and review decisions;
3. Ability to conduct research into strategic marketing issues, i.e. learning through reflection on practice and experience.
4. Ability to take a market based approach to making business decisions (as ultimately the market decides if your business deserves to
succeed or not).
C) Employability Skills:
1. Application and Analysis: Applying theoretical concepts to a practical real life business scenario and developing a plan that can be
implemented
2. Enterprise Skills: Developing business ideas for a real business using creativity and entrepreneurial skills
3. IT: using and applying knowledge about a range of IT tools, using IT skills to gather information and designing business campaigns
For this assignment, you expected to demonstrate:
1. For your chosen scenario, your knowledge and understanding of market analysis including business environment, industry conditions,
consumer audience, competitors if applicable, opportunities and challenges
2. Your knowledge and understanding of the different requirements of a planning process. You can use the SOSTAC framework or any other
planning framework of your choice. You may also choose NOT to use a planning framework but your plan has to include some elements of
situation analysis, objective setting, developing strategies and tactics, and a plan of action, implementation, measurement, and
control.
3. Your knowledge and understanding of the various aspects of a digital marketing planning process. You can use the RACE framework or
any other framework of your choice. Alternatively you may also choose NOT to use any framework but your plan has to demonstrate
knowledge and awareness of your business model, value proposition, and understanding of your customers.
4. Your plan has to demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and practical applications of suitable techniques for improving website
design and effectiveness including mobile optimisation.
5. Your plan has to develop ideas and practical suggestions for driving traffic to your website through judicious use of search engine
optimisation techniques and other aspects of improving search marketing.
6. Your plan has to develop ideas and practical suggestions for effective and creative use of social media techniques including
identification and use of specific social media platforms.
7. Your plan has to demonstrative effective, sensible, practical, and realistic methods of improving online and offline marketing
communication methods and linking them to your digital marketing plans.
8. Your plan has to demonstrate clever ideas for how you can capture data, develop CRM systems through effective use of database, and
use that for developing other marketing techniques such as email.
9. Your plan will come up with appropriate recommendations and suggestions for improving current marketing practice. You can include a
budget if you prefer if you have access to commercial rates information for various aspects of digital marketing.
10. You will support your plan with appropriate theoretical references and the use of key theoretical concepts suitably sourced from
academic references.
How can / should you go about doing this assignment? (Dos and Don’ts)
1. You will need to select a business / product / brand / organisation / enterprise / entity of YOUR CHOICE. This CANNOT BE a well-
known brand name (such as Starbucks, Apple, Nike etc.). It CANNOT BE any brand that already has a well-developed digital marketing
strategy and/or social media presence. It CANNOT BE fictitious. Your choice must be a REAL entity but less well known. This can be
preferably a small business which is either only online (online retailer of products and services) or it can be a small brick-and-
mortar business with a small online presence. It can be a high street shop or small independent store or even a farming business (e.g.
café, tea room, gift shop, beauty salon, bookshop, antiques and crafts shop, organic food shop, horse stables, etc.). It can be a
marketing services for a public sector organisation (e.g. arts college, technical college, local council, fire department, police
services, research lab etc.). It can be a charity organisation (e.g any kind of human, animal, or humanitarian charity). It can be a
self-employed entrepreneur and / or individual (e.g. fitness trainer, yoga teacher, music teacher, translator / interpreter, mobile
hairdresser, cupcake maker, pet sitter, dog walker, builder, plumber etc.). It can also be based on your own business interests if you
are thinking about or are already running a business of your own.
2. REMEMBER: Your choice must be that of a REAL business who can be traceable in the real world, who may or may not have some sort of
online presence already such as a website or social media presence. If the business does not as yet have an online presence then your
plan will be tailored around developing a strong online presence and digital marketing strategy for it. If the business already has
some sort of online presence then your plan will be tailored to make it more effective and will include some minimal analysis of its
existing state.
3. You MUST register your business or topic with the module tutor or digital marketing tutor. This should be done before the start of
the reading week. If you miss this deadline then you must register your business at the start of the week after reading week.
4. You MUST be able to show that you can carry out a comprehensive analysis of the business including all aspects of micro and macro
environmental factors that will impact upon the business, some aspects of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges, some
elements of current and potential customers and market segments, and some elements of competitors (if applicable).
5. You MUST be able to clarify and define your business’ product offer and value proposition – who is your business, what does your
business do, what products and services does it offer, what value does it offer etc.
6. You MUST be able to define some business objectives (e.g. increased sales, increased revenues, increased enquiries and follow-ups,
greater brand awareness and recall, social media reputation, sentiment etc.).
7. You MUST be able to develop a set of strategies and tactics that are not only practical and realistic but are also closely aligned
with the objectives developed above and can be measured and monitored.
8. You CAN use the framework discussed in class OR you can use any other framework of your choice or you can choose to do the plan
without any framework at all as long as you addressing all the basic elements of a plan in a logical order.
9. A significant part of your plan will be the core component of a digital marketing plan which will be part of the overall business
strategy. This digital marketing plan is broadly expected to consist of the following where relevant (not everything is compulsory):
a. A well designed website which is efficient and user-friendly. (You DO NOT have to design a website. If your business already has a
website you can suggest ways and means of improving it or alternatively you can design a dummy page using any free online software
tools but it is not compulsory.) Pay attention to mobile optimisation.
b. A set of search engine marketing strategies including search engine optimisation, third party and affiliate marketing, sponsorship
and paid advertising, and pay per click methods
c. A set of social media strategies including identification of appropriate social media platforms, creation of social objects and
shareable content with some thought to how people will interact with them
d. A clear plan with a set of ideas about how it can be integrated with online and offline marketing promotions
10. You MUST develop a clear plan of action including the use of analytic tools to track, measure, and analyse the effectiveness of the
digital engagement, capturing data in a database and CRM systems, a set of ideas to develop marketing communications from that data
capture including email and newsletters, and a monitoring, implementation, and evaluation programme. You can include a set of key
recommendations to the business based on your plan as suggestions.
11. You are NOT expected to provide a financial estimate. However some basic online research should provide you with plenty of
information about commercial rates for some aspects of digital marketing such as Google rates, sponsorship rates, web hosting services
etc. which you can include as an estimate if you wish.
12. REMEMBER not all concepts you study in class will be applicable. You need to be judicious in your selection of appropriate elements
of digital marketing that is most relevant for your business. You MUST AVOID a tick box approach to developing a plan and including
everything.
13. You MUST demonstrate proficiency in both theory and application in the plan, through your understanding of fundamental theoretical
concepts, evidence of academic reading and research, evidence of industry reading and research from relevant websites, and evidence of
online research skills. Your work must be practical, realistic, sensible, and professional and can be used as evidence in your CV or
ideas for developing an original business plan.
14. Your plan MUST use appropriate referencing and follow guidelines for primary and secondary research references. IF YOU HAVE NOT
READ A PIECE OF WORK IN THE ORIGINAL, DO NOT PUT IT IN THE REFERENCE. LIST OF REFERENCES ARE MEANT TO BE SOURCES THAT YOU HAVE READ IN
THE ORIGINAL. Grades are NOT dependent upon the number of references. Please note that the practice of putting in citations and a long
list of references to make your work look impressive without actually having read any of the papers in the original is dishonest and is
easily detectable. It makes your work seem lacking in academic credibility, intellectual rigour, and professional ethics and is to be
entirely avoided! You will be penalized for this so it is best to avoid this practice altogether
15. The above criteria are broad guidelines that lay out the expectations of the contents of the essay. You MUST be able to structure
the content, style, and details of the essay as you see fit within these guidelines. THERE IS NO SET GUIDELINE OR FRAMEWORK OR TEMPLATE
FOR THE PLAN. Please use your own judgement and ideas in structuring the essay as there are no rigid guidelines governing the overall
structure. Only those references should be used which you have read in the original and which are relevant. There are no rules about
the number of references required as it is quality more than quantity that is important. However please DO NOT use references which you
have not read in the original or which have little relevance for the main text. Follow the presentation guidelines strictly. The
standards of marking will be rigorous so the quality of your submission needs to be very high.
What are the guidelines you need to follow?:
For Submission:
– Coursework should be electronically uploaded unless instructed otherwise
– Include the word count on the coursework coversheet
– Submission is anonymous and therefore do not put your name on the coursework. Only your student number is required
– Your student number can be found on your student ID card. Please double check your student ID number is written correctly before
submitting your work
– Please ensure that you do not overload your electronic draft with images and graphics that increase its file size and cause problems
during upload
– Ensure that your work is uploaded well ahead of time to avoid peak hour demands on the electronic systems and servers. Do not use IT
and infrastructure excuses for delayed submission
Word Count:
– The word count for this coursework is 2500 words
– You are allowed to exceed this word limit for up to a maximum of 10% WITHOUT PENALTY
– If you exceed 10% or more over the max word limit you will be deducted 10 marks off the original mark
– Word limit covers the main body of the text and includes footnotes and endnotes (irrespective of whether they have been used for the
purpose of referencing or not), references and citations in the main text, tables and illustrations, and if applicable the abstract,
title page, and contents. Appendicised material, reference list and bibliography is not included in the word count.
Capped Marks:
– Marks will be capped to the pass mark if there is intentional misrepresentation of word count on the coversheet
– When the original mark is within 10 marks off the pass mark, the penalty will be capped at the pass mark
– Original marks below the pass mark will not be penalized
MARKING CRITERIA
Assessment will be marked against assessment and marking criteria laid out as University guidelines (Please access these guidelines for
reference at http://www.uea.ac.uk/learningandteaching/staff/assessment/Marking+Criteria )
(the following is a general indicative spread)
MARKING SPREAD
Items Subject Matter %
1 Evidence of critical engagement with literature and scholarship covering relevant interdisciplinary theories and perspectives 20
2 Critical analysis and evaluation of theories in the context of practices 40
3 Practical analysis of marketing implications and business recommendations 20
4 Presentation, structure, flow, communication, evidence of meeting learning outcomes 10
5 Integrity of reading, research, and standards of academic referencing and scholarship 10
Items Subject Matter %
1 Appropriate choice of business and thoroughness of its background analysis including market conditions, customer, and value offer 20
2 Digital Marketing Plan – overall plan and component elements 40
3 Action plan including analytics, database and CRM systems, monitoring and evaluation, and business improvement recommendations 20
4 Standards of academic reading, industry research, and professional quality of presentation including structure and content 20
RETURN OF MARKED WORK
You can expect to have marked work returned to you by 20 working days after the submission date.
PLAGIARISM WARNING!
Assignments should not be copied in part or in whole from any other source, except for any marked up quotations that clearly
distinguish what has been quoted from your own work. All references used must be given, and the specific page number used should also
be given for any direct quotations, which should be in inverted commas. Secondary citations must be referenced appropriately. Students
found copying from the internet or other sources will be referred to plagiarism procedures.
REFERENCING
Please note that the University uses Harvard as its standard for referencing widely available in various formats throughout the
University.
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