Say Hello to the World Wide Web

Implementing New Online Marketing Strategies for Old Town Bike Shop

Prepared for
John Crandall, Owner
Old Town Bike Shop
Colorado Springs, CO 80918

Prepared by
Mikayla Schneider, Project Coordinator
Old Town Bike Shop
Colorado Springs, CO 80918

December 1st, 2015

Mikayla Schneider
5725 Flag Way
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Colorado Springs, CO 80919

November 17, 2015
John Crandall
Old Town Bike Shop
426 S Tejon St
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
Dear John,
Attached is the report that I have been working on with you the past few months regarding
planning a new strategy for online marketing.
After studying your current social media and online marketing status, as well as previously
conversing with you about improvements to be made, I found that there needs to be a
considerable amount of change and extension to the present online marketing strategy. The
current actions that are being made are a solid foundation, but the opportunities that digital
platforms offer for small businesses are not being utilized to their full potential. Although social
media and other online platforms aren't required for a business to be successful, it can certainly
amplify and heighten the success that it pulls in.
Within the report I have gone through the various types of online marketing, focusing in on
social media. This includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. I will also include the
operation of the store's website, as well as the blog that is incorporated within it. I have also put
together six steps towards creating a successful online marketing strategy. The first two steps
establish goals to work towards, and then understanding where the business is currently at with
its online marketing. The third step is to provide tactics that we want to use for each platform.
Planning out specific posts is the fourth step. The fifth measures the results and improves upon
them. The sixth and final step is to keep looking forward, and being open to new trends going on
in the digital business world.
I truly believe that by having a full understanding of each platforms of online marketing,
knowing how to use each one to the maximum potential, and creating a well thought out plan
will greatly benefit Old Town Bike Shop. I appreciate the opportunity to perform this research
and share it with you. It has been a pleasure writing this report, and if you have any questions
feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Mikayla Schneider, Project Coordinator

Table of Contents

Executive Summary.............................................................................................4
Introduction..........................................................................................................6
Purpose and Scope...................................................................................6
Assumptions............................................................................................6
Methods...................................................................................................6
Limitations...............................................................................................6
Importance of Online Marketing.........................................................................7
Elaboration of the Platforms................................................................................8
The 6 Steps........................................................................................................10
Set Goals................................................................................................10
Audit......................................................................................................11
Tactics....................................................................................................12
Plan........................................................................................................12
Measure..................................................................................................13
Look to the Future..................................................................................14
Conclusions and Recommendations..................................................................15
References.........................................................................................................16

Say Hello to the World Wide Web

Implementing New Online Marketing Strategies for Old Town Bike Shop

Executive Summary
The role of digital media is expanding at a rapid pace. This platform is evolving every day,
effecting how you and many others use technology, communicate with others, and consume
products. Many businesses, small and big, have been using online media to their advantage to
connect and communicate with their customers, and it has proven to have an extremely positive
effect.
The company has the general basics of an online marketing strategy. However, the tools and
advantages that online networking has to offer is not being used to its potential. Certain strategies
and concepts can be used in order to create a highly successful online marketing strategy. Here is
included 6 general steps that will act as a guideline for the online marketing strategy being
proposed.
1. Set Goals: The first step in almost anything we do is to establish the goals and objectives

we hope to achieve. It helps measure our success, and can help prove our return in
investment.
Its important that these goals coincide with the existing marketing strategy.
They should also include specifics and try to reach a deeper level of online marketing,
rather than just how many 'likes' you can get.
Can implement the S.M.A.R.T. strategy when setting these goals.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-bound

2. Audit: It is important to understand where the company already is in terms of online

marketing in order to improve it. This can help understand what has been working, and
what has not.
Requires
o Figuring out who is currently connecting to us on social media.
o Which social media sites our target audience uses.
o How our social media presence compares to competitors.
Using a template to determine the current status of our social media.
Creating mission statements for each social network profile.

3. Tactics: We need to decide how we will use each platform. Understand that each media has

a different audience and should be treated differently. We will brainstorm ideas and specific
content to use for each network. Decide:
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What type of content we intend to post and promote?

How often will we post the content?
Who is the target audience for each type of content?
Who will be creating the content?
How will we promote the content?
Establish a content matrix that will allocate and distribute the different types of posts and
where to post them.

4. Plan: Specifically plan out our posts. Create a calendar that lists the times and dates we

intend to post. This needs to be done in advanced, making sure the format and the language
is well thought out. It is more important to be spontaneous with our engagement and
customer service rather than our content.
Make sure the calendar reflects the mission statements and goals we have assigned to each
network.
Follow the content matrix we developed in our tactics.

5. Measure: Gauge our success. This goes back to our earlier audit, which we should keep up

to date. Again, this will allow us to understand what can be improved, and how we might
improve it.
Use analytical site such as:
o Google Analytics
o Hootsuite
o Jetpack
Observe on the surface. What type of content did most people seem to engage more in?
What network may not have as many followers as others?

6. Future Strategies: Always keep in mind what might happen next. Pay attention to the

different trends going on online. It is important to stay on top of our online marketing
strategies, keeping them up to date and successful.

Introduction
Old Town Bike Shop has been successful at aiding and providing customers with quality service
and products. That paired with a friendly and inviting atmosphere has allowed the bike shop to
be rated as one of the best shops in town. However, there is always room to grow, and the lack of
an online presence online can be diminishing the potential improvement of the shop.
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Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this project is to create a strategy and plan for online marketing in order to reach
out and communicate to the targeted audience.
Throughout the report I will be going over each aspect of the marketing plan. I will explain why
this is important to the shop, and will go into detail on how it will be achieved.
Assumptions
My proposal for a new online marketing strategy is based on the assumption that the shop has
someone educated and knowledgeable on the subject in order to maintain this. I am also
assuming that both this person and the owner understand the amount of time that organizing and
creating content can take. Using networks and technology for online marketing does not have to
be extremely hard, but it can take up a large amount of time generating the right content as well
as organizing it in a strategic manner.
Methods
I was able to provide educational information to develop this detailed report using a few different
methods. I was able to use online research, scholarly articles, business journals as well as
informational books at the library. With these tools I gained useful information on each aspect of
the marketing strategy being implemented.
Limitations
Limitations were present in creating this report. A small one would be cost. Most social media is
usually free, but other online tactics as well as technology is not. Certain analytical websites,
which are key in understanding what needs improvement, ask for a small monthly fee in order to
utilize their services. Costs of technology being used is also a factor, though some things may
already be available. Another limitation would be to find someone who has the time to keep up
with the maintenance of the plan. Because it has not yet been set up yet, it is hard to track the
amount of time expected to be spent on this project.

Importance of Online Marketing

Why do we need online marketing? It's simple: by not having an online presence, we miss
opportunities to reach out and expand our consumers, and consequently lose business. Customers

have too many choices, and they need to be reminded that we exist. To reach them, we need to
go where they go, and they are online.

In a world that is increasingly utilizing communication through social networks, it is clear that
small businesses should take advantage of the opportunity to reach out to their customers
effectively and faster than ever before. At this point, customers assume that not only can they
learn about a company on social media, but that they can interact and communicate with them
there as well. According to Expert Market, 71% of people follow businesses on social media for
promotions and discounts, 66% for new product information, and 49% for customer service. 61%
of consumers say social media influences their buying decision, and 68% of people look to
Facebook reviews when purchasing products (The Business of Social Media).

There are many additional reasons why it is important for a small business such as Old Town
Bike Shop to implement an online marketing strategy. One reason would be that it increases
brand awareness, serving as an excellent way to introduce people to our brand. A report from
Relevanza showed that 78% of small business attract new customers through social media (5
Benefits of Social Media Business Owners Need to Understand, 2014). Another reason why it
would be worth the effort is that it enhances the legitimacy of the brand. Social media allows
consumers to look at the reviews, comments, and content that is being produced by the company.
If a business is smart about keeping things updated and produces relevant and informative
content, it proves that they are a quality source for consumers to go to. Additionally, online
marketing is a great tool to get content out there. The ease and speed that content can be spread is
outstanding and cannot be reproduced by any other tool. These reasons together should result in
an increase in sales by themselves, but social media can be used to promote sales directly. There
can be posts about sales and promotions going, or advertisements for certain brands, all while
targeting the right audience, as well as reaching out to new ones.

Elaboration of Platforms
Here is just a brief overview of what each platform is, why it is helpful, and how it can be used
for Old Town Bike Shop
Facebook: Facebook is a social networking site that allows people to create a personal profile
and connect with their friends. Many figures and companies have their own pages (or fan pages)
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that people can like and follow their activity. Here people can post messages, pictures, videos,
and links on a public wall for people who follow them can see.
This is a great tool to utilize, especially for local small businesses. It is an opportunity to interact
with customers and learn what they want from us. We can see who we are reaching out to, and if
we want to reach out to more, we can tweak our strategy to include a wider audience (The
Importance of Facebook for Small Business). Here, a loyal fan base can be developed. By
keeping up with engaging and interesting posts, a community can be formed that want to hear
what we have to say. Facebook is also a wonderful way to personalize the company, which can
really make a difference in the quality of service a customer receives. This is a great way to show
the store's sense of humor and eclectic style, through funny posts and up-beat vibes.
Twitter: Twitter is a free microblogging social network that allows you to post short messages
called "tweets". It can be used on any online device. The posts are broadcasted out for anyone to
see, are searchable, and permanent. To incorporate tweets into a conversation thread, users can
use hashtags on keywords in the post.
Twitter can be used a number of ways for small businesses. It is a great way to connect with
other users and expand our audience. To keep followers interested, it is important to have a good
balance of business and fun. Trivia is a common and successful way to engage people and can
still be relevant to our business (9 Small Business Twitter Marketing Examples to Study, 2014).
Instagram: Instagram is an online photo and video sharing social network. This site lets you
post only pictures or videos, and can have comments attached with them. It utilized the hashtag,
you can follow other profiles, and you can be followed.
Instagram is a unique platform because it highlights visual content, which is a highly effective
component of marketing. Using visual imagery can share a companys story, background, and
vision. Studies have shown that Instagram users engage more than on any other platform (Why
Every Brand Should be on Instagram, 2014). Humans love to share their own stories, thoughts
and experiences. This concept drives the consumer to engagement, making it the perfect place
for businesses to reach out. It's like they say: a picture paints a thousand words!
YouTube: YouTube is a free video sharing site where you can watch videos other people have
posted, or put your own up. YouTube videos can be shared or linked through other online social
medias such as Facebook and Twitter. The type of videos being made vary, including
professionally made videos, home videos, music videos, and many more.
Videos are a rising trend that will be sticking around for a while. There are countless benefits to
incorporating videos into the marketing strategy. Pages with videos are 53 times more likely to
be on the first page of Google search results, which can be a huge boost for the website and blog.
Consumers are 64% more likely to buy a product or service after watching a video about it (The
Meteoric Rise of Video). Online videos are the preferred method by which people get
information. Examples of videos that would be effective for Old Town Bike Shop would be: a
homepage video, product videos, how-to videos, customer testimonials, and video newsletters.

Blogging: A blog is a regularly updated web page that is typically written in an informal and
conversational form. Business blogging refers to a blog that post about a particular subject matter
related to the business. In this case, cycling!
A business blog may seem unnecessary, however it really is an easy way for an organization to
spread the brand message to current and potential customers, and can be updated every day. It
proves that we really are an expert in this field. Not only do we know the business, but we also
know how to serve our clients' needs. Blog posts can go hand and hand with the form of social
media being used, and can impact the search engine optimization greatly (Why Your Website
Needs a Business Blog, 2012). The basis of the content can be found simply through questions
that customers ask every day!

The 6 Steps
Step 1: Set Goals
Goals are essential for any new project or plan. A simple way to start would be to write down the
specific goals we have for each online network. Each goal is S.M.A.R.T.; Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. They also coincide with the existing marketing strategy.
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Here are some examples for Old Town Bike Shop:

For our website we will provide general up to date content for our existing and new
customers, as well as our company culture. We will update the overall website once a
month in order to maintain fresh and dependable information for people to rely on.

For the blog on our website we will provide original and pulled content regarding the
industry, our specific shop, as well as helpful information for cyclists. We will post once a
week, as well as reply to three comments each.

For Facebook, we will post content regarding local news, events, promotions in our shop,
and our culture. We will promote our website and blog, as well as our videos and photos.
We will post four times a week. We will gain 10 likes a month on our page, and generate
five comments on each post and reply to three of them.

For our Instagram, we will post content that expresses our company's culture, and local
events involving the cycling community. We will post twice a week, and generate 15 likes
each photo.

For Twitter, we will focus on industry news and some local. We will engage with local
cyclists in the community, as well as host Tweet Chats that can engage specific
customers. We will post four times a week, gain 15 likes and respond to three.

For YouTube, we will collaborate with our blog. We will focus on creating helpful
information for cyclists, while at the same time promoting our shop. We will also create
content to show our shop's atmosphere and culture.

Step 2: Audit
We will start by creating a template to follow and assess our current status of our social media.
We will also use tools such as Jetpack and Google Analytics to track and follow the statistics of
the website and social media.
An example of our current template:
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Social
Network
Facebook

Owner

Mission Statement

Branding
Check
Complete

Joe

Engaging consumers
with information,
Ideas and Interactive
content.

Twitter

Joe

Interact with potential

audiences while
relaying information
in real time.

Complete

Instagram

Joe

Express our character

and creativity while
representing the
cycling culture.

Not yet
implemented

YouTube

Joe

Express our character

through informative
content.

Not yet
implemented

Blog

Joe

Share original stories

and information.

Not yet
implemented

Website

Joe

Give reliable
information that
portrays our company
culture.

Currently in
progress

Followers
662

Last
Activity
Yesterday

Frequency
of posting
2x a week

187

Oct. 17

Random

Later we will do this again.

Step 3: Tactics
Now we start deciding our specific strategy for each network. This involves us using what we
learned from our audit and the goals we made. By looking at our relationships with our audience,
past successes, and current trends in online marketing we can accomplish the right approach for
each network.

What type of content do we intend to post and promote?

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How often will we post the content?

Who is the target audience for each type of content?
Who will be creating the content?
How will we promote the content?
Establish a content matrix that will allocate and distribute the different types of posts and
where to post them.

We can refer to the Elaboration of Platforms for more information, as well as outside sources that
provide insightful strategies for each network.

Step 4: Plan
Write an editorial calendar planning the date and time when posts on all networks will be made.
Always keep this two weeks out, continuously updating it through time. Try to keep things fairly
consistent, while portraying spontaneity. The graph below (page 13) only portrays two days, but
will be used to organize and plan out our week of content, preferably in two week increments.
It is important to be mindful of fulfilling our goals and mission statements, attempt to stay on
track. Our Facebook goal consisted of promoting our shop, which we did by showing new
products that came in for the week. We also wanted to post about local events, which is fulfilled
by promoting "Bike to Work Day". Our twitter goal was to engage both local and industry news.
We did just that by sharing the local trail riding conditions, as well as provide new Trek
information.

Monday
11/23
Facebook

Twitter
Instagram

10:30am

3:30pm

Share YouTube Video "How to Change a Flat

Tire" *YouTube Link
Trail Conditions
Description

What came in today?

(+Twitter)
RETWEET Trek News
*Link
Where did you ride this
weekend? *Photo
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6:30pm

What came in today?

*Facebook Link

YouTube

"How To Change A Flat

Tire"

Blog
Tuesday
11/30
Facebook

Twitter

Instagram
YouTube
Blog

9:00am

3:00pm

Share Blog Post - "How

To Introduce Your
Children to Cycling"
*Website Link
Trail Conditions
Description

Tomorrow is bike to
work day announcement!
(+Twitter)
Trivia Tuesday!

5:00pm

Tomorrow is bike to
work day
announcement!!
*Facebook Link

"How To Introduce Your

Children to Cycling"

Step 5: Measure
What adjustments need to be made? Is there a certain type of Twitter post that receives a lot of
attention, but the same post on Facebook does not get any? Are people responding to more
formal posts, or the informal, conversation style messages? Talk to the customers that are coming
in to the shop. If they are new, ask how they found out about us, and why they choose us. Interact
with them!
We can receive some answers through technology as well. Websites like Hootsuite, Jetpack, and
Google Analytics can give informative statistics that can help mold our strategy. Things like what
time of day seems to be the best time to post, what age range is responding, what gender, how
many followers we got this month compared to last month. All of this is vital information that
can be used to our advantage to create the best possible online marketing strategy.

Step 6: Look to the Future

A very important thing to understand is that social networking is constantly changing, therefore
so should our strategy. New networks might pop up, so we must be ready to take them on in
order to stay on top. At one point, we will reach our goals, and we will need to adjust them or
find new ones. This plan is meant to be able to be molded as we go. If something is not working,

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we can change or get rid of it. If something shows to be very successful, we can see if we can
amplify it. Rewrite the strategy, and keep the team aware of the updates.

Conclusions and Recommendations

This will definitely be a progressive step for Old Town Bike Shop. It is also a step going in the
right direction, opening the doors of unknown potential. It can be scary, know the full potential it
can bring - both good and bad. However, planning ahead and doing solid research assures us that
this can be successful, and bring prosperity to the shop.
Our general online marketing strategy includes:
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Understating the importance of online marketing, as well as having basic knowledge of the
different platforms. These include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Blogs.
We also set up a plan for our social media marketing.
1. Set Goals
Use the SMART system to create Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and
Time-bound goals.
Set a goal for each network.
Stick to the current marketing strategy.
2. Audit
Measure who is currently connecting to our social media
Gives an idea of what is working and what isn't.
3. Tactics
Decide the use for each platform.
Establish the type of content to use and how to communicate it.
Put together a matrix to decide how much content will go where.
4. Plan
Plan and create a calendar including the content, time, and where it will be posted.
Stay on track with the goals and matrix previously created.
5. Measure
Gauge our success based on the first initial audit.
Use analytical sites to help understand what can be improved and how to improve
it.
6. Look to the Future
Pay attention to the trends going on in online marketing
With the research that I have done, I believe that this strategy will be successful and effective for
Old Town Bike Shop. It is my recommendation that the shop follows this plan and expands the
current online marketing program. By implementing this plan, the store will be exposed to a
wider audience, as well as maintain a relationship with current customers. This will essentially
bring in new customers, and preserve the loyalty with existing ones. With that in mind, it is easy
to see that this strategy is the right way to go.

References
"5 Benefits of Social Media Business Owners Need to Understand."Inc.com. 8 Sept. 2014. Web.
1 Dec. 2015.

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"9 Small Business Twitter Marketing Examples to Study." Social Media Examiner RSS. 24 Mar.
2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.
"The Business of Social Media." The Business of Social Media. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.
"The Importance of Facebook for Small Businesses." IMarketing Factory RSS2. Web. 1 Dec.
2015.
"The Meteoric Rise of Video." Shore Channel. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.
"Why Every Brand Should Be On Instagram." Fast Company. 15 July 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.
"Why Your Website Needs a Business Blog." 10 Oct. 2012. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.

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