Digital Marketing Plan for Carbon Crafters Bikes: Strategies & Impact

Running head: BENCHMARK: DIGITAL MARKETING PLAN 1 Benchmark: Digital Marketing Plan Grand Canyon University MKT-607: Marketing Management October 10, 2023

Marketing Plan Digital Marketing Strategies Marketing has evolved over the last couple of decades. Before the “digital age,” traditional marketing was print ads (newspaper, magazine, flyers, billboards, etc.), television ads, radio ads, and even door-to-door sales. However, times have changed, and a large volume of marketing is done digitally; digital marketing uses the Internet and other forms of digital media to connect with customers and potential customers (Alexander, 2022). This includes social media marketing, SEO, SEM, email marketing, digital advertising, OTT advertising, PPC, content marketing, affiliate marketing, direct marketing, viral marketing, and influencer marketing. For Carbon Crafters Bikes (CCB), the goal is to funnel most of the promotional budget to digital marketing. Small amounts should be allocated to sponsorships (i.e., riding clubs, biking events, etc.) and other miscellaneous marketing opportunities. When examining paid advertising, the CPC for the keyword “carbon fiber bike” is $0.66, which is very affordable. Therefore, about 25% of the budget should go towards PPC and local service ads (LSA). The remainder of the promotional budget should go towards social media advertising, specifically Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and online magazine advertising. Because CCB is B2C, LinkedIn will not be paid advertising, though the company will maintain a LinkedIn profile. The target audience will be built based on buyer personas, location, hobbies, associated activities, and other interests. The cost for a run will be determined by budget, reach, and if the goal is traffic to a website or brand awareness. Digital Media Impact A promotional mix allocates funds and resources to the five primary buckets: advertising, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing, and personal selling (Edward Lowe Foundation, n.d.). No matter how good the product is, customers will want and need 2

Marketing Plan information about it before purchasing, especially if it is a big-ticket item like a bicycle. To accomplish this, the promotional and advertising goals should deliver a clear, concise, and compelling message tailored to the target market. Picking the most logical and appropriate promotion method is also critical. Our target market wants something fun, easy to use, comfortable, and within budget. Keeping this in mind, choosing the proper digital channels is how CCB will be successful. One way to do this will be by using social media and influencers to highlight the benefits of CCB’s carbon fiber bikes. Using short and informative but fun videos will be one strategy. The goal is to create videos that show people having fun and highlight our bikes' safety, ease of use, and comfort. Digital Media Types and Options The digital media CCB will utilize include Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and PPC, focusing on the leisure and recreation market. Let’s look at Facebook first. The audience for Facebook is shown below: 3

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