A SOSTAC® and PRACE planning checklist for online marketing

Table of contents
Start here – how can this template be used?...............................................................................................................................................................1
SOSTAC® Digital Marketing Plan outline incorporating RACE..............................................................................................................................2
SITUATION.......................................................................................................................................................................................................2
OBJECTIVES......................................................................................................................................................................................................2
STRATEGY.........................................................................................................................................................................................................3
TACTICS............................................................................................................................................................................................................3
ACTIONS..........................................................................................................................................................................................................4
CONTROL.........................................................................................................................................................................................................4

Start here – how can this template be used?

SOSTAC® and RACE are two of the main tools we’ve created to help marketers plan and manage their marketing. It’s no surprise that we've had several questions asking for
more information about how they relate.

To show how they’re related we’ve created this template that shows how each stage of the SOSTAC® planning process can be broken down into the key issues to consider
when creating a plan to improve online marketing.

It’s basically a dense checklist for annual review or when you start a new job or project aimed at helping you get up-to-speed quickly by showing the key issues to consider
within each part of strategy definition. As with other parts of our digital strategy toolkit, we’ve created it as a simple, unbranded, unformatted Word document so that it can be
more easily used in your company.

Notes
 SOSTAC® was created by PR Smith as a framework for structuring marketing plans. You can read more about it and get Paul’s PDF on how to apply from Amazon at
http://bit.ly/smartsostac.
 For simplicity in creating a strategy can limit to SOST since A is implementation details and KPIs and review process C can be covered under objectives
 Defining an activity as a “Strategy” against a “Tactic” is open for discussion. So can shorten SOSTAC further to SOS for a quicker review and strategy definition.

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 SOSTAC® Digital Marketing Plan outline incorporating RACE
SITUATION
Analysis of current company marketplace performance and opportunities. Analysis techniques:
Plan Reach Act Convert Engage
 Create Digital SWOT and  Digital footprint/Radar in  Customer journey analysis  Conversion funnel  E-communications strategy
key issues summary different local markets  Core brand messages and review – review drop- (Email and social media
 Customer characteristics,  Search visibility value proposition outs marketing)
behaviours and needs  Social – Amplification and  Website engagement  Value proposition,  Satisfaction gap analysis -
 Competitor reputation management devices (Desktop) pricing and understand what is preventing
benchmarking  Awareness through  Mobile engagement merchandising review – repeat purchases?
 Intermediary review advertising, PR and affiliate devices (Site and apps) appeal to different  Automated email effectiveness
(Publishers+media sites) marketing  Social outpost engagement personas  Social conversations review
 PEST/SLEPT  Campaign/Always-on use tools and content  Review of automated including advocacy
marketplace-factors  Content marketing assets  Permission marketing email follow-up
(Social, Legal, profiling and welcome
Environmental, Political, (E-CRM)
Technological)
 Internal performance,
capabilities and
governance
OBJECTIVES
Setting SMART objectives for the future to track through KPIs in CONTROL
Plan Reach Act Convert Engage
 Create management  Visits and unique visitors  Lead conversion rate %  Sale conversion rate %  Customer satisfaction (NPS)
dashboard with these (Incremental, new visits) (Online AND offline) (Online AND offline) Error and complaint rates
metrics  Share of search (Brand AND  Goal value per visit  Revenue per visit  Customer advocacy
 Online revenue or profit non brand search visits)  Bounce rate/Visit duration  Average order value (AOV)  Customer activity hurdle rates
contribution  Overall media costs  Add to cart %  Cost per acquisition (CPA) for platforms including email
(direct and indirect %)  Cost per lead (CPL)  Repeat conversion rate
 Brand preferences cf  Social sharing
competitors  Lifetime value
 Share of brand
mentions (Search and
conversations)

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 STRATEGY
Strategic initiatives to achieve objectives
Plan Reach Act Convert Engage
 Create strategy outline  Online acquisition  Agree digital personas  Online value proposition  Value proposition (products
 Segmentation – review communications strategy  Define priority customer (including online pricing and services) for existing
online vs offline  Budget – investment in media journeys (Scenarios) and fulfilment strategies) customers to encourage
segmentation mix %  Online value proposition  Multichannel integration additional sales
 Targeting – review and  Breakdown of campaign, including engagement strategy  Value proposition (content and
select online targeting always-on + outreach devices for different interactions) to encourage on-
options activities platforms going engagement and advocacy
 Brand positioning  Investment implementation of  E-CRM/inbound  E-communications strategy
including key brand content strategy to support marketing approach for (Email and social) to
messages and online RACE permission marketing to communicate value proposition
value proposition  Key brand messages to incentivise profiling and
 Define governance for communicate in media follow-up through email
digital marketing  Offline and multichannel and offline
including resource, approach to increase web
structure and processes and offline interactions and
sales

TACTICS
Defining the details of strategy for different digital marketing channels and platforms
Plan Reach Act Convert Engage
 Create 90 day plan  Search marketing strategy  Site lead generation  Conversion rate  Email contact strategy
roadmap of key activities  Content marketing strategy strategy optimisation strategy  Social media strategy
 Review marketing mix including text, visual, video  Merchandising strategy  Sales promotion strategy (encouraging customer
 Technology platform  Social media strategy (campaign integration) including Hero products advocacy and repeat
priorities and roadmap including outreach and and priority categories purchases)
 Local market influencer strategy
prioritisation for tactics (partnerships)
to the right  Display advertising strategy
 Affiliate marketing strategy
 Lead generation strategy
(Email)

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 ACTIONS
Implementation activities for different digital marketing channels and platforms
Plan Reach Act Convert Engage
 Create project plan to  Implement digital media  Implement  Implement user  Implement email contact
implement strategy channel strategies – always- engagement/lead experiences, conversion strategy
 Put in place internal and on and campaign-based generation devices on and merchandising  Implement social media
external resource and including outreach different platforms strategies strategy including publishing
structure digital  Create content marketing  Implement multichannel status updates for customers
marketing integrating with assets – video, visual and integration approaches and outreach activity
other teams text-based
 Customer journey/  Create product and
touchpoint mapping service content assets
 Publish to content hub

CONTROL
On-going monitoring and improvement to optimise results from digital channels
Plan Reach Act Convert Engage
 KPIs and dashboards  Search gap analysis and  Site AB and multivariate  Site AB and multivariate  Email marketing optimisation
agreed? ongoing search marketing testing testing  Social media optimisation
 Performance review optimisation  Site performance and  Site performance and  Reputation management
process  Social media optimisation availability review availability review
 Responsibilities for action (SMO)
 Planning and reviewing  Review of new platforms to
tests in RACE reach and engage
 Add ideas for future
initiatives to digital
platform roadmap

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