Research methodology
In order to collect the appropriate information required for this project, my research will include both primary and secondary research methods.
Primary research
The richest primary research method that I will be using is that of working with SMEs based in the USA and the UK. In order to get a better understanding of the practical issues encountered with implementing an online marketing strategy, I will be working with Kontz Landscaping, a landscape gardening company based in Philadelphia, USA and Tantallon House; a family run Bed and Breakfast in Cumbria, England. Tantallon House already has an online presence, however are reviewing their strategy whereas Kontz Landscaping is looking at marketing their business online for the first time.
In addition to working with these two SMEs in online marketing strategy formation and implementation, I will be carrying out interviews with marketing managers of other SMEs based in the UK and USA. I will also be interviewing Steve Burge, CEO of Alledia Inc. a web design company based in Georgia, USA.
Furthermore, throughout the writing of this project, I will draw upon my own experience in online marketing, which began in 2005 when working with Fingershield Safety. (Fingershield Safety is a SME based in Manchester, England, which has a branch in the US at Ponta Vedra Beach, Florida).
I will also draw upon some of the work that has gone into building GoodWebPractices.com, a website that I have developed with the purpose of publishing this project's research and conclusions.
Secondary research
The secondary research that I will be carrying out will include an academic literature review and the analysis of quality online news feeds which deal with the latest issues in online marketing.
The academic literature I will review includes books and journals from prominent authors in the field (Nielsen & Tahir 2001; Johnson 2003; Loveday & Niehaus 2007; Fisher 2007; Hotchkiss, Alston, & Edwards 2005; M. Levy & Powell 2005; Waller 2004). The following keywords have been used to find academic articles on the appropriate online academic databases which include Proquest, Ebsco and Mintel:
SMEs, small business, medium business, web, web site, online, marketing, strategy, e-commerce, internet, return on investment, ROI, usability
In addition to the conventional medium of books and research papers, during the course of this study, I have subscribed to the following RSS news feeds which equate to around 10 articles a day relating to the research topic in question. I have chosen these particular news feeds because they are from top quality blogs which are leaders in their field, and deal with the subject matter in question:
- SEOMoz Daily SEO Blog, www.seo-moz.org
http://feeds.feedburner.com/seomoz
- Search Engine Land, www.searchengineland.com
http://searchengineland.com/feeds.php
- Copyblogger, www.copyblogger.com,
http://feeds.copyblogger.com/copyblogger
- Official Google Webmaster blog, www.googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/atom.xml
- Google Blogoscoped, www.blogoscoped.com
http://blogoscoped.com/rss.xml
- Alledia blog, www.alledia.com
http://feeds.feedburner.com/alledia
- The Joomlatools blog, http://blog.joomlatools.org
http://feeds.joomlatools.org/site/blog
These RSS feeds are very important as they will provide quality news articles that are up to date and deal with changes and trends in marketing online. Due to the nature of the question being researched it is essential that I understand the past, current and future online trends for businesses and consumers.
Feedback
This is the research methodology part of a research
project proposal investigating SMEs business strategy online. I'm keen on learning what you think about the research methods I will be using during my research. Please post your comments below.
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