What is it going to cost?

Once you have identified the overall business case, your marketing objectives and the mission statement for the site, you can then start to produce a detailed cost benefit analysis to justify the investment. In print media it is relatively easy to establish how many people will see a particular newspaper or magazine advert. In television advertising viewing figures are predicted and accepted as justification of the price of advertising space. In web marketing, however, little proof can be provided as to how many people have seen your site, or have become interested in your company as a result.

However well planned your Internet development is, it will still be necessary to justify in real terms the investment each stage will demand. Figure 3.5 provides an example of how these cost savings can be quantified over a three-year time frame. This worksheet provides you with the ability to quantify the business benefits of each stage of Internet development.

Figure 3.5: Example of cost benefit analysis of corporate Internet development

The Cyberstrategy Model provides a framework for looking in detail at the motives, costs and benefits for every stage of Internet development. By using the model to assess your organization, you will be able to formulate a well thought out business case for producing an Internet site.

However, it is important to remember that there are ongoing maintenance costs associated with a web site, so it should be seen as a...