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  Digital marketing can be considered a subset of digital business and is equivalent 

to   sell‑  side  e‑commerce.  

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  A digital marketing plan is often developed separately from a digital business strat‑

egy. The SOSTAC™ framework is used to introduce the elements of a digital mar‑

keting  plan.  

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  Situation analysis – involves a consideration of the external environment with the 

emphasis on levels of customer access to the Internet, benchmarking of competi‑

tors and new entrants.  

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  Objective setting – a key objective is setting the online revenue contribution or the 

percentage of sales that will be achieved online. For companies where direct sales 

are not practical because of the nature of the product companies may set objec‑

tives for how the web will affect marketing communications, customer service and 

cost  reductions.  

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  Strategies – through evaluating the suitability of product for direct sale a company 

may define a replacement (product suitable for direct sale, e.g. airline tickets) or 

complementary strategy (product unsuitable for direct sale, e.g. FMCG or con‑

sultancy services). Replacement strategies may involve changing distribution net‑

works. Complementary strategies will involve using the Internet as an additional 

marketing communications channel.  

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  Tactics – digital marketing tactics can be reviewed through varying the elements 

of the marketing mix: Price, Place, Product, Promotion, People, Processes and 

Physical  evidence.