Implementing Marketing Strategies for Baker Brothers Jewelry Limited

Introduction

Making a popular website is essential in today’s commercial world, but more is needed. Bookmarking, subscribing to email lists and making purchases are all goals of most commercial websites. To repeat, the principal objective of most firms is to develop a website that generates cash and delivers users and customers a complete or fantastic experience. This report presents a project management plan for the execution of marketing strategies and elements intended to increase the company’s customer retention rate and to enhance the efficacy and efficiency of the electronic commerce website so that Bakers Brothers Jewellery Limited can give a more comprehensive service to its customers.

The Situation Analysis

Baker Brothers Jewelry Limited Existing System

Baker Brothers are known for their deep discounts on high-quality diamonds. To grow its customer base and ensure the happiness of its current clientele, the company must improve the efficiency of its website. To improve a website’s performance in terms of conversions, it is common practice to execute a comprehensive upgrade.

The Baker Brothers are a family-owned jewellery company. The owners of this jewellery business are a family. They have years of experience in the diamond mining and polishing industries. Employees are happy in their jobs and stay with the company for extended periods. It’s common to find employees who have worked with the organization for over two decades. Search engine optimization (SEO), Google Merchandiser, internet video content, etc., are only some of the features now supported by the e-commerce platform. Baker Brothers actively engage in social media, including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube accounts.

The company’s current strategy focuses on gaining patronage among young adults aged 18 to 24. (that is, those with the means to make purchases) Another goal of the firm is to increase the proportion of couples who opt for their website to perform their wedding ceremony. The firm is now concentrating on growing its customer base via its e-commerce platform, which it intends to strengthen and future-proof to serve its customers in the long run better. They decided to reassess their digital advertising techniques to increase their current conversion rate. This report’s objective is to provide Baker Brothers Jewellery Limited with recommendations for a project management approach to the execution of a marketing strategy based on the preceding.

Project Definition: Business Case

Project Objectives and Goals

• Increase the company’s online engagement and wedding sales by targeting more people aged 18 to 24;
• Have the company’s marketing strategies assessed so that they can attract more customers and better serve their present audience;

Scope of the Project

The project has a methodology which is divided into different phases, which include the planning phase, scheduling phase, controlling phase, and closure phase:

Planning

• To ensure everything goes well as expected, there will be the actualization of what needs to be done in different steps. This will include using tables and figures to estimate different perspectives, for instance, human resource allocation and management.
• The project will have an approximation of the time needed for execution from the start date to the end date with different specific tasks and opportunities which need to be done for effectiveness and efficiency.
• The project will also have a network diagram to highlight and flow of all activities from start to end. This is very important for the project as the overview shows the specifics.

Scheduling

Project stakeholders might benefit from adopting project scheduling tools or software to better view the project timeline. One should choose software that makes it easy to create Gantt charts regardless of the method one uses for scheduling tasks, and this is what the project has sought to achieve. The most effective project scheduling techniques allow managers to examine each task in detail while still keeping an eye on the big picture. If one uses the project management software’s scheduling and tracking tools, one may get a bird’s-eye view of the next project. Creating a schedule for the project entails establishing when each task must be begun and completed (Poturak, Keco and Tunic, 2022)

Controlling

The project will use network flow diagrams and time chats for continuous monitoring. Additionally, controlling for a critical progress report is very important, which is why it is paramount to include this in the project.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

The work breakdown structure here highlights the flow of the tasks in the project, which needs to be actualized and aimed at enhancing the achievement of the set goals and objectives. In any project, a lot needs to be done.

1. Phase one

2. The planning phase of the project

Marketing strategies, list of activities and initiatives

Assigning tasks, duties, and roles.

3. The 3rd phase comes with a network diagram, Gantt chart, and allocation of resources.

4. Final project phase- This step is expected to deal closure of the project and deployment of the project.

Activities List / Marketing Strategies

• Identifying the target market

Customers that are interested in high-end designer goods and have expendable cash are Baker Brothers’ bread and butter. For the organization to thrive, it must attract more customers in the 18-to-24 age range. The company’s website must be redesigned to appeal to a younger audience’s expectations, as Ghelani, Hua, and Koduru (2022) argues. Additionally, optimization and future-proofing methods must be developed for the organization to grow its target market in the age mentioned above. This is the first step since it is what the project must perform to fulfil its primary objective.

• Website redesign 

Redesigning a website means giving the entire thing a facelift, from the coding to the content to the layout and the visuals, to give visitors a more satisfying experience. Users may choose to redesign their site for several reasons, some of which are related to the company’s marketing goals. Common goals include modernizing the site’s appearance, increasing traffic, increasing lead generation, and better serving users by adding new services (Shah, 2022). This project’s website will attract a younger demographic, ages 18 to 24.

• Website complete

Determining whether or not a website meets all the criteria for fullness is what’s meant by “website completeness.” The header, menu, pictures, text, and footer will all undergo quality assurance checks at this point in the process. If Baker Brothers want to win over more clients, it must work on the abovementioned aspects.

• Optimizing and future-proofing

Optimization tools, strategies, and tests increase a website’s performance, traffic, conversions, and revenue. Websites may be made future-proof in several ways, including by ensuring their flexibility to include new features and content as they become available. In this phase, Bakers Brothers will be pushed to adopt marketing strategies like social media marketing, where the vast bulk of their target audience congregates since more people will learn about their items. As a result, they should see an increase in sales.

• Coming up with marketing initiatives

A marketing initiative is a set of novel steps to either fix an existing problem or create a new one. “initiative” refers to the first steps to address an issue. The Baker Brothers must research the target demographic’s preferred celebrities, social media sites, and material. The firm should target its advertising on social media channels frequented by the target demographic, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and others. When put to good use, such forums are pleasant.

• Testing website

Online testing is a technique for ensuring a website’s or web app’s functionality. It helps ensure sites are optimized to do their tasks as efficiently and effectively as possible. Pre-release and continuous integration testing are good ways to find bugs in online software, but they aren’t the only ways. At this point, the firm may employ a sample of customers to make online purchases and provide feedback on the revamped site. The distribution of services and goods to the 18–24 age group will be enhanced. One simple method for increasing sales at a firm is to have customers place orders for things there (Benyon, 2019).

• Website functioning

This is the project’s final phase, which entails evaluating how effectively the website performed concerning predefined goals. Website functionality relates to how easily users can get the information they need and complete a desired activity, such as making a purchase. Websites that put functionality first, rather than design, often achieve more success. This point has already completed the bulk of the work for the website, so the last step is where everything works. Consequently, this indicates that the end stage and phase require fewer efforts and operations, despite what may look like a huge budget (Vrchota et al., 2020).

Project Roles and Responsible

The project manager primarily deals with the successful completion of a project where. In this case, it deals with information technology and requires technical skills from engineers, programmers and information technology staff. From the manager’s perspective, they ensure that the project has proceeded within specified time frames and under the given and budgeted budget. This includes achieving all objectives and ensuring the project has been allocated the required resources for smooth running and completion. Additionally, some of the other responsibilities include the following:

• Development of project plans
• Managing and leading the teams
• Deterring the methodology to be used in the project
• Recruitment of the project staff
• Establishment of the project schedule and determination of each phase
• Assigning or instead giving tasks to project team members.

Time Management

Critical Path Analysis

from the discussed roles and responsibilities, it is clear that the project manager has to calculate the number of days or the amount of time required to complete different tasks to ensure the project’s full completion. This helps ensure the project is completed within the stipulated time and avoids delays. Additionally, the project manager will be in a position to expect different task completion rates, especially during project monitoring.

Network Diagram

The above network diagram depicts the workflow of operations from start to finish for enhancing the efficiency and efficacy of the company’s marketing initiatives. The display boxes represent tasks that must be completed in an organized manner following the flow or activities that must be handled to reach the project’s ultimate objective.

 Project Assumptions

Every project and project planning have some defined factors which are true, specific or accurate, even though there could be no proof of the same. Due to this, our project planning had some assumptions, which include the following:

• The required resources will be provided, and they will be enough for the project from the beginning to the end and will be availed soon.
• All the stakeholders will be available in all the meetings as desired, and they will be very cooperative from the start to the end.
• The required equipment or materials will work as desired throughout the project.

Project Constraints

These are the limits of the project which it has to operate from. The main project constraints faced during the project and all the phases in project planning include the following.

• Time- This refers to project deadlines and individual tasks. The project managers are responsible for managing time and using different tools like calendars, as argued by Pellerin and Perrier (2019).
• Cost- This constraint deals with the financial costs of the project, which include the materials, labour, equipment and others. The project managers must handle and represent the project costs and budgets.
• Quality- This deals with the goodness of the desired project and its completion in terms of satisfaction.

Project Organization Structure

From the above-shown organizational structure, the project strategy is the overall and general approach the project management plans to execute, and it is necessary for achieving the project outcome. From the definition of the project roles, different groups and individuals have been involved, including the project manager, upper management, functional manager and team members. As was previously said, the project manager acts as the company’s overall point person for the project. It then moves on to introduce the heads of the three shown directorates. As shown in the organizational chart, every step and aspect is crucial and, therefore, must be emphasized.

Projection of the project roles chart

Resource Management

The tasks listed in the table below, along with the human resources personnel needed and assigned to carry them out, span the gamut from the project manager, who is responsible for delegating tasks, to the IT department’s staff and specialists, whose expertise lies primarily in the realm of technology. It also demonstrates a complete set of technical abilities and knowledge, especially in computer technology, as shown through programming examples (Torma and Thøgersen, 2021).

Resource Allocation

Resource Management

Resource Levelling

Aimed at ensuring the project objectives and goals have been met, resource levelling was crucial, and it helped a lot in the completion rate increment as expected. Since there needed to be more specified technical skills, it was advisable to take action on sourcing more staff, especially in the said sector. Through these, we applied manual resource levelling in the project plan.

Main List

Gantt Chart

Each task in the above Grant chart has a determined deadline based on the chart’s data. Adherence to the schedule assures timely completion and prevents unnecessary delays, as there is a predetermined amount of time allotted for each task. When the chat is present, it’s simpler to adjust if extra time is needed than when no estimation is current.

According to the graph, the first step, identifying the target market, should take about three weeks. Four weeks is a reasonable estimate for the second task, revamping the website. The project’s final phase is estimated to take just six months, and the chart displays all of the functions together with their required and predicted durations. Therefore, adhering to the chart as specified and defined is always beneficial since this minimizes time wasted on less critical tasks. In addition, it simplifies matters, particularly in management, because the project manager is aware of a definite time and understands what to watch as it would be finished according to the chart.

Budgeting

A budget is prepared during the project’s planning phase to anticipate how much money would be needed to carry out a task (Oke, 2022). The budget for Baker Brothers Jewellery Limited’s planned project management plan in the United Kingdom accounts for the project’s requirements.

Project Risk Factors

The team devised a plan to allocate resources to reduce the impact of potential shortages to mitigate this risk. Effective resource allocation strategies make the most significant possible contribution to team goals while keeping costs down. If one anticipates their demands, there is a considerably lower chance that they will need more funds (Wideman, 2022). This is the simplest solution, as outlined in the resource allocation strategy.

Modifications to operations provide an additional threat. Management, especially the project manager, can prepare for it and limit its impact by raising knowledge of the upcoming changes, especially in personnel or procedures. Still, he needs to eradicate operational risks. Giving personnel plenty of time to adjust to the shift is ideal, and the project must do so through team meetings, scheduling tools, and extra training (Smith and Merritt, 2020). Every potential threat to the project’s success is mapped out in detail, along with the most effective plan of action to eliminate it.

Critical discussion and a reflection on the Lessons Learnt from the project

Review of Lessons Learned to Form the Project

Time management techniques were identified as a key takeaway from the project, as they are essential for successful project management, planning, and execution. Nice try, but more time and energy could have been put into the project, especially during the preliminary planning stages. The allocation of more resources for the project would have enhanced the effectiveness and efficiency of the project planning and yielded more results than the desired ones.

Lessons Learned Working in a Group

I learnt a lot of skills throughout the project and as a result of working as a group. First, I was fully equipped with presentation skills during the class presentations. All these ranges from both transferable and soft skills. I learned the best ways of communicating clearly as the communication in group work was mostly open, which improved my expectations towards being clearer. On the same note, I learnt how to support teams in teamwork, especially when one is a leader, through enforcing realistic deadlines and delegating appropriately as desired and needed. Learning to improve my work through feedback was the other critical lesson learnt, and it helped me to grow my success and the missed steps during the project planning phases. I was eager to ask for advice from the professor ad team members, which helped me learn skills concerning inputs receiving input from my teammates and other leaders during the project phases.

During project management and planning, I learn hard skills concerning relevant technical skills and negotiation, among others. For instance, through negotiation, I learnt to act as the interface between the team members and the stakeholders to meet their expectations. This will help me negotiate the pricing deadlines, among other critical perspectives of any project in future. The relevant technical skills learnt will help me manage teams better by knowing exactly what they do and having basic development skills for different projects.

Reflect on Individual Learning

Individual learning is crucial and essential in project management as it helps identify weaknesses and strengths, thus showing what needs to be worked on. As a result, I have a lot to celebrate, especially the group’s leadership in project management and planning, among other phases. On the same, the developed skills during the project planning coordination have helped me in different fields. They will help me coordinate various mega projects for international firms and national governments in the future.

Recommendations for Future Projects

Future initiatives should ensure that people have easy, on-time access to materials they need to do their work. There is a direct correlation between timely resource allocation and project success. One may better manage resources thanks to a well-thought-out plan that specifies when key activities will begin and end. Having this information in advance is beneficial. Lacking a comprehensive plan, we squander resources on less important matters while slowing down development in those that require immediate attention.

In addition, it is strongly suggested that all dependent processes be coordinated. When it comes to accomplishing the strategy’s objectives, a strategic plan will outline when certain activities should launch and conclude. Additionally, it ensures that all running jobs will work together without any hitches. Concentrating on the projects’ vital routes is crucial to maintain high performance and accomplishing strategic goals. With a holistic plan, critical avenues and the order of efforts are preserved.

Conclusion

To offer the organization a reflective notion of the proposed management plan for marketing strategies, members of the project team must develop the work breakdown structure necessary to achieve the specified objectives. A network diagram is constructed, and a vital route is defined while assigning responsibilities to the various project staff members. Budgeting, resource allocation, and resource levelling are also a part of this project. Resource levelling had to be done manually since it was essential to understand how each team member’s skills stacked against the project’s demands. From all the phases, every step is very crucial and is expected to be completed in the expected timelines as indicated. Ensuring the scheme works and is completed within the stipulated time and avoids delays, the project manager was responsible for all this through developing critical path analysis.

References

Benyon, D., 2019. Designing user experience. Pearson UK.

Ghelani, D., Hua, T.K. and Koduru, S.K.R., 2022. A Model-Driven Approach for Online Banking Application Using AngularJS Framework. American Journal of Information Science and Technology, 6(3), pp.52-63.

Oke, A.E., 2022. Budget: A Measure of Project Success. In Measures of Sustainable Construction Projects Performance (pp. 99-105). Emerald Publishing Limited.

Pellerin, R. and Perrier, N., 2019. A review of methods, techniques and tools for project planning and control. International Journal of Production Research, 57(7), pp.2160-2178.

Poturak, M., Keco, D. and Tutnic, E., 2022. Influence of search engine optimization (SEO) on business performance: A case study of private university in Sarajevo. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), 11(4), pp.59-68.

Shah, J., 2022. IMPROVING USER EXPERIENCE (UX) THROUGH WEB REDESIGN (Doctoral dissertation).

Smith, P.G. and Merritt, G.M., 2020. Proactive risk management. productivity press.

Torma, G. and Thøgersen, J., 2021. A systematic literature review on meta sustainability labeling–What do we (not) know?. Journal of Cleaner Production, 293, p.126194.

Vrchota, J., Řehoř, P., Maříková, M. and Pech, M., 2020. Critical success factors of the project management concerning industry 4.0 for sustainability of projects. Sustainability, 13(1), p.281.

Wideman, R.M., 2022. Project and program risk management a guide to managing project risks and opportunities. Project Management Institute, Inc.