Internet Marketing Tips, Tools and Strategies

There are many aspects of Online Marketing that some people just don’t feel comfortable handling themselves. Worrying about Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, Monitoring Analytics, Writing Content, Managing a PPC Campaign, Mobile Marketing, Landing Page Development, etc. – it is enough to make anyone’s head spin! Because of this many businesses decide to hire an Online Marketing Expert instead of a DIY approach.

At the end of the day, you want leads and sales and have decided to bring in some experts. Here are some tips on what you should avoid when hiring your own Online Marketing Expert.

Guaranteed lead amounts. Any Online Marketing Expert will tell you that every account is different. Different industries, competition, etc. - which makes predicting the initial success of any marketing campaign near impossible. Be wary of any expert guaranteeing an amount of leads without understanding your company completely.

Instant results or top placement. This promise can be just as telling about an Online Marketing Expert as guaranteed lead numbers. Running a successful Online Marketing Campaign requires lots of analyzing, competition monitoring, and hard work. While 99% of our organic campaigns get results within 30 days, there is no legitimate way to guarantee instant results.

Why? Because its important to remember that we don’t control the search engine results, only the search engines do! We can only do what we know works well, but guaranteeing any placement or traffic within organic search results is ridiculous.

Bulk Backlinks or Permanent Backlinks.  A tactic some Online Marketing Experts will use is a flat fee for X number of backlinks (usually in the thousands); the problem with this is that the techniques often used to get these backlinks can hurt your company and take your site down. You can be penalized by search engines for your “experts” automatic or spamming backlink methods. If it sounds to good to be true it probably is. There are no instant/quick fixes in regards to building links, it just takes time and knowledge to get it right.   

You should also be wary of promises of permanent backlinks, as there is honestly no way to guarantee this. The Internet is always evolving and changing, sites will close down or remove pages; someone needs to monitor and replace these lost links on a consistent basis, especially if they are providing value to your site.

Now that you know what to avoid when hiring an Online Marketing Expert you might want to consider running our Free Website Scan to see where your website currently stands.

Online Marketing isn’t just for large companies. Actually, because it’s so accessible, Online Marketing is a perfect tool for small (to medium) businesses. Developing an Online Marketing Strategy gives small companies the potential to not only develop their brand and become a name in their industry, but also improve their bottom line from increased leads that turn into sales.

Here are a few tips for small businesses looking at promoting their businesses online:

1. Be sure that you have Google Analytics installed on your website. Obviously you want to be sure you are monitoring this data as well and using it to make improvements to your strategies.
   
   
2. Don't shun social media. You may think Social Media is just for fun, but in actuality these platforms are powerful Online Marketing tools that you should be taking advantage of. Social media plays an important role in organic search rankings, so ignoring this may be affecting your organic traffic and rankings. 
3. Develop a list of keywords. What are some words or phrases you would use to describe your company? If you wanted to find a competitor online, what would you type into Google’s search engine? Really think about these and develop a list of keywords that you can use for future content writing, PPC ads, etc.
4. Write a blog. Blogging has numerous benefits when it comes to Online Marketing – drive traffic from search engines, a platform for interacting with your customers, etc. Not to mention it shows users that you are an expert in your field. More content in more places = More customers. Several studies have been conducted to prove the previous point, and there is actually a strong correlation between how much quality content you produce and amount of leads/sales you get online. Think of your website and all your social profiles as an asset. You need to build those assets each and every month and the rewards will pay off.
5. Consider calling in an expert. You aren’t an Online Marketing Professional, right? There are consultants out there that understand what it takes to get a company online, generating traffic, and creating conversions – let them do what they do best and help you!

Online Marketing gives small businesses the ability to compete in today’s market. So why not give it a try? Get started by signing up for our FREE website scan which will give you the information you need to be successful online.

Recently my TV decided it didn’t want to work anymore and in an effort to save some money I decided I would try to fix it myself. A few frustrating hours later, with the back of my TV off with wires, cables, and a serious amount of dust everywhere, I was questioning why I didn’t call a TV repair expert? This got me thinking, in the land of Online Marketing, is it better to just call an Online Marketing Consultant or try to do-it-yourself?

Well, you need to ask yourself - what exactly do you get from working with an Online Marketing Consultant?

How about the obvious – they are online marketing experts. You are a business owner, and I think it is safe to assume, you know more about your products/services then you customers. The same can be said about an Online Marketing Consultants. They work with online marketing campaigns all the time and know what it takes to develop an online campaign that works.

Also, you need to think about time. Developing an online marketing strategy and executing that strategy can take a lot of working hours. Especially in competitive markets, it takes a small army to implement an effective online marketing campaign. Not to mention, once a campaign is launched the work is rarely over. Most online marketers continue to monitor results, test landing pages, and make tweaks for optimization after launch day.

The last thing you should consider when trying to make the decision between do-it-yourself marketing and working with a professional Online Marketing Consultant is the importance of your online presence. For most businesses being visible online is extremely important and not coming up on search engines can sometimes mean you are non-existent. Can you really say the cost of working with an Online Marketing Consultant outweighs having the online presence your company needs? I firmly believe that in the near future if a company doesn’t have a great online presence, they will NOT compete in their market (unless your brand is huge like Nike or Apple, but even they are a force online).

Now, you might think that being online isn’t as hard as fixing a TV, but I want to urge you to consider all the details of running an online campaign - keyword research, developing a successful website, working with Google (and other search engines), optimizing webpages, developing a social media strategy, backlink building, off-page marketing, on-page marketing, and much more…. Now those wires and cables aren’t as intimidating are they? Get started with a WebScan and initial consultation with WSI for free to see how your current strategy stacks up.

Marketing on the internet has grown leaps and bounds in the past few years. If you're thinking growing your business, opening up new lead channels, or starting a new business, you need to determine if there is a market online for your product or service.

If there is a market for your company, what kind of competition do you have? What are your competitors doing and is their business successful? Understanding the potential market and competition will ultimately make you more informed and more likely to be successful. Marketing online is very difficult if you don’t understand what your competition is doing. Getting to #1 in the search results may not even be possible depending on the keywords you want to target.

Speaking with someone who specializes in internet marketing consulting can help you realize what needs to happen for you to grow your business online. I highly recommend that you at least take us up on our Free WSI WebScan offer. This free report is invaluable and will show you how your site is currently performing and what you can do to improve it.

If you are providing a product or service that is in high demand it is important to keep in mind that if you're not getting your target prospect’s business, someone else is. Marketing online you have to expect to compete heavily to attract customer attention.

As your website grows in popularity you need to ask yourself:
1. How do I grow my relationship with my current customers and visitors?

2. How do I increase my customer base and convert prospects into customers?

3. How do I make sure my current customers are happy and stay with me? If you are selling a product or service that typical is a one time sale, think about how you can upsell something else to increase sales more easily.

The first thing you want to do is build a database with contact information for all your current and prospective customers. Communicate with these people through email and social media. Build relationships and loyalty through communication, promotions, discounts and benefits. Keeping contacts engaged and happy is a great way to get them to spend money with you.

Organize a search engine optimization campaign so that your customers find you when they are searching for products or services like you offer. Then build a website that is filled with valuable and keyword rich content. I can’t stress this enough, content is king in the online marketing world. This will ensure that your website ranks well with Google if you are targeting the right phrases and writing good quality stuff.

Ultimately you need to grow and build relationships as well as nurturing your public appearance to ensure success marketing online.