There is a perceived price barrier to Internet Marketing by many small business owners. People who knew little about stocks were taken advantage of, people who knew little about auto repair were taken advantage of, and people who knew little about Internet Marketing were also taken advantage of. So with no clear path to victory people are ambivalent, and do not take a risk.
Also some business owners feel they simply can not afford to hire a Internet Marketing Company to advertise on the web. They assume the return on their investment would be inadequate to justify the out lay of funds. Many other small business owners have been sold some services that produced little if any results for large sums of money.
The Internet Marketing landscape is changing, and small firms are popping up to help the small business market. Small business Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specialists, and small business Pay Per Click (PPC) services are starting to dot the land scape.
The entrance fees and management cost requirements to run a Pay Per Click campaign were in many cases ridiculous for small business owners. These PPC Management companies would spend the clients money on campaigns to broad to attract new clients just to earn their 10% of spend. The more they spend for the client the more the management service would earn regardless of conversion success rates.
Today I am happy to report that there are PPC companies who cater to small businesses and do an outstanding job for small monthly fees. If your online advertising company can not bring in enough customers to even cover the cost of their services, fire them today, just like Donald Trump.
The SEO industry is starting to mature and talented small business SEO specialists are bringing real value to the market place. In the past small business owners who wanted to take advantage of the free forms of online advertising had to be pretty web savvy, or otherwise go without.
The new vultures on the scene seem to be media buyers and Internet Marketing Consultants. Of course there are vultures ready to pick of the unsuspecting and ignorant in any market. So how do you find reputable consultants, SEO's, and PPC service providers when you know so little?
1. Begin by asking your friends and business acquaintances for referrals to companies they have had success with.
2. Make sure you see samples of their work, what small businesses do they currently have listed on the top of the search engines?
3. Referrals; Companies that do good work have customers that would love to sing their praises, talk with these referrals.
4. Many web-designers know little a bout marketing and advertising but can make really cool looking websites, so refer back to number two in this list.
5. If your hiring an SEO firm, ask them for a short sampling of keywords they are number 1 for. Any successful SEO can rattle of keywords they dominate search for.
6. Make sure you have outlined some clear goals and that you have a way to track your Internet presence, and new customer acquisitions.
2. Make sure you see samples of their work, what small businesses do they currently have listed on the top of the search engines?
3. Referrals; Companies that do good work have customers that would love to sing their praises, talk with these referrals.
4. Many web-designers know little a bout marketing and advertising but can make really cool looking websites, so refer back to number two in this list.
5. If your hiring an SEO firm, ask them for a short sampling of keywords they are number 1 for. Any successful SEO can rattle of keywords they dominate search for.
6. Make sure you have outlined some clear goals and that you have a way to track your Internet presence, and new customer acquisitions.
It is a tough marketplace loaded with soul-less merchants, and snake oil salesmen, take your time and find a reputable service to help your business grow. The reward for those who succeed in effectively advertising goes without saying.
Mike Kern is the President and CEO of Inform Local an Online Advertising and Marketing Consultant. Who specializes in SEO and PPC for small businesses. For more information or to speak with a service rep visit: Internet Marketing Companies Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_G_Kern |
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