Inbound Marketing

Contrary to what a lot of people are saying out there, online marketing doesn’t suit every business. Recently I was having a conversation with the owner of a small local restaurant. If they were to start using online marketing they would definately need the help of a consultant because no one on staff had the skills or the time to invest. However, with an average sale from a customer of $15.00 they would need to bring in thousands of new customers to break even. This was just a local place that people dropped into when they wanted to grab a hamburger. They were not expecting people to travel across the city to eat there.

That isn’t to say all local businesses won’t find online marketing a great help to finding new customers. I know a landscaping company that does very well bringing in new business from online marketing. Most service oriented businesses will do great using online marketing.

A good consultant is a good coach. The biggest thing they can do for you right from the start is to determine if your company is ready to start a marketing plan. They can help you to determine if the basics such as having defined and detailed goals and a complete understanding of your target market are already in place because without these it will be hard if not impossible to succeed. If these things haven’t already been defined, they can help you to define them. Remember, no one can market to everyone.

Good Online marketing coaches come in several varieties. Some will only handle the development of a marketing plan and then train you to do the work. Some will help with the plan and then either do some of your marketing for you or help you to outsource it. An honest consultant will tell you the pros and cons of of their method of working and help you to understand what will suit you best.

If someone comes up to you and tells you they are an expert in online marketing then be wary. Online marketing is so new, changing so fast and filled with unexpected turns and twists that no one can claim expertise. Each business is so unique that although the principles stay the same, both the owner and the consultant have to be heavily engaged in a learning process at all times.

Some will tell you about the courses they took. There is nothing wrong with taking courses, as a matter of fact it shows a desire to add more knowledge and that is never a bad thing. However, if that is all they have, if they are not connecting with you, inspiring you, showing you imagination, then they may just be book learned and will take you through a very static process.

Be careful of someone who is all numbers. There are those who will tell you about the 10,000 new visitors they got to someone’s site. What they may not tell you is they got these visitors in a unethical manner, or that none of those visitors were the target market so they were useless. It’s great when your marketer can tell you about the experience they have, but make sure they tell you the full story.

Social networking isn’t a strategy! Don’t get me wrong here, social networks are great and are proving to be very successful as part of a well thought-out marketing plan. But they can not BE your marketing plan by themselves. Using social media without a complete marketing plan can actually harm your company in so many ways. When connecting with real people using social media tools you are raising their expectations. If your website, your blog and your company services are not up to meeting and exceeding those expectations you can harm your reputation.

Look for someone you connect with. Look for someone who is filled with ideas about your business when they walk in the door for the very first time (this means they have done their homework.) Look for someone who is going to coach you to take calculated risks and a person who you know it will be fun to work with. If your first meeting is dry and uninspired then you can pretty well guarantee that the entire working relationship will be that way.

I only put up testimonials about what it is like to work with me. Why? Because that is what is important. If I am successful with one company, it will not guarantee I am successful with you. Each company is so different that each outcome will be different. Recently the U.S. Fair Trade Commission felt it necessary to change the rules on what is acceptable and what is not when using testimonials (see my blog post here for more information.) The reasoning was that unless you could prove with backed up data that everyone will see results as stated in your testimonials, than stating results can manipulate a buyer into thinking the results are normal for everyone.

Find someone who will talk to you about those risks. It is rare to find a professional coach that will guarantee you anything simply because there many things that impact the outcome and a lot of them the marketer have no control over. Marketing is a critical part of your business. It enables you to understand what your customers want, it helps you to project the image you want to own and it brings in new customers. I don’t know a single company that can get away with no marketing and still be successful. However, whenever you spend money there are risks.

What if you want to go it alone. In all honesty, the information for just about anything is out there and available on the Internet. It may take you hours if not days or months to find it, but find it you can. You may want to buy a product that will give you the knowledge you need. This is all fine if you have thought out your strategy on how you will set aside time to create your marketing plan and then work on it consistently. You are the one and only expert about your company. Most business owners are already over-whelmed with trying to provide a service and run a business, but there are those who can discipline themselves to get their marketing done.

So many people hate marketing because they equate it with sales. But marketing isn’t sales. It’s connecting with the most important people, your customers. You can chose to send them a dry flyer telling them how great you are that will more than likely end up in the garbage, or you can put real meaning into your marketing, giving back as much value as you get. Go for the latter to create a win-win situation.

Marketing can be down right fun and at the same time bring you new customers, enhance your reputation and do your market research for you.

Go for it!