We have all heard it – marketing is expensive. But what is the cost of not marketing – inevitably, it is failure. But you have to do market (online or offline) in a manner that can be measured against results. Lets take a Plumber, for instance. Suppose we launch an adwords campaign for Joe that consists of a $300 per month spend, and he can attribute 600 additional hits to his web site. how does this translate into business? Hopefully, he is asking the question: How did you hear about my business? This is key to tracking the profit on the service related business. It is a whole lot more apparent on an ecommerce application where you can track the click all the way to the ‘thank you for your order’ page of your site.
I specialize in marketing your web site, and I especially prefer local businesses where I can sit down and determine the best strategy with you, for your business. If you would like to see more, MessageDirect.info has a portfolio, or contact me directly at sm (at) messagedirect (.) info!
On a regular basis, I deal with small businesses that, most of the time seem to have it all together. I do some small business consulting in the context of how to use technology, but recently get many questions on general small business issues. One such issue dealt with some inappropriate material that was found on a 3rd party site. If your firm doesn’t have a Technology Use Policy in place for the areas of the office and the web which the employees have access to, you are asking for trouble.
The Policy should include specifics about how the company equipment and email can be used, what it can store, and what actions will be taken if the Policy is broken. I once worked at a company that would not allow anything but the default Windows Xp screen saver to be displayed, so as not to have to make a decision on personal photos that may or may not be offensive. Do you allow your employees to fax personal items…maybe it is time to spell it out. Don’t wait until someone threatens a lawsuit and you don’t have the proper procedures in place.
Do you belong to a forum or similar online community? If you have not added your website or blog to your signature, you are missing out on a great marketing opportunity. If you are a mechanic and you belong to an enthusiast site for your favorite sports car, you should, without a doubt, add your website to the signature of your profile – when you leave a comment on the forum, you are leaving a link back to your web site, something for people who are curious or who like the info you have provided to follow back to your site. This may seem like the most basic of tips, but you would be shocked at how many people miss out on this great opportunity.
In tech terms, this is a “back link” – a link from a site with relevant information to your site. Google and the search engines love back links, you should too! Make getting back links a priority.
Omaha Business owners and clients – I have free tickets for you to the Buy The Big O Show on Wednesday at the Qwest Center. You can check out Omaha’s best B2B show. My friend Heather Nelson from MCC will be giving a talk on Search Engine Marketing for your business. This will be an informative talk designed to expose you to the Google Adwords concept and give you some ideas on how to market your business on line.
If you leave a comment to this post I will email you a printable ticket which you can use for your entire office.