Outsourcing Your Web Marketing

The online world is constantly evolving. You may be thinking about outsourcing your Web promotion to an expert who is immersed in this world as their fulltime occupation, rather than trying to acquire this knowledge yourself, and cope with the pace of change in-house.

So, what should you look for in a consultant, and what guarantees can you expect?

Choosing The Consultant

The consultant should ask a lot of questions about your business and your objectives. They need to be very clear about the specific goals of your site. Do you want as many visitors as possible (as in: "We get millions of hits on our Web site"), or are you more interested in attracting qualified leads? Are you selling products? Are you looking for new customers, sign-ups for your newsletter or events, media coverage, etc.

It's possible that there could be different markets for each of your objectives. The consultant should show that they clearly understand the demographics of the audience you want to attract. This includes whether your markets are currently online, whether they are comfortable using e-mail, etc. It's also important to clarify any restrictions on your marketing - for example, if you're only targeting specific locations.

The key to effective Web marketing is to have a comprehensive, integrated plan that focuses on where your markets "hang out" online. It's absolutely not enough to concentrate your efforts on search engines - that's a passive rather than an active approach. You want to reach out to your potential visitors, not wait for them to come to you. And, you want to ensure that your offline marketing includes your Web site - up to a third of your traffic can now come from real-world sources.

So, the consultant should propose to you a wide-ranging plan (assuming that's appropriate for your goals) that includes:

* Search engine strategies
* Paid (bid for placement) listings
* Review sites and directories
* Linking with other appropriate sites
* Advertising / e-zine sponsorships (depending on your budget)
* Online public relations opportunities
* Integration with your real-world marketing

Effective Web marketing must also include an e-mail strategy. The consultant should include in their proposal some ideas for targeted, personalized (and fully opt-in) e-mail that is compliant with all State and Federal laws. This requires a contact database that you can use to select out the different audiences that you might have for these messages. The consultant should also be able to help you create this, if required.

And finally, the consultant should explain how they propose to evaluate the success of any marketing campaign against your goals and objectives. Marketing is an ongoing process, during which you'll learn a lot about your site and about your visitors. This knowledge should be analyzed and used to tweak your site and refine your business strategies. A good consultant will be able to work with you to achieve this.

What Guarantees Can You Expect?

Let's be very clear - there is a distinction, which often gets blurred, between sales and marketing. The job of a marketing consultant is to bring qualified traffic to your site (or in other words, into your storefront). Completing the sale is then a separate challenge.

Marketing is also a very gray area, in which it's difficult to provide cast-iron guarantees of results. This is particularly true in the area of search engine optimization, since the search engines are so unpredictable. In my opinion, if a consultant promises you "top ten placement" you should be very wary - it's possible that they are using tactics that could be classified as spam - soon if not now.

And that can really hurt you - I have a colleague who was banned from Google because he hired "experts" who used this type of approach.

Obviously you do want to check that the consultant has a good track record, and that they can provide references from other clients. I believe that good Web knowledge and proven online marketing tactics are as important as an in-depth familiarity with your industry.

In setting your contract with the consultant, it's important to have a mutual comfort level with your goals, expectations and budget. There are many opportunities for free promotion online, but if you're prepared to spend some money, you can potentially build your traffic faster. Since building awareness of a site takes time, perhaps a minimum six-month period would be advisable, but with appropriate get-out clauses for both parties.

Conclusion

Good Web marketing is a team effort! Hire a consultant who you feel very comfortable with, who asks lots of questions to really understand your business and your goals, and who seems genuinely interested in promoting you. But then be prepared to work with them - respect and consider their suggestions, and allow them to be creative in their approach.

© Philippa Gamse, 2003. All rights reserved.

Philippa Gamse, CyberSpeaker, is a Web strategy consultant and professional speaker. Check out her free tipsheet for 23 ideas to promote your Website: http://www.CyberSpeaker.com/tipsheet.html Philippa can be reached at (831) 465-0317.

---

In Depth Analysis of a Successful Niche Product

The product is about teaching your parrot how to talk.... Read More

Avoid The Sharks

They hang around your web site. Not buying, just lurking.... Read More

Internet Marketing Help

If you're looking for Internet marketing help you've come to... Read More

A Business Guide For The Very New Internet Entrepreneur

Did you recently buy your first computer and just started... Read More

Build the Snowball and It Will Run

Setting up your own online business can seem extremely daunting.... Read More

What Are 7 Psychological Triggers That Make People Buy?

Did you know that there are seven psychological techniques that... Read More

The Facts You Should Know About Internet Marketing

I wakeup this morning and see my lovely wife. She... Read More

Physical and Mental Fitness for Internet Marketers

As you may have already read in our article "Health... Read More

Headlines Bring Sales--Where and How to Use Them - Part 1

Headlines are short vital statements to stimulate your potential customers... Read More

Internet Marketing Online: How To Make Your Customers To Keep Coming Back To Buy From You

There are a few internet marketing online secrets that when... Read More

Five Common Misconceptions to Achieving Success with Your Online Business

How successful is your online business? Are you achieving the... Read More

How To Master Internet Marketing

What is the secret of being the best at Internet... Read More

The Niche Website Naming Secret

Today I was optimizing a couple new websites for search... Read More

Internet Marketing - A Leap Of Faith

Do you remember as a child having to do something... Read More

Five Step In To A Successful Online Shopping Business..

Before you set out to explore the online shopping market... Read More

How To Make A Lot Of Money On The Internet Doing Nothing

"You can make a lot of money on the Internet... Read More

Network Marketing Online ? The Method

Network Marketing online works by giving you your own online... Read More

Niche Marketing: Finding JV Partners

Joint Ventures (JVs) are one of the most powerfull techniques... Read More

Trust, the Key to Success

Not everyone is comfortable putting their personal information online. It... Read More

Get Permission to Earn Income Online for Life

Today, the internet is an excellent media to reach out... Read More

An Introduction to Mortgage Marketing

The other day I had an appointment to meet with... Read More

Online Business Mistakes

Everybody makes mistakes, but nobody likes to talk about them.... Read More

Ten Ways to Sell to Your Customers Again and Again

OK, so you're making some sales, either of your own... Read More

Know The Fundamentals To Success

Internet Marketing is right for everyone. Unfortunately, not everyone is... Read More

Persist Or Perish, The Choice Is Yours: Learn The Rules Of Online Business

Everybody wants quick profits. The phenomenon is more prevalent on... Read More

I Want To Be An Online Marketer!

Where do I start if I want to be an... Read More

3 Services Your Online Business Cant Live Without

It doesn't make any difference if you're promoting your own... Read More

Marketing Objectives for Your Web Site

Do you have marketing objectives for your Web site? With... Read More

Maintaining The Focus For Success In Online Business

Maintaining Focus is important for success in online business. One... Read More

At Last, A Plain English Guide to Internet Marketing

Have you ever been horrified and intimidated at the convoluted,... Read More

Guaranteed Sign Ups-What Are They?

Every business needs customers that's axiomatic.When you work on the... Read More

Is There A Future For Spam?

Will you always be buried underneath a mountain of spam?... Read More

The 2 Step Lead Generation Machine

Cold calling doesn't work, it's no fun and often you... Read More