I was talking the other day with some friends who are Internet Marketers. They are the sort who really do know their stuff and whom I hold in high regard. We were talking about the “feeding frenzy” which is currently going on in the Internet Marketing community about selling services to offline businesses.
Now of itself that is no bad thing because the skills that people who work online develop around search engine optimization, article marketing, web page design, social networking and the like can be very helpful to local businesses, charities etc.
Recently, internet marketers have been going crazy for the “offline niche” after several information products were released on the subject. Again of itself that is no bad thing because having a step by step guide as to how to promote your business can be very useful. The problem for offline businesses and charities is that unfortunately as always happens with the latest idea on the internet marketing forums a whole group of people will leap on it as they leap on every new idea that may be the way they can make money! So we are already seeing people with limited knowledge positioning themselves as “Internet Marketing Consultants” and following a plan to promote internet marketing services to offline businesses and charities.
Buyer Beware! There used to be a saying that the definition of a consultant was “someone who borrows your watch in order to tell you what time it is.” With the people who leap from one money making idea to the next I am not even sure they would be able to tell you the time if they borrowed two watches!
Buyer Beware! This group of people are the sort who are thinking to themselves “Why should I work away at optimizing and promoting my own websites (for a potential return) when I can be getting paid big bucks to design and/or optimize someone else’s?”
Now I am not tarring all internet marketers with the same brush! Some have indeed built up an enormous amount of experience and skill in the art of search engine optimization (SEO), web design, article marketing, press release writing, social networking, etc. But if you are approached as an offline business or charity about the provision of internet marketing services there are a number of things you need to think about.
Let me give you a comparable situation. I spend a lot of my time involved with coaching and training which means that I engage suppliers of coaching and training on a fairly regular basis. Now if I am looking for a coach to do some basic work for me with an individual or small group in the offline environment I would be looking to pay something in the region of £100 – £150 per hour ($150 – $225). If I was looking to engage a coach to work at a more senior level or at an executive level then I would be looking at something in the region of £300 per hour ($450) but of course that would vary based on the complexity of the issues that were being addressed.
Why do I think that’s a comparable situation? Well in my view it’s comparable on a number of different levels. You might be thinking that the skill sets are quite different? Well, anyone offering services to “help your business” would need to be able to understand your business and the key business drivers if they were to make a real difference. So in my opinion, the coach and the internet marketing consultant are alike in that respect. But how many internet marketing consultants, especially those in the first group I identified above, would even ask what your key business drivers are? Let alone actually understand what they are!
The other reason that I think it’s a comparable situation is because the potential price points of the skills are, again in my opinion, very comparable. If someone is offering to do some basic work for you around selecting keywords and optimizing your existing web pages for you then in all honesty it’s no more than a couple of hours work. It should therefore be charged at the lower end of the scale.
If someone is offering to do some basic optimization (SEO), some web design, article marketing and setting you up with some sort of social networking presence etc then again whilst it should be being charged at the basic level and charged for on the basis of the number of hours it will take.
Buyer Beware! If an “internet marketing consultant” comes and tries to sell you a package of services then make sure you unpick what is involved. Make sure that they are really providing consultancy by gaining an understanding of your business and your business drivers. It’s all too easy for someone who knows the language of internet marketing to try and baffle businesses and charities and get them to part with many thousands for a potential return – make sure you are not caught out by them!
Always remember that what you are being offered in terms of Search Engine Marketing and the like has the potential to produce a return on your investment. There are no guarantees however having exposure on the internet can help your business grow but only if it’s done by someone who knows what they are talking about and can point to success with their own websites! That’s an interesting place to end for now! If someone who claims to be an internet marketing consultant comes selling their services ask for evidence of success.
Don’t be fooled by them saying that they are only just starting working for clients which is why you might find that they will say they are offering you a “great discount” if you let them work for you! Ask them for evidence from their own websites and if the only keywords they have ever ranked well for are “bobsleighing in Qatar” then suggest they go and try it!
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