The rapidly changing landscape of the Internet means that online marketing is now becoming the dominant segment of most marketing mix. We’re not talking web 2.0 anymore with web 3.0 rapidly developing. Therefore anyone serious about the Internet should make sure that they have a coherent Internet Marketing Strategy.
10 years ago SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) was basic and simple, competition was limited. Success with PPC (Pay Per Click) campaigns (on Yahoo then on Google) was simple. Link Building (to improve Google page rank) was less selective.
Latest developments in online Marketing now mean that Internet Marketing is far more complex and even in-house teams can now benefit from the advice an Internet Consultantcan give: For example an Internet Marketing Strategy and integrated campaign will include all of the following elements:
E-mail Marketing
Landing Page Development
Conversion Analysis
Website & Web Page Optimisation
Social Media Marketing
Pay Per Click Marketing
and more..
Indeed any of these elements can be broken down into discreet strategies by the consultant, for example Social Media may cover such elements as:
♦Social Media Monitoring
♦Social Media Advertising activities such as: Facebook Advertising; MySpace Advertising; Linked In etc
♦Social Media Portal Personalisation on site such as:
•FaceBook
•Linked In
•MySpace
•YouTube
♦Profiles and entries on Propeller & Squidoo
♦Questions and Answer Sites
♦Wiki Entries
♦Blogging
♦Article Writing
♦PR & PR Distribution
♦Mobile & FaceBook Applications
♦and of course Twitter!
It is therefore vital that in selecting a consultant that you know that they have the tools to analyse your website with such tools like the WSI Webscan , and that they have the expertise to advise and execute as required, whether it is overarching strategy or detailed execution of the strategy.
Clients must no longer be satisfied with the one trick ponies who do a bit of PPC or a bit of SEO. Internet Consultancy is now a fully integrated marketing science, but this space is developing so quickly University Courses are out of date before their intake has started.
So some pointers in choosing a consultant might include:
♦The pedigree of their clients
♦The pedigree of their testimonials
♦Do they practice what they preach?
♦What tools do they use?
♦Can they explain each element of the strategy clearly and non technically?
♦All elements of any campaign should stack up. Does what they say make sense?
♦If you feel uncomfortable or it seems too god to be true, follow your instincts.
♦Look at a selection of their campaigns is it one size fits all? It shouldn’t be, each clients’ campaign should be unique.
Anyone looking to expand their business should look online, identify a great Internet Consultant who can help and guide them through the maze of Jargon, and will deliver a an Internet marketing strategy to match their budget and ambitions and that they will be accountable for.
After all Internet Marketing when done properly is the best value for money investment, but it is down to clients to make sure that they get value from their Internet Consultants by holding them to account on the results, nearly every aspect of Internet marketing is provable, and the deliverables should be quite easily demonstrable.
Make sure you have a documented, probable Internet Marketing Strategy developed for your business by your chosen Internet Marketing Consultant
WSI based in Huddersfield, Yorkshire operates nationally throughout the UK, even though our primary client base is concentrated into Leeds & West Yorkshire, Sheffield & South Yorkshire, Manchester, Cheshire & Lancashire. We aim to provide real value for money marketing to large multinationals and SMEs who believe that their future success and survival is online. WSI is an Internet Marketing Consultancy providing all leading edge Internet Services.
