For most people, the dream of making easy money online has not become a reality. In the early days of the internet in the late 1990s, the idea of simply setting up a website and letting cash flow in was very much in vogue.
Unfortunately, when the dot com bubble burst and people started to lose a bit of sobriety in their fantasies of the web world, all the people who weren’t willing to work to be successful online just left the scene and went elsewhere. side.
Those who have been left behind are those who have more realistic expectations of what an Internet business can be. Sure, there are still people out there making an online mint, but you can bet they’ve not only worked really hard to achieve that goal, but they’ve also been really smart about the choices they’ve made. Sometimes being smart means getting help from expert strategic consultants or having access to the right online tools.
Yes, as many have learned the hard way, when the going gets tough online, the tough ones look to strategic internet marketing service providers. If you are looking for strategic Internet marketing services, here are 5 criteria to evaluate potential service providers:
1. Duration of the experience:
How long has the person or company been working in this field? Ask for references and other proof that you’re not just someone new to the game after reading a few books and building your own website over a couple of long weekends. Experience definitely counts in this field.
2. Amount of hands-on care you will be given:
Calculate how much personal, hands-on attention you’ll get from a top-tier consultant. How can you do this? Before signing a contract or moving forward with a project, call the office a few times and see how easy it is to talk to the boss in charge. Your experience here likely foreshadows how the rest of the relationship will play out. Trust your first impressions.
3. Degree to which they know their particular industry:
The importance of this is debatable. Much of the knowledge online is independent of any particular industry. Still, if your company has experience with what you do, all the better.
4. Degree to which they outsource vs. use internal talent:
Outsourcing certain online marketing tasks is not a crime, and in many ways you can benefit from it (for example, by paying lower prices). However, make sure that all key strategic decisions on your behalf are made internally, and NOT by an outside person who really has little connection to you or your business goals.
5. Quality of the tools they use:
All strategic internet marketers have access to a host of interactive tools such as website analytics, keyword analysis, and competitor analysis tools. Find out what they use and how well they use them.
An alternative to hiring a strategic Internet marketing solutions provider is to gain access to professional-grade online tools that you can use yourself. After a little training, you may know 90% of what these consultants could tell you, for much less money.
