subject: Does Your Marketing Consultant Deliver? [print this page] Does Your Marketing Consultant Deliver? Does Your Marketing Consultant Deliver?
If you're interested in all that a consultant can do for your business online, an internet marketing consultant should be able to do great things for you on the internet. Whether you have already hired someone specialised in web-based marketing or are in the beginning stages of thinking about taking the plunge with respect to investing in your success, read on to understand a few things you should be able to expect --- without question.
Listening Skills
Any internet marketing consultant who doesn't want to learn a bit about your business and your goals isn't going to likely do a very good job for you. By listening to you and by examining your existing infrastructure (or business plan if you're not already in business), the consultant can begin to put a plan together that addresses where you're at today and where you want to be at in the future. If your internet marketing consultant isn't listening to you or isn't asking any questions, you're probably not going to get the results you're hoping for. Your business is unique and so are your needs.
Extensive Research
Any online biz specialist knows that there is no one size fits all' solution for web-based success. In order to be able to compete online you'll need to know a little bit about: your market, your customers, your competitors, etc. Research is a vital aspect of your strategy and if your internet marketing consultant hasn't done any real research, they probably won't be able to be very effective at helping you get traffic and market to your customers and prospective customers.
Ongoing Analysis
Internet marketing is not a one off. It's a process. And an ongoing one at that. Your consultancy firm should be able to analyse whether or not the methods they are using to help you are working. Have they provided any reporting of what they've been able to do for you? Have they shown you concrete evidence that you're getting return on your investment?
Results
If you've been at this for a while, have you seen results? There's no real "success" gage to tell you how much your traffic should've increased in 90-days or how much your sales should be up by but if you're not seeing an incline in the areas you've asked an internet consultant to improve on, it may be time to re-think your strategy and re-think who you're trusting with your business.
Investing in the future of your business is smart --- especially in the current economy and competitive landscape. Any internet marketing consultant that knows their "stuff" will listen to you, do their due diligence with respect to research, and will help you not just work on getting business today but will also help you work on sustainability for the long term.
