6 Reasons I Am Not Just a Web Marketing Consultant

I love internet marketing—don’t get me wrong—and the Internet is a very powerful tool.  But I am not a web marketing consultant.  A lot of people get the wrong idea simply because I use the Internet to market myself and because I do, after all, often leverage the power of the Internet to bring my clients more customers.  I know how to use those tools, so it would be foolish to completely ignore them, but I am not a web guy, and here are 6 reasons why:

1.  Encourages Stereotypes

When a marketer defines themselves as a web marketing consultant, they put themselves in a box, and this is bad for more than one reason.  For one, it means when they market themselves, they are coming to the game with a whole list of preconceived notions in the minds of their prospects.

They have already drawn lines around what their customer expects from them and what kind of customer they can get.  Personally, if I were a small business owner, I would never take on a marketing person who would make such a bad marketing blunder.

2.  Limits Creativity

By defining themselves as web marketing consultant, a marketing pro begins to identify with that label and starts thinking within the box they have built for themselves.  Instead of looking at all the different amazing opportunities out there, they are always paying attention to the next big internet thing and they lose creativity.

3.  You Can Get 20% More Profits In-House

I’ve said it over and over again, and I will continue to do so—most of you can get 20% or more profits simply by taking a look at your current processes and policies, cutting the fat where it isn’t needed, and plugging up profit leaks.  This can all be done without ever looking outside the company for additional revenue streams!  Who needs the Internet with those kind of nuggets sitting right before your eyes?

4.  Offline Marketing is Still Golden

There are still plenty of offline marketing tactics that work wonders, so there is no need to simply be a web marketing consultant, and to do that is bad strategy.  Direct mail is more effective than it has ever been.  Even yellow pages, of which I’m not a fan, can do wonders for the right kind of business (if done right, which it usually isn’t).  There are countless marketing avenues that do not depend on the internet and are still very legitimate.

5.  Proper Marketing is About Relationships

A lot of this we look at when we do our work in-house, but it’s important to point out that in the new millennium, proper business marketing is all about relationships.  People who have already made an effort to seek out your business or have already purchased from you are EXPONENTIALLY more likely to buy than a prospect you have never contacted.  This relationship-building is where efforts should be focused, and while that may include some web marketing strategies, there are more ways than one to skin this cat.

6.  A Web Marketing Consultant Can Be Annoying

And finally, web guys get on my nerves, and I know they can get on a small business owner’s nerves too.  With the growing popularity of the Internet, you’ve got every guy with a keyboard knocking down your door trying to sell you SEO or that #1 spot in Google.

Let me tell you something—that number one spot in Google is not always what it is cracked up to be.  For some industries, it is absolutely worthless.  Again, I can do all this stuff, and I do use it when it makes sense, but it is not my default plan.

Wait--did you just say 25%?

There are many other ways to market, online and offline, and by not painting myself into a box, I allow myself the creativity to focus on the task at hand—finding new ways to minimize your profit leaks and seek out new revenue streams so I can increase your revenue by a minimum of 25%.  People have been doing this kind of thing for years.  People have been calling us marketing consultants for years.

Only recently did people being to label themselves as an “SEO guy” or a “web consultant.”

I’m a marketer.  Nothing more; nothing less.  And that’s exactly how I want it.

That said, if web strategies are what you are looking for, check out my free video for a buzz marketing strategy you can use for your business.