INTERNET MARKETNG OUTSOURCED: HOW SMALL BUSINESSES AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS CAN REDUCE COST, IMPROVE EFFICIENCY, AND GROW THIER BUSINESSES
INTERNET MARKETNG OUTSOURCED: HOW SMALL BUSINESSES AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS CAN REDUCE COST, IMPROVE EFFICIENCY, AND GROW THIER BUSINESSES Internet marketing has drastically changed over the years with emphasis on website design, content marketing, and social media strategies to build relationships with customers, drive sales traffic toward businesses, or bring awareness and funding to non-profit organizations. Not to mention the explosion of technical devices such as mobile phones and tablets which are now almost dominating Internet search over desktop PC search. Consumers are using various Internet platforms and digital devices to connect and interact with their brand companies. They are accessing information about their brands faster and more frequent than ever before. According to Google s Mobile Path to Purchase: Five Key Findings Research Study, 48% of consumers use these mobile devices to start their search on search engines online, 33% start on branded websites online, and 26% start on branded apps (https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/research-studies/mobile-path-to-purchase-5-keyfindings.html). It s no longer a question of is it important to have an Internet marketing strategy, the statistics prove the importance. Along with the recent changes in technology, many small businesses and non-profit organizations are struggling to keep up with their Internet marketing strategies that are essential to make one s business stand out and meet the demands of their customers and build relationships. Outsourcing their Internet marketing tasks is a practical solution to reduce in house cost, improve your company s efficiency, and grow your business. WHAT IS INTERNET MARKETING? Internet marketing or digital marketing is the process of using the Internet and multiple technical platforms to market and drive sales or awareness toward your business or organization. P a g e 1
Internet marketing consist of a well-crafted website design, social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, search engine optimization (SEO), e-commerce, content marketing, local search engine optimization, mobile responsive technology for optimal viewing on tablets and mobile phones, and pay per click advertising (PPC) to name a few. If used properly in a strategic way, these Internet marketing channels can provide the information the customer wants and can drive your target audience towards your business. BENEFITS OF OUTSOURCING YOUR INTERNET MARKETING #1. REDUCE COST In some cases, you can also reduce cost by outsourcing your Internet marketing. For example, let s say you as a business owner are completing all of your marketing functions and have no dedicated marketing team in house. You work 40 hours per week, charge your clients $100.00 per hour for your services (your rate of pay) and you spend 5 hours per week on marketing tasks such as, website maintenance, social media management, e-mail marketing and list building, etc. Your time would be worth $500.00 per week by spending five hours on those marketing tasks. And you would be spending $2,000.00 per month of your time. By outsourcing those tasks to an Internet marketing professional, you would be reducing your rate of pay or cost with a fixed expense that can simplify your budget. This also applies to non-profit organizations that do not have dedicated marketing staff or have limited staff to promote fundraisers, special non-profit programs, or to drive traffic to their worthy cause. When you outsource your Internet marketing, you pay no benefits, taxes and no expensive office equipment. There is no turnover and you pay only for the hours you use. #2. IMPROVE EFFECIENCY Efficiency is an important piece to any business. You do not want to waste time, because time is precious. By running your business efficient, your company can deliver high quality and cost effective services to your clients, which adds value. By outsourcing your Internet marketing you will improve your efficiency by freeing up your time or your staff s limited time. This allows P a g e 2
more time to focus on more specific things, such as your core business whether it s widget making or social services. #3. GROW YOUR BUSINESS Continuous growth and sustainability is an essential part of what keeps a company alive. And in order to do that, you need to have the right team of experts in place. Outsourcing your Internet marketing to a professional allows you to add qualified marketing experts to handle your marketing tasks. Internet marketing professionals have the knowledge and the resources to measure and create growth within your organization that best fits. Marketing is a function that needs to be consistent to provide results. When you outsource, you have someone working on growing your business or creating awareness toward your mission and fundraising goals continuously. WHEN IS A GOOD TIME TO OUTSOURCE MY INTERNET MARKETING? For every company the right time to outsource is different. If you are a business owner and you are doing all of your Internet marketing tasks by yourself, if you have no dedicated marketing staff, or your staff is focusing on to many things at one time, then this may be a good time to outsource those time consuming tasks. HOW DO I OUTSOURCE MY INTERNET MARKETING? Here are a few steps you need to take in order to determine where to start. Also check out the handy Internet Marketing Checklist after you review the steps below: 1. First, think about your business goals and where you would like to be within 6 months to a year. 2. Write down a few specific Internet marketing goals such as, I want to re-design my website within 3 months, or I would like to create a newsletter to start informing my customers of new services and special programs we are having, or I would like to increase sales by 50% in 8 months. P a g e 3
3. Determine what Internet marketing tasks takes up the most time for you or your staff, and write them down. INTERNET MARKETING CHECKLIST Here is an Internet marketing checklist that gives you a little detail of each Internet marketing category and how important they are to the success of a company. Use this checklist to check off what Internet marketing tasks you would like to outsource. *Website Marketing: Having a structured website is a very important piece to marketing. A website is like having an online brochure. Your website is available to everyone 24 hours a day, even when you are not. It is a necessary marketing tool to attract leads and prospects to your organization. Website Design Creation of website with visual appeal, a consistent structure, and a web strategy that conforms to my business. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Structured pages with on page keywords relevant to my industry. Local Search Engine Optimization Create local listings for my service area with Google, Yahoo and Bing. Google Analytics Setup analytics to view website traffic to see what pages are ranking well with search engines and web visitors. Website Maintenance Maintain current website by adding text, images, pages etc. ------------------------------------- *Social Media Marketing: Social Media is also an important piece to marketing. This form of marketing allows you to stay connected and communicate back and forth with your audience. It is also a good source for referral marketing as well. When your current customers are satisfied P a g e 4
with your work, they will refer you to their friends and social network, which brings awareness to your company. Facebook Page Creation of a branded Facebook company page. LinkedIn Profile Page Creation of a LinkedIn Company page. Twitter Account Creation of a Twitter account. Pinterest Creation of a Pinterest account. Google + - Creation of a Google + page. *Email Marketing: Email marketing is an important part of marketing. It allows you with permission to send branded emails regarding sales, special events, or newsworthy news to your current and potential customers. List Building Creating a list of potential customers with use of their name and email address. Newsletter Design & Layout Creation of newsletter using email marketing software. Newsletter Submission Submission of newsletter to customers and potential customers with their permission. -------------------------------------- CONCLUSION For many businesses outsourcing their Internet marketing tasks makes since when considering the benefits and peace of mind it brings, and in order to keep up with the ever changing Internet platform. So take a look at your organization and see where you can reduce cost, improve efficiency, and grow your business. P a g e 5
If you need help deciding whether outsourcing your Internet marketing is a good idea for your company or not, or need help deciding what to delegate and outsource, give us a call at (309) 786-2499 or email us. We would be more than happy to help you. CONTACT US: Monica Poe, MVA-GVA President & Founder MoPoe & Associates P.O. Box 6855 Rock Island, IL 61201 Phone: (309) 786-2499 E-mail: info@mopoeassociates.com Web: Since 2006 MoPoe & Associates a Growth Strategies, Training, and Business Support Company located in Rock Island, Illinois (IL) (Quad Cities) has been providing Technology and Marketing Solutions to Small to Mid-size, Start-ups, and Home Based Businesses. Our service areas include Rock Island, IL, Moline, IL, Davenport, IA and Bettendorf, IA, Quad Cities - Illinois/Iowa and surrounding areas locally and virtually throughout the world. With our background in Technology, Sales & Marketing we are committed to helping our clients meet their marketing goals. We still believe that time is one of your most valuable assets and our approach to time and marketing gives our clients a better focus for growth. We help our clients regain time, stay connected to their clients, and ultimately attract new ones. We provide our clients with email marketing, website and responsive mobile web design, and redesign, graphic design, social media marketing, print marketing, and back-office support also known as virtual assistance. We also provide training programs, webinars and guidebooks to help you with the continued growth of your business. P a g e 6