In hard economic times, particularly in B2B markets, marketing spend is one of the first items to be cut. However, replacing those customers who inevitably drop out over time is required as a minimum if a business is to at least hold ground against competitors. In some instances the only alternative is to resort to Do it Yourself marketing often supported by online marketing advice for business resources. This article discusses the online marketing advice options.
The primary online marketing advice options are Blogs, online marketing education and support sites and online marketing education sites combined with an element of mentoring. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages as discussed below.
Blogs are mostly free and provide excellent, relevant information that can often be applied immediately to improve results. The challenge is to find good quality blogs which provide accurate, current information among the mass of Blogs which simply re-cycle old (sometimes plain wrong) information. Good quality blogs can be researched via the best Blog directories or simply by joining relevant groups in Linked in, reading relevant posts and signing up for the most appropriate. Twitter is also a useful resource.
There are several sites whose prime purpose is to provide marketing advice. Most are focussed on Affiliate Marketing and businesses with a pure online presence but the information they provide is also relevant to businesses with more than an online presence. Again, some sites are excellent resources while others are simply a waste of time and money.
When making a choice it is important to get a feel for the sites true objectives (is it a pure money making scheme or are the objectives really education and support) and to establish the scale of content on the site. Ideally, only one site should be selected rather than two or three, each containing only part of the required information.
The final option is online marketing advice for business coupled with some form of mentoring (usually by telephone or Email). There is little doubt this is the best option as it delivers the information a business needs to learn how to build and implement the best marketing tools but it also provides help and support should a business find something which is not understood. The downside of this approach is the mentoring element cost can be significant.
Whatever option is chosen if there is a paid element it is essential to try for free before you buy and to walk away from services which do not offer this option. Online marketing advice for business is a viable option for any business trying to cut costs by still promote the business to stay ahead of competition but it is important to be aware that the option only produces results if the business is prepared to allocate the time, resources and ongoing commitment to the process.
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