Web Marketing is Dying? (24 Months Left)

12 replies
I just read an interesting report from a well known Internet Marketer how the internet was like the wild west back between 1998 - 2004. However, now it's tougher to make an income online unless you really have a good system in place and I completely agree with that.

Now large companies like Amazon account for a majority of internet sales and small e-commerce websites are struggling to compete.

I believe this will happen in the offline market as well. That's why I think it's vital for everyone involved right now to grab this market while it's hot before large companies like Yellow Pages , Groupon, and other corporate giants grab hold of the majority of business owners making it hard for us to compete at a decent price.

How can we come?

#1 -Relationships! This is the #1 way to ensure you will have income to your offline business long-term.

If you have clients, build the relationship now. When competition offers them a deal, they will decline.

They will be approaching by other consultants, companies, and organizations. That is a fact!

Send your clients a thank you letter, phone them up and ask if there is anything you can do for them, be a friend!


#2 - Outsourcing - Without this, our pricing won't be competitive with the corporate giants which will develop systems and strategies to provide the same services we offer for cheaper prices. They will find a way and they are already trying. However, they might not be able to offer one on one help or the best services, they will be cheap and the masses of businesses will take them up on their offers.

They have the resources to do so.

I'm not writing this to scare you or say that this is the end of our businesses, rather, this should help motivate you to take action today and secure yourself an income with businesses that hopefully will keep providing you an income for your family for many years to come.

Let's make this work and let's do it today!
#consulting #dying #left #marketing #months #offline #web
  • Profile picture of the author jrod014
    Very true, relationships are what keep clients around.

    However, outsourcing can be a snag for us too. Finding a reliable outsourcer with great pricing and that stays in business can be difficult to find. Or, once you do find them, there rates are so low that they get overloaded and/or go out of business.

    Thats the only down side.
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  • Profile picture of the author jredmond
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  • Profile picture of the author JustSomeWarrior
    I don't buy the hype. This is always happening. Wal-mart has been around forever, but there are still mom-and-pop brick and mortars. What happened to wal-mart putting them all out of business?

    I hired Yodle to handle some of my SEO work for an offline company. They were terrible. They wasted my money. I saw a few of my competitors work with similar companies (reach local). We all started and stopped at almost the same time.

    In the long run, a good business owner is going to be a good business owner. Yellow pages, amazon, etc, can all eat it.

    If you can make money on your own, you can make it on your own. If you can't cut it when the big boys come into town, then you were just riding on a wave of luck anyway.

    This is the same old story that is repeated every couple of years.
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    • Profile picture of the author Creativegirl
      Originally Posted by JustSomeWarrior View Post

      I don't buy the hype. This is always happening. Wal-mart has been around forever, but there are still mom-and-pop brick and mortars. What happened to wal-mart putting them all out of business?

      I hired Yodle to handle some of my SEO work for an offline company. They were terrible. They wasted my money. I saw a few of my competitors work with similar companies (reach local). We all started and stopped at almost the same time.

      In the long run, a good business owner is going to be a good business owner. Yellow pages, amazon, etc, can all eat it.

      If you can make money on your own, you can make it on your own. If you can't cut it when the big boys come into town, then you were just riding on a wave of luck anyway.

      This is the same old story that is repeated every couple of years.
      Wal-mart and other big box stores have left a trail of carnage across the country. Most mom and pops can't survive.

      I don't buy the web marketing hype at all. Look how many small businesses still don't have websites. For all the thousands of sites a few big companies are selling every month, they're are way too many fish out there. The fact online marketing is changing, getting tougher, that's were you see survival of the fittest. I don't mind seeing crappy services and abusive marketers go by the way side.
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      • Profile picture of the author danmorton
        This is quite the timely conversation!

        I have an offline client who signed a big-bucks contract with a very heavy hitter in the SEO industry a while back and was totally screwed - and they knew it. The salesman was a smooth talker but when the rubber met the road, the results weren't there.

        For about $32,000 my client was sold a package of what amounted to basic PPC campaigns, linking to some dummy sites with a special phone number. And when they tried to break the contract (it was signed by a former partner who didn't inform the other partners of the deal) the company screwed up the billing - and the account went to collection for the remainder of over $14,000!

        This action almost sunk my client as their insurance company wouldn't insure them if they had bills in collection, and without the insurance they couldn't continue in business.

        In the end they were able to settle for a lesser amount and were able to remain in business. But they had paid well over $10,000 for 6 months of "SEO" promotion that brought them absolutely nothing but grief.

        After giving them a while to recover, I'll go in and put together a real SEO promotion package for them, at a fraction of the price of "the big guys" and we'll both come out winners.

        Sure, these big firms have all the horsepower when it comes to sales and marketing - and their well-established names are instantly recognized and trusted. But, as I have seen, when it comes down to actual results us small players have it all over these big guys.

        As long as we are effective - and can prove it - the business will be there for us.

        Dan
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  • Profile picture of the author V Michael Santoro
    I do agree and even heard that American Express is getting into the offline business. So are newspapers and TV stations. I work in offline marketing and we are building a good base by incorporating a few things in addition to building good relationships which, as was mentioned is the cornerstone for success.

    First, many of these large companies try to partner with other companies to deliver. I have found that their results have not been very good. However, you are still selling to a customer that does not understand the online world and is overwelmed.

    Second, many lead generation sites are dropping in the SERPs and local businesses are not seeing the results. This is an opportunity.

    Third, it appears to be a carnaval to local businesses with a multitute of offerings from SEO to social media, PPC, etc. They are tied of hearing about a page 1 Google ranking and some think its a scam.

    We changed our approach and present ourselves as Internet marketing consultants rather than a carnaval vendor. We offer an integrated online marketing plan after we discuss their business objectives. We offer to evaluate their current marketing programs and provide areas for improvement. This builds trust and demonstrates knowledge.

    They are "coin operated" - Pay a $1 and get $5 out. All they care about is keeping their phone ringing with leads/customers. Do so and you'll have a customer for life.

    Affiliate marketers can apply what they know and be an expert online consultant. Stop "selling" services, position yourself as a partner and allow them to "buy" from you!

    By knowing your business, you can quickly see why other vendors are not delivering and offer a solution.

    All more competition means is that there is a hungry market. Traditional marketing is in decline and big companies are trying to transition to the online world which is a constantly moving target. It will be a painful transition for them when competing against competent internet marketing consultants that deliver results at a fair price.

    Great thread and thank you,
    Vito
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  • Profile picture of the author SubUrbanHype
    The people who got into IM in 1998-2004 are the ones who are the "gurus" now, and have people hyped up that if they can do it, you can too. Even though when they got into it the level of competition out there was far fewer than it is now, when everybody is marketing the same thing (in some cases).
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    • Profile picture of the author Edwards WOrld
      Yeah i agree that in the offline business you should build relationships just like the local coffee shop nothing corporate but she is nice hooks me up every here an there so i like her an keep coming.

      On the other hand about online being like the Wild west online in the 1999-2004 was dumb online even a bum could of made money now it takes some skills but don't let giants scare you and its not get rich quick anymore it just matured and is like any other business the timing was the key it was new and fresh.

      Ex: MLM Industry for example back when it started who was the one who took market share by large numbers "Amway" why ? Perfect timing, fresh market even a bum could of make money no one heard of it, can you make money in Amway now? Sure you can it will require hard work a skills though.

      Ryan dyeis or whatever his name is also has a new "big guru launch" selling his latest great thing "FEAR an SCARCITY" about how the web is gonna die etc.

      Come on... Online isn't a get rich forget it. Its a real business work hard play later.

      -Edward A.
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  • Profile picture of the author thehypnoguy
    Ryan Deiss is just after getting into people's pocket for some more quick money. With all the videos I see coming soon I see a $1997 get in your pocket and screw you launch coming

    Walmart has wiped out some sectors in local business, the only problem is what they offer doesn't hold up to what they wiped out. Fortunately as Walmart slips in those areas in markets startups are starting to come back.

    I could care less about Amazon. If I want something I check the price on ebay and buy it there. But you know what, I've never gone out to eat, got an oil change, repaired my engine etc etc from ebay or amazon.

    Yellow pages is one of the stinkiest suppliers out there. Have you ever looked at their website SEO, there is none. You could create a directory with your town name and be at the top and stay above these yahoos who don't know what they are doing.

    Quit looking for excuses why you can't and take action and you will.

    Martin Blakley
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  • Profile picture of the author thehypnoguy
    Originally Posted by Ryan Shaw View Post

    They will find a way and they are already trying. However, they might not be able to offer one on one help or the best services, they will be cheap and the masses of businesses will take them up on their offers.
    Do you actually know the numbers. The masses of businesses. We are talking about 5-10% market share. These organizations aren't as entrenched as you may think.

    The promotional line I always here for offline consultants is save 50% or more on your advertising expenses. It sounds like we are already do a Groupon event for small business. Even if these big companies come up with a 'system' they won't have the resources to do all the hand holding when they spread themselves that thin.

    Just put your best foot forward and quit looking behind you. The winner in any race concentrates entirely on his own race. The racer who looks over his should to see who is gaining on him trips over his own feet and falls flat on his face losing the race.

    Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author redlegrich
    I suspect Ryan was just looking for a good discussion here. This tale is as old as business. There is always something going to put someone out of business. It happens, and it doesn't. I used to use a tag line for local work, "You can't unclog a toilet over the Internet". That's not going to change anytime soon. Those big companies, they have such a poor view of what works for small business they'll for the most part never get any traction. They are so heavy handed, and the service they provide so useless as to inhibit any long term success. Will they be competing, sure, but as a local expert you can really kick there butt with even a moderate amount of skill and attention.

    If you can deliver leads to your clients, regardless of how it happens then you have a customer for life. They will beg you for your help and never let you go.

    The cold hard facts are that there has NEVER in the history of business been more tools and services that make it easier (not easy, easier, big difference) for a small business to compete against larger businesses. The Internet is the great leveler, especially in your home town! The sad thing though is the resistance of these small business to take advantage of these tools, but there are plenty of smart ones, you'll find them.
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  • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
    I have always believed in "Pray for the best, but be prepared for the worst." I think that's a dictum that applies here. Interestingly enough, I'm working on a guide for entrepreneurs that addresses this very thing.

    I constantly remind companies I counsel that the minute they stop questioning their product/service lines, their policies and procedures, or their marketing strategies is the minute they begin to stagnate. Also, I tell business owners that at least every six months to a year they should ask themselves and the people in their companies two questions: 1. What business are we in? 2. What business SHOULD we be in? Too often entrepreneurs become comfortable in what they are doing and refuse to question it or accept others' questions about it. That point is often the beginning of the end, or they begin to question after their businesses have started floundering. By then, a LOT of time and money are spent playing catch up, and often by that time, it is too late. Once they have begun to rest on their laurels, so to speak, they have stopped being entrepreneurs; they've lost the spark. Richard Branson is a great model to follow. He NEVER stops generating new ideas and new ways of doing things.
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