Offline Gold: it's AMAZING what HASN'T changed
For The Online Marketer and started teaching internet marketers
how to sell their services to brick and mortar businesses.
To put my understanding of this niche in perspective
over those 5 years I've probably taught more internet marketers
in this niche than anyone else (OfflineBiz.com alone has over
10,000 members).
5 years ago these strategies were effective for most businesses:
# Email marketing
# Quality targeted content on a website
# Getting listed on sites like Google Maps
# Using external sites like youtube, online press releases,
social media sites to start or build relationships then drive
those people onto an email list and into other communication
channels.
Now these strategies are effective for most businesses:
# Using QR codes to get prospects or clients with a
mobile phone or device onto a website or onto an email list.
# Email marketing
# Quality targeted content on a website
# Getting listed on sites like Google Maps
# Using external sites like youtube, online press releases,
social media sites to start or build relationships then drive
those people onto an email list and into other communication
channels.
So now we have mobile devices. And yes sites like facebook
and even twitter have become more substantial forms of
marketing.
But the foundations haven't really changed.
If you were focusing on helping businesses build relationships
with prospects and clients 5 years ago you would have found
it fairly easy to adapt.
Even more interesting is that the most effective ways of getting
paying clients haven't changed a whole lot either.
More business owners are actively online now although a lot of
the time it's on sites like Facebook (and believe it or not many
businesses STILL don't have the basics like a website and an
email list).
There are now some people getting some clients from
online enquiries off their websites and forums etc.
If you want paying clients it's still most effective to talk to
business owners in some way.
And these initial contact methods still seem to work best:
# Talking to business owners you know
# Referrals (a referral from another business owner can be
especially powerful).
# Direct mail
# Telephone
# Business networking meetings
# Following up in multiple ways with business owners you've
already had some kind of contact. (This is a huge key that
can bring you a wealth of paying clients and high quality
referrals over time if you do it well.)
I haven't listed everything here but the news is good for internet
marketers who want to make a good living helping local businesses.
Business owners are still looking for help to make more sales and profits
using the internet...in most cases more than ever.
And if you supply a solution that hands off for them...in other words
you do everything for them...they're going to love you even more.
Many business owners now see the value in hiring you for multiple
services...website and quality content, email marketing, Google Maps
listings and optimization, Facebook marketing etc etc.
If you have an internet marketing skill you can probably use it to
help some businesses make more sales and profits.
And they'll pay you to do it.
Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh
P.S. What changes have you seen in the time you've been working with
offline businesses and what has stayed constant?
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boatree -
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