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Introducing IM strategies to non-tech savvy small businesses

by erealmz
17 replies
I guess this would be considered offline marketing even though you are teaching online marketing to beginners.

What I'm proposing is to contact small businesses who don't have a good (if any) social media presence, and work with them to build one. Teach them how to build an email list and how to market to it. And pretty much get them caught up with the mainstream of business who use Internet Marketing.

After talking to a few friends who run small businesses and learning that they are not up to date on social media or IM, I wondered if it would be worth it to guide them through the process all while charging a fee for my services.

The question is, has anyone tried this approach?

I don't think it would be as lucrative as true IM and also there would be more work involved. Not only that, there would also be more legal jitter to dance with.

I do think, however, that it could build a good reputation both locally and online. It is a way to brand yourself, build a portfolio, and build credibility.

That, in-turn, could all be used to profit from future IM gigs you might come up with.

If anyone had experience in this approach, please share. I have many questions.
#businesses #introducing #nontech #savvy #small #strategies
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  • Profile picture of the author animal44
    I don't do Social Media, however I do work with "small businesses".

    IMHO it is easier and potentially more lucrative than IM.

    I could give you the example of a shy, 18 yr old girlie, with no sales and marketing experience, who made over $9,000 in a month or so just by sending out a few emails...

    Compare that to the thread on making $10,000 in a year in IM. Can't help but chuckle when I see threads like that...


    Reason why people started doing IM stuff for small businesses is that it's easier than "making money online".

    If you really want to make money, forget social media posting, seo, websites, and all that crap, instead help those small businesses actually make more sales...

    A couple of more examples:

    Guy who put two parties together and made $250,000 in 4-6 weeks.

    The one I often talk about. Girl was one of 200/300 people who paid $20,000 to attend a conference on making money. She was the only one who took any notice and went out and implemented and made $1.2 million in six months.

    Guy who paid $500 for a load of waste and turned it into a million dollars. And he based his idea on a news article about someone who had done something similar...
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by animal44 View Post

      Compare that to the thread on making $10,000 in a year in IM. Can't help but chuckle when I see threads like that...
      I am actually in agreement with you on this, because if you compare it to: https://www.warriorforum.com/warrior...days-ebay.html where I busted 6 Figures NET NET in a years time in only 2 hours a day, there is NO comparison.

      IM... the way most here practice it is shameful. Providing a service to a LOCAL Business is a whole other ball game that brings me close to 8 digits per year. The component to this you are missing is "Making Money Online" is supposed to be no effort and beaches and palm trees - The truth is No effort can and will only provide one result.

      Don't think that thread is a representation of the work I do personally... it is me doing my very best to dumb down what I do to a level that will hopefully help just one person reach an amount of success they have not experienced before.

      We all can sit here and give examples of GREAT success... but how is that helping others? I would suggest its actually doing the opposite. I will gladly speak to anyone that has an interest in improving themselves - just my nature. Sometimes you just have to speak the language that will best be heard... and the thought of going in and actually TALKING to a local business owner for most here - simply not a message most want to hear.
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    • Profile picture of the author StevenTylerPjs
      The girl that made 9k was your niece, correct?
      What were the specifics of that deal? I don't remember if you've shared before or not, but seeing you mention it again made me curious. I think it has something to do with restaurants?
      I've been trying to work with restaurants to get a jv going myself the last two weeks and have been striking out so far...
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  • Profile picture of the author animal44
    Reign in your ego... It's not all about you...

    And I didn't intend to attack you or your efforts...

    OP asked:
    Originally Posted by erealmz View Post

    I don't think it would be as lucrative as true IM and also there would be more work involved.
    I believe the opposite to be true.

    I built an online empire and building and maintaining it was far more work and less reward than working with offline businesses.

    And I gave some examples of people making money in conjunction with B&M businesses. Far easier than building an online empire.

    Do the examples help? I believe it does. Might not help the "no effort" types, but those who have a genuine desire...

    And nobody can help the "no effort" types...

    Pete Williams heard the story about the guy selling off pieces of the Brooklyn Bridge. At the time the MCG was being renovated, so he took the concept and recreated it, "selling the MCG for $500". If he hadn't heard the Brooklyn Bridge story, he may never have had the idea.

    And OP said "true IM", so he's not thinking "no effort". At least I hope that's the case...

    Limitations in thinking are what makes you poor...

    I don't need long winded, step by step instructions. Just give me a concept...

    IMHO building an online empire is hard work - and I consider one of my best skills to be SEO.

    Plugging yourself into an existing structure that someone else has taken all the risk and put up all the money, time investment, well it's just a no brainer...
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by animal44 View Post

      Reign in your ego... It's not all about you...

      And I didn't intend to attack you or your efforts...
      You didn't INTEND to, but read it again...

      Originally Posted by animal44 View Post

      Compare that to the thread on making $10,000 in a year in IM. Can't help but chuckle when I see threads like that...
      Your not chuckling at me... I could actually give a F... you are chuckling at the 90%+ members of this forum that are searching for a method to make some kind of headway with making money online - The KEY element here is ONLINE.

      Originally Posted by animal44 View Post

      I believe the opposite to be true.

      I built an online empire and building and maintaining it was far more work and less reward than working with offline businesses.
      Again no disagreement from me here. The issue is this is simply not for everyone... given my experience on this specific forum ( Offline ) and presenting methods to get out and network and get clients... people in general want no part of it. "Cant I just send cold e-mails instead" they ask.... These people have not developed any amount of "Network" to sit on the phone and call... they aren't going to cold call... THEY are going to spin their wheels and get no results.

      Originally Posted by animal44 View Post

      And I gave some examples of people making money in conjunction with B&M businesses. Far easier than building an online empire.
      But then we need to look at "Easier for who?" - easier for YOU and easier for ME - but en-mass... This route simply doesn't seem do-able

      Originally Posted by animal44 View Post

      And nobody can help the "no effort" types...
      Cant agree more... the eBay thread being a perfect example - 2 hours a day - a MINIMAL amount of effort... and I will bet less than a hand full have implemented any amount of that.

      Originally Posted by animal44 View Post

      And OP said "true IM", so he's not thinking "no effort". At least I hope that's the case...
      Have you looked at his signature? a straight jump link to an offer - BYPASSING the very efforts he is thinking of offering to clients... AUTOPILOT - NO EFFORT - BS Internet Marketing. Doesn't even put in the effort to build a e-mail list. SO YES - he is thinking NO EFFORT

      Originally Posted by animal44 View Post

      Limitations in thinking are what makes you poor...
      And thinking you are going to make millions off the get, and not focusing on the small steps to getting there puts you in the same boat.

      Originally Posted by animal44 View Post

      I don't need long winded, step by step instructions. Just give me a concept...
      You might not... I might not... WE have a stable of experience and skills at our disposal to connect the dots. The vast majority do not. Again roam around this forum as a whole and people are specifically asking for a step by step plan and or a mentor.

      The making money online space is 99% people wanting what it is they don't have. and what it is they don't have? Experience and Skill. really hard to sell something #1 you have no ( positive) experience with #2 don't have any basis for believing in it #3 no skill set to draw from.

      Originally Posted by animal44 View Post

      IMHO building an online empire is hard work - and I consider one of my best skills to be SEO.
      Again not disagreeing here... but the skill set in the years you did this are serving you well now. Would you have the success today, if it were not for the path to getting there?

      "Success" in my book is the culmination of experience and skill coming together.. and without one or the other, you are simply dead in the water - UNLESS - there is a direct connection IE Mentor / Protege

      Originally Posted by animal44 View Post

      Plugging yourself into an existing structure that someone else has taken all the risk and put up all the money, time investment, well it's just a no brainer...
      And again, how did you come to this conclusion? YOU were the existing structure - YOU were the risk taker - YOU put up all the money - YOU put in the time investment - And YOU figured out where the leverage truly is - for YOU. Without the experience and skill base you have, would you have come to the same conclusion?

      We can share finite points in what it is we do all day long... THAT thread is going to be how to build a BASE that yeah maybe $10,000 the first year, but because of the development of Authority and audience ( Inertia ) one might be able to insert the idea of creating a product of VALUE and making $500,000 the second year.

      Business DEVELOPMENT is NOT short sided thinking.. its the L O N G play - and its MY goal to reach ONE person and give them that base.
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  • Profile picture of the author IGotMine
    What I'm proposing is to contact small businesses who don't have a good (if any) social media presence, and work with them to build one. Teach them how to build an email list and how to market to it.
    You will get more clients and make more money by doing it for them.

    Charge a monthly fee like - $x for one post per day. $xx for one post per day and one email newsletter per week. $xxx for one post per day and daily emails, etc.

    You can charge for set-up or provide it free with a commitment for a certain length of service.
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    • Profile picture of the author erealmz
      Charge a monthly fee like - $x for one post per day. $xx for one post per day and one email newsletter per week. $xxx for one post per day and daily emails, etc.

      You can charge for set-up or provide it free with a commitment for a certain length of service.
      This is great. I am charging for set up as it takes a while to get the campaign launched. But for the monthly fee, Im already charging for affiliate commissions since my campaign will track their sales. Should I do that AND charge a monthly fee for postings? Or just strictly charge an affiliate fee?
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeffery
    In my experience.. anyone on this forum that claims to be successful in terms of income - without proof of said income - is equal to anyone on this forum that speaks of getting rich quick in Internet Marketing and websites that do the the same.


    All the examples in the world without proof of your own success, any level of success, mean nothing to me without proof.

    Not saying that anyone in this thread is not successful in terms of income. Not saying anyone in this thread did or did not spend years to be successful in terms of income. Just don't expect everyone to believe your claims without proof.


    How do you like them apples?
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  • Profile picture of the author IGotMine
    mean nothing to me without proof.
    Bank statements or tax returns and two forms of ID?

    Online proof of anything is a joke.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jeffery
      Originally Posted by IGotMine View Post

      Bank statements or tax returns and two forms of ID?

      Online proof of anything is a joke.

      True and how many people in this forum fall for the fake screenshots, etc.


      Show me a website and I can track the approximate sales to include traffic etc.


      There are many that make clains and do not even have a website in their sig.


      Go figure.
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  • Profile picture of the author IGotMine
    There are many that make clains and do not even have a website in their sig.
    It's like they don't understand, some people can add two and two.

    Like the guy who says, "Yea, I spent 10 years on the Police force and then I was a fireman for 10 years and then I started 14 different businesses and made millions for 10 years, then there was my Acadamy award for best actor..." and they're only 30 years old.

    Ahh...yea...ok.
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  • Profile picture of the author max5ty
    "What I'm proposing is to contact small businesses who don't have a good (if any) social media presence, and work with them to build one. Teach them how to build an email list and how to market to it. And pretty much get them caught up with the mainstream of business who use Internet Marketing."

    Yes, most advertising/marketing/social media agencies do this.

    Whether they do it well or not is another matter.

    If you can do it better, have at it.
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  • Profile picture of the author animal44
    Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

    The issue is this is simply not for everyone... given my experience on this specific forum ( Offline ) and presenting methods to get out and network and get clients... people in general want no part of it. "Cant I just send cold e-mails instead" they ask.... These people have not developed any amount of "Network" to sit on the phone and call... they aren't going to cold call... THEY are going to spin their wheels and get no results.
    I rarely venture out of the offline sub forum, so my posts are directed at people who are interested in working with offline businesses. I can't be arsed with the wishing and hoping crowd.

    Sadly, I'm countered by the cold calling cartel who make claims like 18 hour days, cold calling on Christmas Eve to feed your family, or making more calls is the road to wealth.

    If this were true, everyone on here would be driving around in "cost more than your house" cars...

    The 18 year old sent cold emails to make her $9525. In a month or so. (I looked the actual figure up).

    I didn't do it for her, no cut and paste. I simply gave her the concept and a sample email. She then wrote her own emails. My involvement was minimal. No experience required.

    She's now moved on to greater things, with confidence building with each success...

    Originally Posted by StevenTylerPjs View Post

    The girl that made 9k was your niece, correct?
    What were the specifics of that deal? I don't remember if you've shared before or not, but seeing you mention it again made me curious. I think it has something to do with restaurants?
    I've been trying to work with restaurants to get a jv going myself the last two weeks and have been striking out so far...
    Yep, correct. Though she's not a blood relative.

    She got half the profit for each meal - roughly a third of the menu price. When she struck the deal, the owner thought she would bring in a few people. He was somewhat shocked at what this youngster achieved

    Personally, as a rule, I'd avoid restaurants - and tradespeople. My experience is that both industries are full of dodgy characters. Unless you know them well and they have an indisputable reputation for integrity.

    Originally Posted by Jeffery View Post

    In my experience.. anyone on this forum that claims to be successful in terms of income - without proof of said income - is equal to anyone on this forum that speaks of getting rich quick in Internet Marketing and websites that do the the same.


    All the examples in the world without proof of your own success, any level of success, mean nothing to me without proof.

    Not saying that anyone in this thread is not successful in terms of income. Not saying anyone in this thread did or did not spend years to be successful in terms of income. Just don't expect everyone to believe your claims without proof.


    How do you like them apples?
    You guys crack me up...

    I'll provide indisputable proof once I've figured out this photoshop thingy

    I think I'm the only one on here to have provided proof by way of bank statements, anonymised of course, which I posted a while back. Took it down a few days later, under advisement.

    And I'm pretty sure I've posted links to all the above examples, apart from the young lady. I'm pretty sure she hasn't published anything about her successes.

    By contrast, I researched those you fawn over, the frequent posters, and there's no sign of wealth in any of them. All in, at best, average houses with ordinary cars on the drive.

    Perhaps you'd like to provide a link to proof from some of those you trust...
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  • Profile picture of the author erealmz
    Being in the Bay Area, I meet a lot of business owners who have a good product. Some of them take full advantage of IM, others just half-ass it. Then there's the ones who aren't plugged in at all.

    For now, I only do business with the last two, and work with them to create an IM campaign. The main roadblock I run into is pricing. A lot of small business owners operate on a strict budget. But I don't want to sell myself short. However, I have yet to build up reputation in this market so I have little to show as far as what I've accomplished. Because of this, I have to price my services in the lower end until I've built up enough success to be able to seek larger sums.

    The main goals are as follows:
    • Create a campaign to increase their profit via IM within a set time frame.

      This might include product improvement, product delivery improvement, and website improvement to better align their business with the campaign. (I might charge extra for these)
    • Charge for work being done to create, launch and run the campaign.
    • Charge % in affiliate commission for all earnings that come through the campaign.

    If I can help 2 or 3 small businesses create profits from their products online, then I can start moving on to improving the existing campaigns of the the ones who are already online.

    I'm putting a lot on my plate by attempting this. But that's just how I work. I've never been one for small projects. I tend to aim for the stars.
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  • Profile picture of the author animal44
    Originally Posted by erealmz View Post

    Then there's the ones who aren't plugged in at all.
    These are likely the hardest to convert.

    Originally Posted by erealmz View Post

    I have to price my services in the lower end
    Made this mistake when I started my SEO company. In my experience the lower the price the more difficult to please. They'll demand the earth for their tuppence. Don't undervalue your services. Show the value and you can charge more.

    Originally Posted by erealmz View Post

    Charge % in affiliate commission for all earnings that come through the campaign.
    This one is easy to sell, especially to those who claim they don't have a budget - assuming you can deliver. Though I'd avoid the term "affiliate".

    However, do be aware of the hooker effect - A service is worth more before it's performed than after.

    I don't do social media. People on social media aren't there to buy. Ads are ignored. And you have no control over the algorithm. I've yet to see a social media campaign come close to the results we get through email, both to in house customer lists and non competing partner lists. And you have much more control over an email/direct mail list.

    Ensure the business owner is aware that your efforts won't be taking anything away from what they already achieve.

    Best thing you can do is get out there and test out your offer, rather than talking about it on a forum...
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    • Profile picture of the author eccj
      Originally Posted by animal44 View Post

      These are likely the hardest to convert.



      Made this mistake when I started my SEO company. In my experience the lower the price the more difficult to please. They'll demand the earth for their tuppence. Don't undervalue your services. Show the value and you can charge more.



      This one is easy to sell, especially to those who claim they don't have a budget - assuming you can deliver. Though I'd avoid the term "affiliate".

      However, do be aware of the hooker effect - A service is worth more before it's performed than after.

      I don't do social media. People on social media aren't there to buy. Ads are ignored. And you have no control over the algorithm. I've yet to see a social media campaign come close to the results we get through email, both to in house customer lists and non competing partner lists. And you have much more control over an email/direct mail list.

      Ensure the business owner is aware that your efforts won't be taking anything away from what they already achieve.

      Best thing you can do is get out there and test out your offer, rather than talking about it on a forum...
      Do these need to be active email lists? As in lists where the owner is emailing his customers, say, once a month? I don't know of many local business owners who are emailing a lot other than restaurants.
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  • Profile picture of the author animal44
    Originally Posted by eccj View Post

    Do these need to be active email lists? As in lists where the owner is emailing his customers, say, once a month? I don't know of many local business owners who are emailing a lot other than restaurants.
    I would say taking over an active list would be ideal and the easiest option.

    However, you need to work with what you have.

    If the list is not active, then I'd suggest you need to reactivate the list.

    1. An apology for not keeping in touch
    2. Followed by some tasters of what's to come... Curiousity plus benefit bullets.
    3. You could have an offer, though I prefer to do this in later emails.
    4. Optionally offer to unsubscribe if no longer interested. Shows you don't want to be a nuisance.

    Similar to a customer reactivation, though you're selling staying on the list.

    I'd follow up with some nurturing emails - entertaining, informative, educational rather than a primarily sales email. You can always have an offer in there, so long as 90% of the email is entertaining, informative, educational. Aim is to encourage them to look forward to reading the emails and stay on the list.

    If they're not collecting emails, then you could offer to set this up and operate it for them. Either share of profits or fixed fee or combination. Building and maintaining funnels for an ongoing share of profits is a great way to build up a relatively passive income. We've done this from scratch for a number of clients.

    Then there's setting up an online community magazine... perhaps I'll post about that another time...
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