Offline Consultants, What Do We Call Our Business?

14 years ago

Really you should call it what you think best fits your business.

We simply call ourselves:

'Business Name' is an Internet Marketing Company

Simple and to the point :-)

Originally Posted by Mark Brian

If you do "offline consulting" or basically do internet marketing for offline businesses, and you've gone from being a single person consultant to having a small team. What's the proper way to call your business now, is it a:

Internet Marketing Agency
Internet Business Consulting Agency
Internet Advertising Agency
Web Design Agency (but we're not just web design)
etc

Your thoughts?

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Kelly Verge

14 years ago

Depending on the business size of the prospect, I'm either a Marketing Consultant or a Marketing Analyst. I leave off the word "Internet" because it's limiting in scope and it can cause you to be lumped in with the SEO crowd.

I would probably carry these names through if I had staff.

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dvduval

14 years ago

I usually say Web Development Firm or Web Software Company personally. People seem to somewhat understand what that means.

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Keith Boisvert 14 years ago

I echo Kelly's sentiments. I call my self a marketer and run a marketing company. Marketing consists of both online and offline techniques used together for a common purpose...at least for me it does.

keith
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HenrikPoulsen

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Mark Brian

If you do "offline consulting" or basically do internet marketing for offline businesses, and you've gone from being a single person consultant to having a small team. What's the proper way to call your business now, is it a:

Internet Marketing Agency
Internet Business Consulting Agency
Internet Advertising Agency
Web Design Agency (but we're not just web design)
etc

Your thoughts?

How about *company name - Your Virtual Marketing Assistant?

Virtual meaning intangible and digital etc.

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petelta

14 years ago

I would keep web/internet out of your title just so if you want to expand beyond the internet side of things in the future, you won't just be thought of as the "online guy". My consulting business card has me as a "Profit Improvement Specialist". Clients always like that lol.

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ZaraK 14 years ago

I would also leave the word agency out, which always conjures visions of artsy young people running around in hornrimmed glasses and advertising portfolios for me. Either that or a couple of detectives in fedoras.
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Jacer

14 years ago

Agree with everyone saying to keep "internet" out of your name or description of your business. Make it sounds like an offline business.

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Gary King

14 years ago

Yep, no "Internet" in there.

I would avoid "Virtual" as well.

Also depends on your geography. Larger, trendier locations will handle "riskier" terms better then small to mid size locations.

I'm a fan of marketer... also consider business adviser or similar.

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Dr Dan

14 years ago

I agree with leaving internet out. I just say marketing. My company name is "biz name" media marketing.

Then I tell them what I can do for them.

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MWGrubb58

14 years ago

I'd just say I'm a consultant who helps business owners make better use of technology.

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Scott Voss

14 years ago

Yeah, one more to jump on the "no internet" band wagon.

I definitively leave off the internet, web or online from the name. I am starting to rethink even having a name that explicitly says "marketing" in the name.

I am finding opportunities in helping some businesses make increased cash flow, without any additional marketing. It is an easy sell to current customers, but I am thinking it is going to be harder to sell this concept to a brand new client as my first go-round with them.

-Scott Voss

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Bill Farnham 14 years ago

Just use the slogan "Helping You Eat Your Competition One Byte at a Time."

How they catagorize you is up to them. If the last guy that burned them used the same moniker as you're trying to use it's all for naught.

Calling/labeling yourself sometimes only limits your possibilities.

~Bill
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OnlineMarketingSys

14 years ago

It's really going to depend on the services you offer and your expertise. Keep it simple and don't try to reinvent the wheel. Advertising Agency and Marketing Agencies have been around for decades and will continue to be around.

The biggest TIP I can give someone who's launching their business is ALWAYS target your business to your clients. Remember that most business owners, have no idea what you do, nor do they want to learn your business inside and out. So the better you can put what your business does in clear concise words that the President, CFO or CEO of the company can understand the better.

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Paul Barrs

14 years ago

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tpw 14 years ago

I have opted for Media Company, since I am doing a range of services that are not limited to the Internet in general.
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- peter.max 14 years ago
  
  I found "digital marketing consultant" a good conversation starter and it doesn't limit you to the Internet. Some people have a bad association with "consultant" and I use it with care around small to medium business owners. I sometimes jokingly say that I sell money making websites to small business. It always get the conversation going but doesn't really answer the question on what we call ourselves. Maybe just "Marketing 2.0 Gurus"
  
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  Alton Hargrave 14 years ago
  
  my card reads.....
  .........................................
  Unlimited-Business.com
  Online Solutions For Your Business
  
  Alton J. Hargrave
  Consultant
  
  (my address and phone number)
  
  (my email address)
  We build and manage websites
  ..........................................
  
  If you are in the online business, you have to let folks know. If a would be plumber is too vague in his job description, people would never know what kind of business he is in. Would you hire a plumber that billed himself as a
  "Flow Engineering Technician Extraordinaire" ?
  
  You could always do like James Garner did in the "Rockford Files" tv show. He just kept a credit card printing kit in the glove box of his car and whipped up whatever he needed for the occasion.
  
  Alton
  
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glassextreme

14 years ago

Alton, your last part just reminded me of a documentary I watched about fake scam artists. They have a printer in the van, so this expert goes up to them, take pictures of an 'antique', print it out in a glossy catalog, go back and tell them there is a matching on at a warehouse, then steal their antique, put it at the warehouse, and then sell the same thing back to them. These people just want to expose how scam artists work. Can't remember the title.

But seriously speaking, is there a name card printer? I haven't seen it before. I do agree with the printing the appropriate cards for the occasion.

I'm also stuck with how to name my business. The names I want are either trademarked by European companies who love to sue, or used by other companies in similar industries. Naming it after my name sorts of limits the way company in a way as you can't sell it easily. Armand Morin mentioned something like that about not tagging his products to his name.

I also don't know what to call myself. CEO sounds a bit too superfluous. Consultant also has a certain connotation.

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Alton Hargrave 14 years ago

Hello Sarah,

That story I told is from a rather old show and is a little simplified. I think he was using little more than a rubber stamp to label the cards. It was entertaining at least. Nowadays, I don't know if there is a portable system for business cards. There may be. I needed a few for something a few days ago and just made a couple of sheets of cards on my computer. Of course, they don't really look impressive.

Alton
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Mark Brian

14 years ago

I understand that the word internet can be limiting but what if you actually like to position your service as solely an IM provider? I actually have no plans doing print, TV, radio, or other forms of media for businesses. Aside from having little interest and skills on those communication channels, I think most agencies are already doing a very good job on that but somehow they lack IM expertise. So i'd like to position my self on IM alone.

Google KW tool shows decent search numbers for the terms: internet marketing company, internet marketing services, internet marketing consultant, internet marketing agency. This possibly means that people actually know that what we do is called internet marketing.

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Super Affiliate

14 years ago

I do offline consulting for seo with my partner and we just call ourselves "search engine optimization specialists." Simple... but to the core. : )

Joe

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Aaarrrggghhh

14 years ago

For our offline customers I commonly refer to myself as a managing editor for our publishing company which provides content development and distribution services for maximum online exposure and profits

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LasseKohau

14 years ago

Hi Mark, I use a name - which i like and which is recognized easily.

I also add, some workable content in it, to show - what is offered.

My companyname is SIC ( Stargate Internet Consulting )

regards, LASSE

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iw433

14 years ago

This is what I have on my business card.

Edwards Consultant
Client Acquisition
web design|seo|marketing

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fated82

14 years ago

(My name)
Principal Consultant

(My company's name)
(Mobile Details)

(Contact details such as website, Facebook Page and Twitter)

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mr2monster

14 years ago

Depends on who I'm talking to...

It's actually funny, most of my business comes from referrals now. When I ask my clients what they say I do, most times it's something along the lines of:

"Call James, he gets $hit done.."

And that seems to be good enough, as I rarely get asked the question of "What do you do" from my referrals. haha.

If I'm walking into a place cold calling, I'm generally a marketing specialist/consultant.

I'm never the "owner". That leaves too much room for negotiation and special treatment requests.

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Scott Voss 14 years ago

Sounds like a good header for a client's plumbing website.
-scott

Originally Posted by mr2monster

"Call James, he gets $ h i t done.."
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- mr2monster 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Scott Voss
  
  Sounds like a good header for a client's plumbing website.
  -scott
  
  Haha... this is true... If you see a plumber here in AZ with that line, you know where it came from
  
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glassextreme

14 years ago

Hi Alton, I needed some name cards quickly and so I designed one on Powerpoint, squeezed in 4, went to a photo printing shop, got it printed like photos with gloss, and got the person to use a paper cutter to cut it into namecard size. cost about the same if i had gone to a name card printing shop and got basic looking cards.

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Vital Video

14 years ago

Revenue Engineer

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netkid 14 years ago

Stay away from "consultant." Stay away from "internet" or anything related to the word "internet."

Make your title of what you do, the "elevator speech," which some people have stated in previous posts.

I walk in to a business and tell them "I can help them get found online." In other places, I introduce myself as "helping them find new ways of getting business in the door."
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kschmandt

14 years ago

I would avoid virtual, sounds fake. Try Digital if you want to reference the online realm. Digital Marketing Solutions!

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SquidProxies.com

14 years ago

I say that I run a Internet Marketing Company so that its general enough to specify many different fields.

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mimosa495

14 years ago

I usually using marketing consultant or internet marketing consultant depending on the scenario. As far as company, I just tell them what we do. BoostYourLeads.com. It seems to be generic enough to change as technology and marketing does. In 100 years, businesses are still going to need more leads.

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patadeperro

14 years ago

I always explain the final benefits to people:

"I generate leads for any business over the internet
even if they don't have a website"

I think they understand that more than Internet marketing, etc...

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Vagabond 007 14 years ago

Patadepero sort of touched on it, but...

I haven't seen one mention of anyone also saying their USP or having it on their business card.

I'd spend way more time on developing a USP then a business name. In the grand scheme of things, no one cares what your companies name is.

But if you can say something along the lines of...

"I work with small to medium sized businesses to increase their profits by at least XX%, cut wasteful spending, and increase the productivity of their employees by at least XX%, guaranteed."

They will care about that. Because that is a benefit to them. Your business name means nothing to them.

Remember, people are always concerned about themselves and what you can do for them. So say what you can do for them.
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Abhik

14 years ago

I'd say..
Internet Marketing Agency.

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pcloadletter

14 years ago

I go with publishing and media distribution. Which actually fits what I'm trying to build.

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TSDMike

14 years ago

I refer to myself as a Web Strategy Development Consultant. Because without a strategy, all you have is a bunch of tactics.

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Matt Lee

14 years ago

My favorite description is something that I borrowed from a past client:

"No Title, Just Results" - Not sure I'm quite as dramatic though...

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YasminHolly 14 years ago

High Return on Investment
ROI (Return on Investment) is one of the most important criteria of
most marketing campaigns. For small businesses with low budgets, the
marketing ROI needs to be good for it to work. Social marketing is one
of the cheapest ways of marketing currently available. And practically
all the social media you can use to market your business either costs
nothing or costs a very small amount. This low investment means low risk
to even the smallest business. Considering that most businesses gain a
big pop in visibility after using social networking tools, the advantage
is ultimately getting good publicity for free.

Regards,
livebusinesscare,
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nelsonbiglar

14 years ago

I use "online offline business consultant" so I can expand and it allows me to also through my conversations with business owners to actually tie in how the online and offline marketing worlds can actually work together.

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Phantomwriter

14 years ago

Marketing is marketing and there are some concepts of marketing that do not change no matter which sector you are concentrating on. Any marketing campaign needs to be successful and success means increase in sales and a high ROI. The cheaper the PR campaigns are also used to get mileage without spending too much. Any cleaver marketing manager would also include in his portfolio. That way he will get a hight ROI.
As far as I am concerned you are a marketing agency just like any other!
PhantomWr.

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TK1

14 years ago

I can only give you the same advise I give a lot of my coaching students, too:

If possible call your business always something with your last name or initials + consulting.

Consulting business get the most respect in the business world, anybody with the title like "Internet Design Agency" will get kicked in the ass most of the time.

You can read more on the topic in this PDF that will fit into this discussion and has the chapter about setting up your business: http://www.richclub.us/How_To_Make_1...la_Edition.pdf

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Bayo

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Mark Brian

If you do "offline consulting" or basically do internet marketing for offline businesses, and you've gone from being a single person consultant to having a small team. What's the proper way to call your business now, is it a:

Internet Marketing Agency
Internet Business Consulting Agency
Internet Advertising Agency
Web Design Agency (but we're not just web design)
etc

Your thoughts?

Interesting question and one that gets asked quite a bit in various forums.

What I do and coach is to have a main incorporated business (name). This relates to consulting of course.

This serves as the 'umbrella' for all the other lines of business. SO for instance, when marketing to Chiropractors I have a different presentation and domain name - For Dentists it's also different. For Coaching it's another, but tat the end of the day, the payments are made to the parent business.

This is how I brand and what I've been using since the mid 90s when I first started consulting and carried it through, launching different lines of business for different target markets including internet marketing for business.

Bayo

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Digital Info Diva 14 years ago

In general I use "business services."

Online business services for online and offline companies.

I try not to get put in a box. This way I can pick and choose the clients.
There are always some that will pay you a bunch of money, but you just
know will be a pain in the @** - so I like to be able to walk away.
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Danny Keegan

14 years ago

Offering various services I go with "Digital Media Agency"

Danny

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Vincenzo Oliva

14 years ago

Danny I'd think about that one. You don't want to leave your prospects confused as to what it is you do. Confusion leads to no decision. What is a "Digital Media Agency?" Is what they will think also with "Austin Seo Pros" What is that? People that need our help obviously are not in the know how.

You want your name to clearly imply benefits and paint a picture as to what it is that you do. ie...Business marketing guru Rich Schefren-"Strategic Profits"

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BrashImpact 14 years ago

Business Result's Consultant
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GeorgeO7

14 years ago

Internet Marketing Consultant works rather well for me.

All the buzz out there is about how businesses can use the Internet to increase their profits and lower their marketing costs.

My clients all had an Internet presence of sorts that just was not working. They KNEW they need Internet Marketing help.

George

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nigelchua

14 years ago

Hey Mark, assuming you already have your own company name, this is a description that you're asking about right? I think in marketing, you can go creative, but focus on the USP, your unique selling point, because as business owners, we want to know what we need to get.