JUMP Internet Marketing

When to Run Away from an Internet Marketing Consultant

Snakeoil salesmen...  We've used that phrase more than once this year to describe the worst representatives of our industry.  For years I've been hearing horror stories from business owners and marketing directors about how they were swindled by some "slick talking" SEO consultant.

Last evening, I was visiting with the marketing director at our club who shared yet another story of being misled.

Two fast talkers had set up a meeting with her under the guise of potential membership and event booking.   As the meeting began they quickly revealed their true intention to sell her services.

They assured her they would position her website in top listings in Google.

Fortunately, she was so put off by their misrepresentation that she didn't bite.

This all too common scenario reveals TWO important red flags to look for:

1. Misrepresentation of the intent of the meeting - I think we all know that if someone is dishonest in a small way, he will be dishonest in a big way (with YOUR MONEY).

2. Guarantees - WIth no analysis performed, a consultant could only say what MAY be possible.  Also, even Google publishes warnings about SEO consultants that guarantee positioning. 

Watch your marketing investments carefully.  Yes, you need top positioning in search engines and lots of targeted traffic to your website, but you won't get the help you need from liars.  Just say NO.

-- Denise

You Can Build Your Website in ONE Day, We Guarantee It.

We're very excited about our newest workshop: Build Your Website in ONE Day.  For years we've coached businesses that were stuck, unable to get anywhere on the internet because they had no website. Does any of this sound familiar to you?

"We're still waiting for the website developer to get back to us."

"I know we need a website, but we just can't take that project on right now."

"We have a domain, but I don't have a login.  I think the guy we paid to build the website has it."

"I'm not technically savvy.  I don't know the first thing about building a website."

Maybe you've said it or you've thought it.  GOOD NEWS!  We've created a special workshop just for you.

You need a website that tells the story of your business.  (See the earlier post, Stop Wasting Your Website Dollars)  Website visitors want quick, logically organized and helpful information explaining how your business meets THEIR NEED.

You'll leave the workshop with a completed website, we guarantee it or your next workshop is free. 

We're so excited about this new workshop that we are offering a Special Introductory Price for internet customers. From now until June 30, 2010, you can register for only $275!  

Get the full details of our workshop

View the entire workshop schedule

Do You Know About Trade Adjustment Assistance?

We've become acquainted with several of our manufacturing friends through SWTAAC (Southwest Trade Adjustment Assistance Center) grants working with the Oklahoma Alliance MEAs (Manufacturing Extension Agents).  From their website:

"TAA focuses on providing financial assistance to import-impacted manufacturers"

The program offers 50/50 cost sharing and other benefits.  Through this program, some of our customers have been able to implement new search engine marketing campaigns and dramatically increase the visibility of their company on the Internet at 50% of the normal cost.

The link to the benefits page is: http://www.taacenters.org/benefits.html

Because of our previous experience in these projects, JUMP can get you started quickly in your project once you've been approved for the grant.  Contact the TAA program or the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance.

Small Business SEO

Your decision to invest in SEO is not about being ranked #1 in Google.  It's about being ranked at the top of the search engines, like Google, for the keyword phrases that represent your buyers.  Get this wrong and you'll invest time and money only to be quite frustrated later.

You're probably saying, "of course!"

 

On the surface it seems so logical, but through the years we've worked with many small businesses who have made a significant investment in their website that in the end yielded nothing.  Many times the site had to be majorly reconstructed or the optimization effort was discarded because they were targeting the WRONG KEYWORDS.

 

SEO companies that attract businesses with promises of huge traffic based on high 24 hour counts miss the mark and even mislead small business owners.  Traffic is great, IF...  If it leads to sales then traffic is great.

 

We are often engaged by small business owners after a significant amount of SEO energy has lead nowhere.  The good news is that we can move forward by developing a good strategy today.  That's really where it needs to start.  Back at the beginning where you describe who is looking for what you offer and we describe them by the keywords they use to search remembering that the more refined the phrase, the better the traffic and conversion will be.

 

We recommend attending JUMP's free seminars to get started.  They are offered monthly in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.