As the percentage of firms without an online presence becomes smaller, internet marketing is becoming ever more lucrative. From multinational corporations to high street florists, marketing online has proven time and time again to be extremely profitable. As a result, the internet marketing consultant has become a popular, well paid job.
So just how would you go about setting up your own online marketing consultancy firm?
First of all, experience and education is essential. If you are not already an expert in your field - become one. There are a number of routes for gaining expertise, whether it is through work experience, higher education or other educational courses.
If you specialize in a certain area of internet marketing, consider setting up a niche business. Perhaps your area of expertise is in SEO or web analytics; your business needs to start small so hone in on the area you excel in. Once the business grows you can expand and diversify the services you offer to clients.
The next thing is to market the business itself. You are your own first client; develop a professional website using good SEO practise and begin advertising your business. Part of this marketing is judging how much to charge for your services so be aware that your early clients aren’t likely to be able to afford to fork out large sums of money.
Linking back to pursuing higher education; Bachelors and post graduate Degrees are well respected and add credibility to your firm. In addition, examples of work with previous clients and your success stories are all ways of reassuring potential clients that you are able to deliver the results they expect.
One of the major issues with setting up an online consultancy firm is the sheer number of other firms competing for business. The key is to stand out; always stay up to date and in the know about the very latest marketing techniques and be sure to offer competitive rates for your services.
Once you’re up and raring to go, you need to be able to convince clients that your firm will deliver a quality return for their money. One useful tip is to offer a trial or sample of your service for a short period of time, with no obligation to continue the relationship if the client is unsatisfied. Until you build up a client base this is a great way to attract new clients.
After all that, with some hard work you should find your business begins to grow. At the end of the day, there is no substitution for quality. If you deliver the service your clients expect you will soon find you’re able to expand the range of services you can offer and even take on another internet marketing consultant or more.
Chris Jenkinson is a UK based internet marketing consultant providing internet marketing advice to business owners.