Internet marketing business is thriving, because business owners can’t survive without marketing, and people in general these days can’t survive without internet, or at least it’s seemingly so. People use internet as soon as they wake up to check email and chat messages, then use it to check weather and news, then use it again to order Uber, and so on. So, internet marketing is a must have for any business owners, even local ones.
This causes dilemma for some business owners. Some business owners may have the spirit, the willingness, and the time to spend on learning about internet marketing on their own. After all, internet marketing is not a difficult subject to learn. However, some other business owners may have constraint. They either have no time to do internet marketing on their own, much alone learn about it.
This provides business opportunity for those who have keen eyes. Why not set internet marketing firm and gain money while helping people promoting their business at the same time? Many people have created a job for themselves with internet marketing, and we can do the same.
Why Internet Marketing Firm is a Good Idea
Internet has been part of someone’s life for over a decade, all over the world. The penetration force in internet is amazing, and presently it’s hard to find a family from middle class and higher that doesn’t have any personal computer, laptop, smartphone, or other internet-accessing gadget. In short words, internet is where people are right now. It has became the new newspaper, magazine, radio, TV, and telephone in one product. Imagine the power of the combined media above in one place.
Every product nowadays needs marketing, even local product. Among the increasing competitors, they need to communicate to public why their product is superior to those of competitors. They need to make customers interested and finally trust them enough to try and buy the product. However, the cost of marketing is by no means cheap.
Not only that, the effectiveness of those media has decreased because consumers change their behavior in consuming information. Nobody wants to carry inconvenient newspaper and bring them to read anywhere anymore. They prefer to whip out their smartphone and visit news website. Printed media like newspaper and magazine always put high rate for their advertising space, but truth is less and less people are reading printed stuff.
Radio and TV are probably still effective, but they charge high rate for advertisement service. For small business owners offering product or service locally, this option is too costly. Also, radio might operates locally, but TV has wide coverage area, and it’s hard to do targeting this way. How can you make sure your advertisement is watched or listened by people you want to attract? Products aired in TV can be seen by various demographic, from little kids, to housewife, to their grandfather and grandmother. If your product is a tire for motorcycle, you won’t really get any reaction from them.
Internet marketing, meanwhile, can target the right audience for a product. Advertisement for baby formula, for example, can be shown to internet users who have searched about the products beforehand, or shown to have prior interest in baby formula product previously. This isn’t exactly the case, but even when a visitor is not interested the first time seeing the advertisement, retargeting will show your advertisement once again and probably you’ll have more luck this time.
Internet marketing is also affordable. There are many packages clients can choose, and they can choose payment scheme of PPC (pay-per-click). PPC ensures clients to maximize the utilization of the pay he or she uses to promote the product.
Not only that, internet marketing is not a subject that’s impossible to self-taught. Even if you have no prior education whatsoever about internet or marketing, you can still offer internet marketing skill. People will look at your experience more than education.
Experiencing internet marketing may be scary at first, but there are many course in internet marketing in the internet, both free and premium. After you have the general idea on how the system works, all you need to do is try it first hand, experiencing some failures, learning from them, perfecting your skill and service, and after that your portfolio, your clients, and your reputation will work by themselves to keep sending you client.
With high target market – virtually all of business owners in the world – you can see how potential internet marketing firm is. There is no limit on the profit you may get, and the success you may achieve.
How to get ready to set up internet marketing firm
If you have decided to set up and internet marketing firm on your own, there are several things to prepare prior to the set up itself to make all the setting up process easier.
- Learn everything you can about internet marketing
You’re going to sell your skill, so build your skill. Start from the basic course, then go all the way to the advanced course. If you have the opportunity to work or intern at an established internet marketing firm, take your chance and think of the experience as free (or even paid) education. - Pay attention to the local regulation
Depending on where you set the firm, the law will be different one from another. If you don’t have any idea where to start, call the local office that deal with business owners. Even if you don’t want to set up a physical office, make sure to check regulation about online business. Failure to take care of every legal aspect may cause problems in the future - Start promoting early
Finally, you don’t have to wait until everything is settled before promoting your business. Use your network to promote in the first stage. Sales call or sales pitch usually is not effective, since you haven’t built any reputation yet. Instead, visit friends and colleagues, tell them about your business, and ask them if they know anyone who is in a need of internet marketer – maybe their artist friends who struggle to sell their work or a business owner who wants to expand. Go pitch your sales to them. This won’t give you many clients, but enough for you to start the internet marketing business profitable.