5 Internet Marketing Myths Plus 1 More

I was recently invited to begin blogging on a bi-monthly basis for a company called Resource Nation, which specializes in providing advice and information to small and medium-sized business owners. Since small and medium businesses are my client base, and since I’m a self-regarded know it all, I jumped at the opportunity!

Here are the myths I outlined in my Resource Nation blog post:

“My customers aren’t on the internet.” This is what I like to call a self-fulfilling statement. If you believe it, then you don’t market online. If you don’t market online, you have no online customers. Get the picture?

“I have to have a fancy new website to have a chance.” Nope. You just need one that follows one simple rule – every page must have a purpose.

“Internet marketing is expensive.” Only as expensive as you want it to be. $100 a month is a reasonable budget for some local internet marketing.

“Internet marketing is complex.” Yes and no. Sometimes the technology can be tough to understand, but the basic principals are the same as offline marketing.

“I can’t market my business on the internet without professional help.” While it’s painful to say it, that’s not true. You can market your business online without my help (but I would recommend you get some input from a pro no matter what).

Here’s one myth that I decided to save for my own blog:

“I don’t want my internet customers to find everything online.” Small business owners often believe that they should be able to manage how their online customers digest information (much as they would with a customer on the phone or in person). While you can definitely “walk” a customer through your process on the phone or inside your office, it’s almost impossible to do the same online. Internet users expect to find information quickly and easily, and they resent any barriers they may encounter. Some small business owners try to “control the conversation” by limiting the amount of information on their website (or the way that information can be found), but this strategy will only work so long as all of your competitors follow suit. As soon as one of your competitors opts for full disclosure, your potential customers will leave your website and visit your competitor’s site instead.

So there you have it – 5 internet marketing myths I described on the Resource Nation blog, plus one I’ve outlined here.

Thanks for reading!