Google Expert Warns Small Business Owners Not to Rely On Google Internet Marketing for Success

Aug. 7, 2012 - PRLog -- For many small businesses today, it may seem like marketing that business gets more complicated and confusing by the day.  A big part of that angst is caused by the ever changing target on the web.  Author, marketing consultant, Randy Kirk, compares becoming an expert on internet marketing to being in one cup on the teacup ride attempting to shoot a target on another cup.  

But Kirk says, "If you are a plumber, a locksmith, or a restaurant, forget my headline.  Your gross sales and profit will commonly have more than 20% of new business coming from internet sites.  If you are a retailer like a bike shop, bakery, or smoke shop, you might have something close to 20% of your new traffic related to your internet effort.  This also applies to some service providers like lawyers, chiropractors, and contractors.  For most others, maybe 10%."

But like any other marketing strategy or tactic, there are many ways to skin a cat (sorry PITA), and thus you have thriving restaurants and locksmiths with no internet presence to speak of, and you have real estate agents making a living off of internet results.  So what a poor entrepreneur to do?

Kirk maintains that small business owners are commonly so hard at work keeping the doors open that they spend all their time working in the business, and never take time to work on the business.  Kirk suggests, "Take a deep breath, step back, and analyze where your current new customers are coming from.Take a look at those new customers and evaluate which ones are making a substantial contribution to your profits.  I'm guessing that most of your new clients are coming from referrals.  After referrals, brick and mortar stores are probably getting walk in traffic as the number two source.  And the third resource is very likely to be some system you've had in place for years.  Annual sales, events, mailings, radio, newspaper, billboard, trade shows, etc."

Certainly 10 - 20% is significant, and ignoring the internet is pure folly.  One bad review on Yelp can be very harmful.  Your competitor being number 1 on your most important keyword can have a serious effect on traffic. So Kirk clarifies with this suggestion, "What I am saying is that you need to pay attention to all of your marketing efforts, and to traditional off line approaches that might bring you even more profits and ROI than spending the same online."    

To further that approach I am Kirk is writing a series of blog posts titled "101 Marketing Secrets from a Serial Entrepreneur."  These are located on his blog
www.Help4SmallBusiness.blogspot.com  This site also has over 140 posts on subject ranging from how to use online PR to who to collect accounts receivable.  

Kirk warns that these posts will be up only until he finishes the 101 secrets.  Then they will be taken down and converted into a book.  You can wait for the book, but for now it's free.