4 things to look for when hiring a marketing consultant:

I am constantly surprised (and down right annoyed) at shat some people try to pass of as Internet Marketing skills. Whenever hiring a web designer, “marketing expert” or SEO company, look out for these warning signs. Or don’t and them come to me so I can fix it for you.

1. They insist on Using  a Single Marketing Tactic

Quick – run SCREAMING for the hills! Why do they suggest this? Because it’s all they know.

This reminds me of a story.

A young husband and wife are in the kitchen on Christmas cooking their first Christmas dinner together. Before putting the ham in the pan, the  wife cuts a chunk off the end of the ham. Her husband asks why? She says, “That’s the way my mom did it and that’s how I’ve always done it…”

This makes no sense to the husband so he walks out to the living room and asks his mother in law.

Her answer is the same, “That’s the way my mom did it and that’s how I’ve always done it…” she trails off.

Now the young wife chimes in with, “Let’s call Grandma and find out  why.” So they do and she tells her  story: “We always cut the end off the ham so it would fit in the oven.”

The moral of the story – There may have been a reason for this strategy in the past, but trust me, there are a lot of ways to cook a ham.

2. They Bring No New Ideas to the Table

A marketer or consultant should be able to fluidly relate several marketing tactics to your specific market or niche.

It’s not “one size fits all” here folks – you are looking for custom tailoring.

Secondly, your marketer should be up to date on the newest trends – if they suggest using MySpace as your main marketing push, I may use someone else.

3. They Don’t recommend Upgrading your Website

Every time I take on a new web client, I recommend upgrades to their existing site. The basis of everything you do online is  your site. I am yet to find one that is perfectly built to suit the multi-pronged marketing campaign that I want to unleash… Unless, of course, I built it myself.

No matter how well built your site is, there is always room for improvement.

Most “Web Designers” don’t think like marketers and conversely, most marketers don’t have an aesthetic design bone in their body. You want to have a solid foundation for your online marketing. That’s why I ALWAYS use WordPress when I create a site and/of marketing campaign.

4. They Guarantee Results

Guarantees are cool, right? Yes, but often times, they are very unrealistic. In the online marketing game – rules are always changing, as are strategies. A good marketer will give examples of successful strategies – and will often use several tactics to increase the chances for success. Remember #1 – that’s why you look for multiple strategies from any marketer or consultant.

So it is on that note that I would like to share with you this great article form Small business Labs called: 2009 Top 10 Small Business Trends. The article is very timely considering that some economists estimate that as much as 95% of our economy is driven by small businesses.

However, it is number 10 on the 2009 small business trends list that caught my attention:

10. Small Businesses Will Expand Their Use of Online Marketing Tools: Despite the economic downturn, we expect the small business sector to increase its use of online marketing tools and methods in 2009. Online marketing is cheaper and often more effective than traditional approaches. And although online marketing can be complex, many tools and methods are accessible to DIY small business marketers. With small businesses focused on customer acquisition and re-defining their business methods, we expect their use of online marketing to grow in 2009.

Since those in the know realize that online marketing can be far less costly than traditional forms of marketing. Do newspaper ads really get people into your store? The answer: Yes, but… Of course offline marketing works – but even in a small market a newspaper ad might cost several hundred dollars.

If you take into account that a full 50% of your potential customers are looking for your small business online – What if you could be the first option they see when they are looking for your type of product or service online? Well, you probably can!

Utilizing the vast resources of the internet as well as variations of what savvy Internet Marketers use – yes indeed you can. Internet Marketing is a business and chances are you’re not in the internet marketing business. So, would it make sense for you to become a full time internet marketer? NO! You need time to run, maintain and grow your small business.

That being said, there is a lot you can do to market your small business online and chances are that your competition is not.

By blogging, social networking, social bookmarking, even strategically placed video, you can increase your presence on Google and on the web in general.

Hone your message, create multiple gateways to your web presence online, perform great customer service, and watch your small business grow.