Take the Time to Market Well

When I talk to groups, and even individuals, about natural online marketing and building an online business reputation, one of the comments I hear most is, "that sounds like it takes a lot of time." The reality is that building effective relationships in online communities does take time. However, if you do it right, the return on the time spent is far better than many traditional marketing efforts.

Let's use a simple comparison. Say you sell a specialty product that will appeal to a specific niche -- exactly what I teach in my Guide to Natural Online Marketing. If you truly have a niche market you can find online communities and develop a knowledge expert reputation. I can think of several web communities right off the top of my head that have more than 55,000 members -- enthusiasts for two specific hobbies. That's 55,000+ people who share a common interest in a very narrow niche activity -- something they are passionate about enjoying. Let's be conservative, and say that by following my step-by-step guide you'll invest 20 hours in finding and becoming engaged in this community.

So, 20 hours, to reach 55,000 potential customers. Not MASS marketing, but reaching 55,000 people who have a high likelihood of actually purchasing your product. Not a bad return on your time and money. Even if you value your time at $100 per hour, that's still only $2,000 to reach 55,000 people who have a need for your product.

Now, say you decide this just sounds like too much time. You'd rather use direct mail, and target 55,000 households. So... you buy a mailing list, design, or have someone design, a mailing piece, pay for the printing, coordinate all the effort and hope to realize something better than the typical 2-4% response rate that historically happens with direct mail. I bet you'll spend more than 20 hours managing the project, quite a bit more than $2,000, and reach less than 1,200 people who are actively interested.

Which do you think will give you the best return on your time and money?

It can be frustrating When someone says they think online marketing will take too much time. Yes, it does take time, but the results of online marketing done well far exceed the time investment. Here's hoping you find marketing success in 2008!

-Tom