As a marketer in Fargo I am pretty new to the game. My story begins in Dec of 2007 when I quit my full-time job to pursue Internet Marketing SEO in Fargo. It started out pretty rough and uneasy as I stumbled my way around the Internet landscape. Thankfully, I was able to find and mentor under a few people who are very good at what they do.

Through them I learned about SEO (search engine optimization) and Internet Marketing that not only paid the bills but put me in a better position to determine the path in which my life went. It is very rare that I go out and look for clients. In fact, I haven’t really at all. Usually people find me through my blog here or one of my other satellite sites. I primarily focus my attention on ranking web pages in the search engines so people will find them. But ranking pages isn’t all I do.

I also help businesses determine what results they want from an online marketing campaign and execute that for them. Their marketing needs and desires can vary greatly from wanting to start a comprehensive marketing campaigns including search engine ranking, social media marketing and other direct marketing approaches. I help them come up with different marketing ideas that fit their needs. For example, they might want a unique approach to solving their problems or to reduce their advertising costs.

Marketing Ideas learned in Fargo

1. It is always better when clients or potential clients find you.

Like I mentioned before, most my clients find me. I spend little time setting up processes for people to find me. Instead of me spending time finding clients, I can spend my time working. As clients and potential clients find you and explain their marketing problems, you are in a much better position to leverage because of the fact that they sought you out.

2. Don’t rely on one marketing approach.

It is easy to think that if something works well once it can always be replicated. The biggest advantage to online marketing is the ability to adapt and change when circumstances warrant it. It is very easy to fall into the trap that one shoe fits all and one client’s success will happen again. Change is good. Change happens all the time. Be prepared to change because it is inevitable.

3. Never put all your marketing eggs in one basket.

Much like the point above. Relying solely on Google for all your traffic and marketing is a scary proposition. What if Google changes and determines your system is flawed? What if Google doesn’t think you have its users’ best interests in mind? Google is a business and will do what is best for Google.

4. Google isn’t the only source of traffic online.

People are becoming connected online greater than ever before. I am seeing a trend that is increasing where people are relying more on each other for answers to questions than just Google. Now, with tools like Twitter and Facebook you can directly ask your questions to the people who can answer them. For example, you might post a question about Las Vegas hotels and what kind of deals they have. Many things take time to populate and be found online. The time people are willing to wait to find an answer is shrinking incredibly.

5. Match expectations with reality; anyone can promise the moon.

Sure, it is easy to say you can solve all of your client’s problems, but usually you cant. It is very important that you are real with your clients and what you can perform for them. Give realistic expectations of time frame and results. Fargo Internet marketing is easier than marketing in New York on a local level but nationally the game changes considerably.

6. Don’t except every job or opportunity that comes your way.

It is extremely easy to want to take every job that passes you by, but don’t. Taking the jobs that are smaller or easier usually turn out to be anything but. It is extremely rare for me to accept a proposal less than 5 figures. In fact, I avoid it. I look for clients who understand the potential power of Internet marketing and want to establish a long-lasting relationship with me. I am not looking to rank your web site for your business name. I am looking to establish a broader relationship that borders partnership.

7. Don’t work for a paycheck, work for people.

Working for a paycheck will only get you a paycheck. The funny thing about paychecks is the fact that they never refer business to you. If you genuinely care about your customers and want to see their problems solved, paychecks will come in abundance. But working for the Almighty $ is going to be a constant struggle.

8. Find an unique approach to solving a client’s problems.

Potential clients are looking for solutions for their problems. When you find those solutions you have earned a client for life. 99% of the time it is a matter of finding what other successful businesses are doing and approach that with an open mind. I am not saying to copy what others are doing because you cannot change the foundation of a business overnight. Rather, look at their approach to solving a problem and analyze the key characteristics they used to solve that problem. In between the lines you will find a solution that will work for your client the same if not better than what worked for them. Could be price, uniqueness, customer service, quality or any number of things.

9. Fire your clients.

Every now and then you need to fire a client. Either fire them or set a new guideline for interaction between you and them. If they don’t like the new terms they fired themselves. It is not worth the headache or dread of dealing with a client. Life is too short for dealing with crummy clients all the time. One client can cause 80% of your problems. If that is the case, dump the client. The same should be expected for you and your business. That’s life.

10. Know your own limitations.

Sometimes I can’t possibly take on a new client. If I did I would only diminish my relationship with my current clients. This isn’t always the case but sometimes I just have to say no. This is usually easy when the proposal is smaller than my baseline but unless I want to hire and train others, I can’t always take new clients. Thankfully we are in a growth and expansion phase that allows us to not only better serve our current customers but frees up space for more customers.

Conclusion

I feel that Internet marketing is the greatest job in the world for me. I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way. I adore my clients and enjoy working with them every day. I am sure the feelings are mutual. It is a pleasure to work with some of the brightest personalities in the business both here in Fargo and across the world. I hope you gained a bit of insight into my world as a Fargo Internet marketing agent and perhaps learned a little too. If you would like to contact me, please visit my contact page or media / consulting page.

Just like one shoe doesn’t fit all, the same applies to Internet marketing. I wrote a post the other day targeting keywords like Internet marketing Fargo and SEO Fargo for the sole purpose of ranking in the SERPS (search engine results pages) for those keywords. I wanted to spend a little time in an effort to rank and hold a ranking for those keywords. I view that type of Internet marketing as the equivalent of buying a house vs renting one. The easy way to rank for keywords is to buy ad placements from Google, MSN and Yahoo. By doing so you are guaranteed to rank on the first page for those words and generate the visitors you are requesting.

The flip side to the paid-for model of Internet marketing happens when you quit paying for those ads and disappear from not only the first page, but all pages. Instead, if you invest a little time and effort into promoting your site/business online, your site can be found by many people searching the same things. You will only invest time, not money. My site and sites like mine sit at the top of the results pages for a variety of keywords. When I go to sleep or leave on vacation, my site still sits there. Every once in a while I will add some fuel to the fire ensuring I stay above the competition.

I am #2 and #3 for the search term Internet Marketing Fargo just by writing one blog post. That puts me just behind all of the paid placements on Google. It won’t be long, and I will be ahead of the directory listing at the top of the page for my selected field. This is done by building more support to my pages than the yellow page generated results. I will also be doing the same for other keywords related to my local niche as I mentioned on my recent Fargo Internet Marketing and SEO post.

A funny thing happened the other day when talking with a client about my Fargo Internet Marketing post and targeting those keywords. The client asked me if my competition knew I was targeting those words. What I didn’t mention is that I already have other sites ranking in the top for those keywords. Those sites have been generating leads for the last 5 months. It’s just another way to capture as much of the local market as possible.

You have many different choices as far as Internet marketing goes, but I view SEO as a more viable promotion option than ad buying. But SEO takes time and effort and involves a longer ramp-up period. If what you are doing needs more of an instant promotion model, then you should buy ads from the major search engines. At the same time, start working your way to the top of the SERPS for relevant keywords through SEO. Eventually, you will either capture a lot more market share and customers from other keywords you don’t rank for or you can swap one model of promotion for the other.

All of these ideas and tactics lead to a very important discussion when starting Internet marketing and web promotion of your product or service. Don’t leave out questions like “Where do we want our traffic to come from?” “How much are we willing to pay in advertising?” “What is the percentage of fraud associated with paid advertisement?” and many more questions. Of course if you are interested is talking with me, I encourage comments or emails.

One of the topics I caught on talk radio recently was how the FDA announced that most diet pills are bad for us. The kicker was that even pills marked as all natural are bad for the people taking them. I am thinking to myself, “no crap.” Just because something is natural doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

Internet marketing is a lot like diet pills

Internet marketing is not easy. I won’t claim that it is. It is real work. Sometimes at the end of the day having worked 14+ hours, I question why I even bother. But when you accomplish something cool and profitable, it is completely worth it. Like dieting, there is no shortcut.

Let me repeat myself, there is NO shortcut. You can’t take some magic pill that will make you money overnight online. If that were the case, everyone would do it. It takes long hours, a lack of sleep and eating potatoes for months to save on groceries. The reason so many people out there are “pretending” to give you good advice is because they are selling you diet pills. Then when you realize those pills don’t work, they have another one lined up for you to try that “really works this time.” Quit kidding yourself.

95% of the “A-List” bloggers are selling you crap. I fell for it just like most everyone else I know. I was only smart enough to get out of the Internet marketing rat race when I saw a good thing. People like Vic and Grizz taught me how to think like a real Internet marketer and how to profit from it. They will teach you more about Internet marketing than all of the A-listers combined. They can teach you about SEO and how to make money online. If you want proof, just Google “make money online” 3 of the top 10 spots belong to these two guys.

There is a lot of money to be made online. But the pie is shrinking unless you teach yourself some valuable skills. Skills that are not of value include spending 1,000 hours building a list of subscribers who don’t buy what you are selling. That is why it takes the A-listers tens of thousands of subscribers to make money. Do you ever notice that advertisers on their sites don’t buy repeating ads? The reason is because their subscribers don’t buy anything from those advertisers. It’s a big con game. People think if they can get an ad on those bloggers’ sites, some of their money and luck will rub off on them. Nine times out of 10, the advertisers lose and the blogger wins, and you’re the sucker if you bought anything. Trust me I know.

Quit buying diet pills

It’s time to start exercising. If you want to make money online you need to learn a set of skills that will help you to do that. Pick your poison as far as what you want to do. I chose SEO because there is not a lot of competition here in Fargo and it is a lot of fun ranking websites for new keywords. I hope what you choose is something that you really love because when times get tough and you aren’t making any money, you better love it in order to stick through it. Internet marketing is a race. You don’t win races by taking pills. You have to train, sweat, eat right and have commitment.

The #1 thing any of you can do is stop kidding yourself and decide to start working hard towards your goal. It’s either that or go about doing what you’re doing and continue to watch results slip away. I made a choice to quit my job and make a living online doing something I was passionate about. I am extremely thankful I found people willing to share what they know with me freely allowing me to accomplish my dream. I would like to make the same commitment to you as well. I will gladly and willfully tell you all I know, what I’ve learned and continue to learn. All you have to do is ask.

I have to warn you that I am only a willing vessel. You can take what you want and leave the rest. I just promise not to sell you Internet marketing diet pills. I am sure I will have more to come on this subject. I dare ask if you have any Internet marketing horror stories, but if you do and would like to share them feel free to do so. Just remember, you can lose weight for free just like you can make money online for free, it just takes hard work and time. I am always available for discussion via my contact page.