Online Marketing and Business Development Consulting Programs

Small Businesses - Need to rev up your online strategy?

BizDev Marketing offers flexibility in its consulting structures. To allow for the most tailored, effective online marketing solutions possible, we opt for a thorough and comprehensive initial interview process rather than offering predetermined strategies at fixed costs.

By first examining the goals, objectives and budgets of our clients, we’re able to prescribe specific courses of action not constrained by a pre-defined scope, and our clients have the opportunity to evaluate our strategies prior to even receiving a proposal.

The 3 step “proposal for consulting services” process looks like this:
Step 01. Free website marketing analysis – evaluate website structure, performance and visibility. Identify problem areas and make recommendations.

Step 02. Initial Interview – Examine current and previous marketing strategies, business goals and objectives. Explore areas of focus, various options and outcomes. Review website analysis and cover Q/As.

Step 03: Proposal Creation and Delivery – Outline of recommended discourse and various alternate options. Specify timelines, metrics and results measurement. Review and revise as necessary.

Consulting Services and Fees

We work predominantly within the following client scenarios:
- Small businesses who need to extend their visibility and/or generate new streams of revenue
- New and emerging businesses developing their client base.
- Those in the initial planning stages of their business or website looking to make a big splash as they enter into the market place.
- Web design firms who need an in house SEO specialist or want to offer online marketing to their clients.

Hourly Consulting

Whether you need to develop / revamp your web marketing strategy, are seeking first-rate advice to resolve specific issues, or require tactical implementation of strategies, we can provide the expertise needed to accomplish your goals effectively and ethically. Our philosophy is rooted in education; the main goal is to empower your success through genuine guidance and direction, minimizing the overall costs of your online marketing and business development efforts.

Areas of Expertise:
Search Engine Optimization
Affiliate Marketing
Viral Marketing
Social Media
Link Building
Blog Development / Marketing
Online Business Development / Strategic Alliances
Usability
Analytics

Monthly Retainer Consulting

Monthly online marketing and business development consulting programs differ from client to client; they are focused to address your specific needs and accomplish specific goals.

Monthly consulting is most often the best solution for small businesses who:
- Need an expert to devise, spear-head and oversee a strategic online marketing campaign for their business or clients.
- Have an in-house marketing team or webmaster and need ongoing guidance to ensure strategies and implementations are on par.
- Have large websites or competitive keywords requiring an ongoing SEO or internet marketing program.
- Need an expert available at a moment’s notice to resolve immediate issues or answer specific questions.

Monthly consulting programs vary in nature, time-line and cost. Project scope, deliverables, timelines, measurements and expectations are always pre-defined prior to entering any contractual agreement. Daily, weekly and/or monthly communication via phone, instant messaging and email is provided.

Contract Services

In addition to ala cart online marketing and internet business development services, we also offer the following to support monthly consulting programs. These services are not included in monthly online marketing consulting programs unless otherwise specified.

Content Development
Graphic / Print Design
Web / Ecommerce design and development
Branding / Identity
Tactical Implementation of Internet Marketing Programs (Programming, manual link building, etc.)

Get started now – Request a free website marketing analysis.

Consultant Vs. Contractor – What’s the difference?

BizDev Marketing was founded with the vision of empowering business owners with education-focused consulting and implementation of online marketing programs. This duel approach minimizes both the costs and steps associated with building brands online, and safely ensures accurate implementation.

But it does beg the question, “what is the difference between a consultant and a contractor, and further more, what are the financial, legal and functional implications of both?”

A contractor is an independent vendor who provides service in exchange for fees, is not an employee, and is legally expendable at a moment’s notice. A contractor solely determines the manner and structure in which his work is delivered. Historically, contractors have been viewed as commodities, underneath consultants in the social pecking order. However, this is increasingly untrue, especially as it relates to online marketing. Most SEO consultants do provide an actionable service in addition to their general mentorship.

A consultant is similar to a contractor in terms of financial and legal implications, but differs in its functional role. (Consultants employed by firms are legally employees and consultants simultaneously.) Most often viewed as an expert who delivers guidance and implementation advice to their clients, consultants in the historical sense do not perform much actual implementation. Again, most internet business development consultants operate independently and are therefore also able act as contractors where appropriate.

The bottom line is this – your success is our success. We understand that as a new or small business, you’re probably in need an aggressive, ongoing online marketing strategy as well as an expert to see it through to fruition. However, because most small business do not have the resources to devote to an in-house army of web developers, designers, or marketers, we want to provide the services necessary to support the strategies we develop.

Thoughts on Setting an Internet Marketing Consulting Budget

Money can be a scary topic for new clients in any aspect of the web, as they fear they will be overcharged. Similarly, many new consultants are wary of charging a rate that accurately reflects their experience or even industry standards – for fear that they’ll be viewed as ‘overcharging.’

A good solution here is to do a little research. Explore industry standards for online marketing consultants in your (and their) region. Cross reference their time in business, their fees and especially what they’re offering and the results you can expect. (See How to Avoid Hiring a Bad SEO Company)

Finally, expensiveness is always subject to its return. An “expensive” investment of $5000 that returns multiple thousands of dollars certainly proves to be a worthwhile and justifiable expense.

A common formula for setting an online marketing budget is to devote 25% of profit for the period of time a project will run. If you need website developed to serve as a web presence for a brick and mortar store front, and you are committed to running that site for two years, calculate your projected gross profits over that 24 months and set aside a quarter of it for your website.

Bear in mind that it’s not uncommon for ecommerce companies to devote 100% of their marketing dollars to online channels –it depends on your target audience and your competitive landscape.

Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land provides a wonderfully insightful article on setting an online marketing budget entitled Can Small Businesses Really Afford SEO?