Online Marketing Frequently Asked Questions: How Long Will It Take to Get Results?

by | Jul 3, 2015

We speak with many business owners over the course of a year and they ask us lots of questions about online marketing. Over the next several months I will blog about some of the questions we’re asked most frequently.
The question I will address in this blog is; “How Long Will It Take to Get Results?”
Many small and mid-sized business owners are just now getting committed to online marketing. They know they have to get into the game. But, understandably, they want to know how long it’s going to take to get results.
My stock answer to this question is, “I don’t have a crystal ball, but think in terms of twelve months”.
Online marketing contentHow quickly consistent results are realized will depend on factors such as the complexity and length of the sales cycle, how well entrenched competitors are online, whether the right leads are being generated, and the online tactics that are being deployed.
Just like marketing in general, online marketing success requires consistent execution of the right activities. Dabbling won’t work. You must concentrate your efforts in the areas that are going to produce the desired results (as soon as possible) and do a number of things that seamlessly work together, such as:

  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Content Development
  • Social Networking
  • Online Advertising
  • Lead Nurturing

When these activities are optimized and take hold, that’s when you’ll see the magic. But it does take time.
If you get committed to using online mechanisms to grow your business, our experience is that you should start to see a noticeable impact one year after you get started. Sometimes it is sooner – getting results as quickly as possible should be the objective – but we recommend you give it a year before you assess whether it is a worthwhile investment.
We recognize this requires a leap of faith for most business owners. As practitioners, we see the power of online marketing every day and we know you should make it a critical element of your business development activities.
You must recognize that online marketing is about the long game. It’s not about quick hits or silver bullets. It’s about doing the right things, day in and day out, so that tangible business results are achieved over time.
More and more buyers are going online to help them in their purchasing decisions; it’s the way of the world. We encourage you to embrace online marketing, but to go into it with your eyes wide open and with realistic expectations.
>> Core Online Marketing is an outsourced online marketing agency with expertise in online advertising, content creation, content distribution, SEO, and much more! Contact us or sign up for our free online marketing seminar.

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Ben Molfetta
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