Recently, a friend of mine told me a great story about a client of his who had fallen in love with online marketing.  His client is a doctor in Austin, Texas, a foot doctor to be exact, who had spent $10,000 to be included in the Yellow Pages each year.  He had been doing this year after year and had recently started to wonder why the calls were not coming in anymore, at least not like they used to.

After hearing his colleagues brag about the success of their websites and the advantages of online marketing, he decided to work with my friend, who is a web developer.  Mind you, it took much persuading for this doctor to commit to building his website because he simply did not see the value in having a website or believe that a website would help him grow his small practice.  He didn’t realize that now days, online marketing is crucial to the success of any business, whether large or small, so he continued to rely upon his annual Yellow Pages submission.

Well, a year after this doctor’s website had launched, he contacted my friend to let him know that he would never pay another $10,000 for inclusion in the Yellow Pages again.  Instead, he planned to set aside the money for his PPC campaign, content writing and further online marketing services.  He said that since the launch of his website, he had received five times the amount of inquiries he normally would from prospective customers.  In fact, the number of his patients had tripled because so many people had discovered his services online.  Now, the doctor is an internet wiz and he is able to keep up with his colleagues who were preaching the rewards of online marketing years ago.

The truth is this, when it comes to running a successful business, people need to be aware of how successful online marketing can better their businesses.  In the past, traditional marketing approaches like mail pieces, cold calls and yes, the Yellow Pages may have cut it, but in today’s market, customers go online when they are looking for professional services.  If your business is not online, it really does not exist in today’s marketplace.  If you do not market yourself via the internet, you have little chance of growth or attracting tech-savvy customers.

Creating a strong internet presence begins with online marketing strategies that not only promote your business and abilities, but also help customers find you in the search engines.  If you are unsure of what online marketing tactics will help you, there are numerous online marketing consultants available who can help you build a website, create a sales-driven corporate identity and who can teach you the ins and outs of search engine marketing.  Think of it as an investment in the long-term success of your business.  In time, you will expand your internet presence, start attracting new business and will most likely be preaching the benefits of online marketing to your colleagues, also.