Very good post though.

I’m on the ’supply side’ of marketing, (we provide displays and designs mainly for exhibitions and trade shows) and you would be amazed at how many marketing and sales directors come to us with a minimal budget and expect miracles to occur!

The businesses we see getting the most value for the money they spend with us are those that take the time to creatively focus their message and craft a strategy that justifies the budget required to get it across. It may cost you tens of thousands of dollars to create an impressive and flashy expo display (though it is un-focused and as a result ineffectual) but it costs next to nothing to sit down and really think about what it is you want and need your marketing to say and achieve.

Creativity and planning will get you further than throwing what little money you have away on ‘get rich quick’ consultants!

If you’ll permit me a quote (about political systems) I think is appropriate:

“Everyone is looking for a system in which no one has to be any good.” Mohandas Ghandi

Dennis

Also someone in Phillipeans selling web side Wordpress templetes with all the coding done. You just use them.

SCAMS???

I am brand new. Duh?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done keyword research in the marketing field only to find the results choked with people searching for totally free solutions that will make their businesses money without effort or investment. It’s sad, but a lot of business owners buy into the something for nothing fantasy and many disreputable marketers eagerly exploit them.

When I start talking about the boring bits of marketing – planning, implementation, timelines…three months to a year…etc. – they wrinkle their brow, “But, Susan (self-anointed marketing/web expert of the day) told me I could INSTANTLY…” Sigh.

Rant on – ur – right on!

And by the way, Knopfler is a terrific singer and lyricist but has next to no stage presence, so nobody’s perfect.

Good title to a great POST!
Thanks for talking with integrity when so many just think there is such a thing as an “Easy button” for web marketing. That is why I traveled far and paid real $$ to hear you and Bryan for a full day several years ago…. BRAVO!

I work mainly with small business clients and they understand that for web design there will be a fee, but it seems that they think they can magically appear at the top of search engine rankings without any time, effort or money invested.

I usually get a glazed look when I try to explain that this takes time, effort and money and that it is difficult to outline the results.

AMEN! “…it makes life that much more difficult for those who try to keep it real.”

Sorry, I’m dense on Mondays.

I hope you don’t mind, but in tweeting this post I referred to you as: Jeffrey “I Want My Future Now” Eisenberg. Now I probably owe you a headband, but dare I say it, you struck a powerful chord with this post?

Seriously, we all know that amazing returns are sometimes possible from small investments (to shift the analogy from music to movies, think Slumdog Millionaire). But to go around promising that which cannot be guaranteed is not a sustainable strategy. Furthermore, it makes life that much more difficult for those who try to keep it real.

For example, we are finding some great returns for our customers using what might be called “web site personalization” but we hesitate to use that term because for years it was over-sold.

p.s. A little known Mark Knopfler fact: he graduated from the School of English at the University of Leeds, one year ahead of me.