If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

I sat down recently with Trent Blizzard, CEO of Blizzard Internet Marketing, to get some information to share with our Custom I and II Promotion clients. Here’s what we discussed:

1) What’s the best advice you can give to Custom Promotion I and II clients to help them understand where their promotion funds are going?

I tell Custom II clients that their money is pretty much split into thirds:

• 1/3 is PPC setup and management
• 1/3 is Organic search engine and niche directories
• 1/3 is administrative: reporting, marketing plans, research, phone consulting

Custom Promotion I clients receive a different mix:

• 2/3 of their budget is spent on PPC setup and management
• 1/3 is spent on site optimization and reporting

2) Why have prices gone up so much?

The very act of web promoting has gotten more complicated and requires more types of activities. Examples:

• We added an initial marketing plan and SWOT analysis to the process. This takes time, but gets everyone on the same page.
• We spend more time involved with tracking software that provides better guidance, but also more time to setup, administer and interpret. (Think back to the old Extreme Tracker we used to rely upon.)
• SEO has become about getting quality content, a quality website, and quality links. There are no shortcuts here. Likewise, the rewards of high rankings often justify extensive investments.
• Managing PPC accounts requires (and rewards) increasing sophistication.
• Online marketing in general, and search engines in particular, are increasingly competitive and require additional efforts to achieve market-beating results.

3) Can you help Custom I & II clients understand the BIG picture behind Internet Marketing and why they need it?

The BIG picture is your website. Your website is a customer conversion tool which generates new and return business. It is a tool to communicate regularly, effectively, and measurably. Your website will reward you, relatively instantly, if you shower it with attention and expertise.

4) What makes Blizzard different from other Internet Marketing companies?

Obviously, one factor is that we are focused on the hospitality industry and the lodging industry especially. We tend to be industry leaders, ahead of the pack in most important developments: we were providing domain names in 1997, SEO in 1998, niche marketing in 1999, Pay-Per-Click marketing in 2000, e-mail marketing products in 2001, virtual tours in 2002, flash in 2003, sophisticated ROI tracking in 2004, blogs in 2005, and wikis in 2006. We also are leaders in focusing on ROI, providing an industry-leading tracking and analytic tool since 1997. Not many have been around as long as we have. Also, Susan and I own and operate the company.

5) What is your favorite food?

Sushi… or anything cooked on an open fire pit.

6) How can I make Internet Marketing work on such a small budget? Are there things I can proactively do myself?

Focus on getting great content on your website, including links from websites (local businesses, vendors, etc) that you have relationships with… and can get for free. Good content and good links will create more qualified traffic and convert more of it to customers. An appealing set of specials and packages can help here. E-mail marketing is a deal, and getting good stats and using them to make decisions is also very cost effective.

Kate Olsen - Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc.

 Email This Post |  Print This Post

Categories: SEM.
Comments RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a comment, or trackback.