Did the Recession affect your rural business? Let’s talk.

Let me help you to increase your business and make more money with an online marketing strategy that fits your needs, time and budget.

I recently met with a new client who wants to create and implement an online marketing plan for his small business.

He is embarrassed by his lack of Internet savvy. He knows that Internet marketing is vital, but he doesn’t know where to begin.

Sound familiar? Blogs, Facebook, Yelp, newsletters, Google Place Pages, Foursquare, LinkedIn… and on and on. Each of these sites is pretty simple for personal users.

But for business owners like you, the complexity can be overwhelming. You are faced with figuring out what to do, when to do it, how to integrate it all, how to track to see if it’s working, and most importantly, what’s NOT important for your particular business.

All these issues are complicated for small business owners who are in charge of everything from accounting to fixing the leak in the bathroom!

Is Internet marketing worth all the effort or is it going away like most fads?

It’s not a fad. Internet technology is shaping marketing for everyone from the largest corporation to the smallest mom and pop. It is an established revolution that’s here to stay.

100 years ago, businesses and small towns were discussing whether electrification was a fad, and look at what happened to the towns and businesses that didn’t embrace it.

Wait a minute…. You can’t look at them – they’re gone – ghost towns and forgotten businesses and industries.

So, what do you do?

You ask for help, and that’s why I’m writing you.

You know about my marketing abilities through my blog posts at RuralTourismMarketing.com, through my book,Marketing For Free in 2010, and for some of you, through my work as rural Siskiyou County, California’s Director of Tourism, Rural Development Initiatives or Jefferson Economic Development Institute.

You know that I provide small businesses and rural communities with sound, easy to understand sensible advice and training.

You can trust that I won’t talk over your head or talk down to you.

Meet one of my clients, Chantal from River Dancers Rafting Company.

Chantal and I began working together last winter.

We profiled her Perfect Customer for River Dancers – family rafters.

We reworked her website to reflect the values, needs and wishes of her Perfect Customer.

Chantal, who is an expert in everything related to rafting, became an expert in writing content for her website that sailed her up from Google page 4 or 5 for her identified search terms to page one. When we started she didn’t even know what a “search term” was.

She learned how to write compelling , interesting newsletters instead of the one-line announcements she had been using for years.

She started blogging, using the topic suggestions I gave her to begin with, then moved confidently into the blogosphere on her own.

Facebook came next. Chantal didn’t know how to create a business page when we started. She didn’t have any idea what Facebook could do for her business. Now she is skilled at using Facebook, increasing her fans from a few to a few hundred in months, and posting fun, compelling photos, videos , and information almost daily.

We listed her business on every directory that counts for rafting companies online, and she’s encouraging her customers to tell others about River Dancers with a printed post card handed out to every client at the end of every trip.

Has it worked?

Chantal is having one of her best years ever. Her business is recession proof, because she is communicating directly with customers who want and can afford her services.

And, it is taking less time than she ever thought possible.

Can this work for you? Absolutely.

Internet marketing is a highly personalized conversation with the customers who are already looking for exactly what you are offering.

I can help you identify those potential customers and assist you in getting that conversation going.

Here’s how:

We meet online, via phone or Skype, or in person to discuss what your goals are and what your current marketing program includes.

I take the information from that meeting and create an online marketing plan for your business, beginning with helping you profile your Perfect Customer. (If you’re unsure about what “Perfect Customer” means, go to RuralTourismMarketing.com and sign up for my free e-book, Marketing For Free in 2010 and read about the Perfect Customer Profile.)

I outline a step-by-step process for building an integrated online marketing presence. We work together to implement the steps, building your confidence and skills and adding additional steps as you are ready.

When we complete our work together, you will be a confident, capable online marketer, with an integrated online presence that is increasing your business and making you more money.

You are, no doubt, wondering how much a program like this is going to cost.

I charge $50 US per hour, and it is up to you how you use my services. I teach, guide, support and build your confidence to do the work yourself. We work at your pace, with training and skill-building as you are ready.

If there is something you don’t want to take on yourself, I’ll give you an estimate of the cost of having me do it for you. Chantal couldn’t face getting River Dancers registered in directories and review sites, so she turned that over to me.

On the other hand, after setting up her Facebook page and adding content for her for a week, Chantal was ready to completely take over and has since become a Facebook champion.

Some of you need help with a specific online project. And some of you are not sure where to begin. Because my consulting services are private and individualized, I can help solve both problems.

Some of you need a complete website facelift. I work with a skilled web designer, who, for as little as a few hundred dollars, can get you a new website that you can manage and update yourself – we teach you how as part of our services.

Don’t delay. Let’s get started recession proofing your business with an online marketing effort that will give you, like Chantal, the best year ever.

530-235-4404

ruraltourismmarketing@gmail.com