My Marketing Partner from Hell.

My Marketing Partner from Hell.

The first thing to be said about my imagined marketing partner from hell is that they should not be doing this in the first place. They have very reluctantly agreed to the principle of share in net sales as remuneration. They would far rather be drawing a salary from me or selling me a “service”. I a word, they would prefer if I took all the risks while they just swan around in easy street. Perhaps they have agreed to the partnership model only because they have no other work on hand at the moment. So, from the start they failed to enter into the spirit of the agreement, they lug around a serious “attitude problem”. This is a bad start.

My marketing partner from hell, thus recruited, is an expert at SEO and website design and functionality. After only a few weeks our website is looking very attractive indeed and I have to admit that and highly commend my new partner for work well done. And not alone is our shared website all shiny and attractive but now, thanks to newly introduced SEO expertise, its Google position is excellent – we are on the first page for most keywords. So what’s the problem?

Well the problem is this. There are still very few sales, one or at best two a week. Nothing has really changed. It is now becoming blindingly obvious that there must be more to this Online Marketing business than a lovely website holding an excellent Google position. When I point this out to my Marketing Partner from Hell I am greeted with shrugged shoulders and indeed just a little hostility. They have done all they can. Perhaps the lack of sales is my fault now. Or maybe the chosen niche was a bummer from day one. So where do we go from here?

My Marketing Partner from Hell, notwithstanding our low income, now wants to start throwing money at the problem. This no doubt will take the form of paid for Google and Facebook advertising. We agree to go along with this strategy and things do improve but only to the extent of increasing income sufficient to barely pay for the advertising. We are stagnating. What’s the problem I wonder? My Marketing Partner seems to have nothing further to add.

I am an Expert with specialist interest in Sexual Medicine. So what would I know about Online marketing? That’s right, little or nothing. And yet I have a sense that Online marketing goes away beyond SEO and clever website design, important and all as they may be. Beyond this there is creativity and imagination and cleverness that might be wanting still. Among these I would suggest the following:
• Compelling copy to improve CRO.
• Split testing on all paid for advertising.
• Intelligent and ongoing use of Google Analytics.
• Article and Blog advertising with maximum use of distribution and spinning software.
• Video Creation and distribution.
• Clever Social Media management allowing for the sensitive nature of what we have on offer.
• Use of automation and outsourcing as required.

I am aware that my list is probably woefully inadequate. If you have anything to add to this or have any good suggestions then I would love to hear from you. If on the other hand you see bits of yourself reflected in my depiction of my Marketing Partner from Hell then please keep your council to yourself. Thanks. Been there, done that.