Any Internet marketing company, website design company, or SEO firm will understand this post.  Managing the expectations of a client is just as important as managing their project.  We all want to help our clients meet their goals and be happy with the service we provide.  In this economy, I feel strongly that what we offer will provide a long lasting positive effect that will help companies not only sustain during this recession, but grow.

So how do you effectively manage a client and their expectations?

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate:  From day one, you must be communicating with them to understand their business goals, the goals they have in mind for their Internet marketing campaign, the purpose and desired conversion for thier website, etc.  Part of this communication involves educating them on exactly what you plan to do for them and why.  Too many companies in this industry are afraid to be transparent.  You will earn their trust and you might even impress them with your knowledge if you teach them…give it a try!
2. Help them understand from the beginning what they have done right in the past and what they have done wrong:  Of course, always be tactful in this communication.  This is part of the learning process and important for the client to understand.  Many clients are willing to listen about the impactful nature of Internet marketing and improving ROI from their online platform, but then are not willing to make changes to their websites!  Help them understand that they hired you for a reason and that they need to let you do what you do best!
3. Don’t hide behind email:  Pick up the phone and call the client regularly even if you are not looking forward to the conversation.  An unhappy client will be easier to turn around through personal communication than through email.
4. Do not let the client control your time and resources:  Most clients naturally assume they are your only important client, right?!  If you over promise at the beginning they will call you on it every time.  Set realistic boundaries, timelines, and communication guidelines.  You can’t afford to let regular 30 minute conference calls last an hour and a half so it is up to you to set the parameters and create an agenda.  Keep the calls efficient and have action items for everyone at the end.
5. If you missed a goal or made a mistake, own up to it:  It won’t help you to dance around an issue and you know the old saying, “The client is always right”.  Even is you think you didn’t mess up and its really the client who is missing deadlines, be tactful in how you handle it.  However, you do need to make it very clear that if the client slows you down, the timeline needs to be adjusted. It is OK to let them know they are holding up the works!

The best thing any online marketing company can do is communicate openly and regularly with the client…this will prevent more issues than you can image!

Social Marketing has become the latest buzz word in the internet marketing industry.  Organizations, companies, and bloggers are now using this method to convey their messages to their intended audiences effectively and quickly.  There are many tools, perhaps too many tools at their disposal to be able to create effective messages.

Some of these tools include the ever growing FaceBook, a social networking site that has grown from being exclusive to college students, to an internet marketing vehicle for companies, bloggers, and yes, even celebrities.  There are many other social networking sites besides FaceBook such as MySpace, Bebo, Xanga, and even Ning which allows you as a user to custom create your own little social network.

In addition to social networking sites there are also micro blogging sites.  These micro blogging sites such as twitter, tumblr, and Pownce (now Six Apart), have been great vehicles for launching the latest news, keeping tabs on the recent elections, and simply updating your friends and followers alike of your daily activities.  All of these tools, from social networking sites, blogging, microblogging, and doing search optimization, can become rather overwhelming for most companies, and surely so for people.  All of these tools have gotten a term coined by the marketing industry, called social marketing.  If you have a business, a blog, are a celebrity, or a large corporation, it becomes more and more important to hire professionals to do social marketing for you.

The days of getting the message out via static images in newspapers and magazines are over.  Television ads are also not as effective as before as more and more people have turned into engaged consumers, instead of passive consumers.  Consumers want to choose what to view, what to buy, and what to admire.  To become successful and get  your message out there, you need to be actively involved in all of these social marketing tools.  However, if you dedicate your time to that, you may not have the time of day to effectively run your business.  Perhaps now is the time for you to think about social media marketing by talking to people and see what they think about it, as well as do some research on your own.

There’s this place downtown that I swear by for serving the best burger I have ever tasted or dreamed about. It wasn’t an accident that I ended up there: it had actually been right down the street from where I was interning, and we worked with the restaurant’s owners often. However, my personal adoration of their burgers was infectious. Soon, all my friends were going there and bringing their families and praising their burgers, and I felt good about myself. I did good. I probably could’ve just lied about liking the burgers, and my enthusiasm would’ve still converted to friends trying out the food and perhaps even liking it.

Now the job of internet marketing companies is not to lie about their clients in order to make them look good; a professional, self-respecting company wouldn’t partner with a client they disagreed with and disapproved of anyways. That said, a professional, self-respecting company will be passionate about its projects and visibly invested in its clients. They are engaged in the development of your business. They are as passionate about you as I am about good burgers. (mouth waters)

Social media should function likewise. Social media need not be just formal announcements or extremely dry blogs. They should be bursting with sincerity, dedication, and most definitely a personal touch. This type of social media networking catches people’s attention and marks your company as one that is vibrant and involved.