80/20 Internet Marketing launches

Yes, it’s completely crazy to do this even as I launch Bodywork U, my new massage education web site, but here it is: 80/20 Internet Marketing.

You know how when you have the exact same conversation approximately two thousand times you realize that maybe there’s something you need to do? In my case the conversation has been with friends who are independent professionals and small business owners, and it typically goes something like this: “Oh, you know about online marketing. Can you build my web site and get it listed at Google?” These are inevitably people I like, even love, and it kills me to leave them at the mercy of their web-developer nephews and other ill-prepared marketing advisers, but I simply don’t have the time to do internet marketing consulting these days (two full-time jobs is plenty).

Theoretically, I could help you get the kind of results that I have with the web site for my Seattle massage therapy practice, but it would cost several thousand dollars and take years. More to the point, it would drive me crazy and impoverish me to do this for you at rates that small businesses are typically able to pay, so the goal of this site is to empower you to do internet marketing yourself. I’ll do this by posting as much info here as I can on how to do the myriad of activities that comprise internet marketing, always focusing on how to do the 20% of work that will give you 80% of the internet marketing results you need.

Qualifications

Why should you pay attention to what I say here?

I’ve been intrigued by, and involved in, the small-business and indie-professional market ever since I developed a magazine prototype for “Home Business” magazine at a summer publishing course 20+ years ago. Since then I have built my own book publishing company, launched or been a principal in several start-up businesses, and run both an internet marketing consultancy and an independent massage practice. I have also hosted regular networking events for independent business people (the Fremont Noodle House Group) for the past ten years. Most of my friends are entrepreneurs, massage therapists, personal trainers, dance teachers, musicians, real estate agents, free-lance writers and editors, and computer consultants. So I know a fair amount about being an independent professional and running a small business.

I have been marketing online since 1989, browsing the web since before it was invented, building web sites since 1994, producing big database-driven publications since 1996, and practicing and writing about search engine optimization and other internet marketing topics since 1998. From 1998 to 2001 I was a senior manager at an internet start-up called workz.com, where I wrote about web design and development and internet marketing and managed several marketing initiatives. After that I was Director of Marketing at another start-up that delivered internet marketing services to small software development companies. And from 1997 to 2003 I consulted with a number of internet start-ups on business planning and search engine optimization. All of this experience has given me a broad and deep background in the business, creative, and technical aspects of online publishing and internet marketing.

What to expect

The idea/hope/plan is to share with you my internet marketing expertise in the form of informational and how-to articles, case studies, and random blog entries. I’m having a lot of fun getting back up to speed on state-of-the-art internet marketing as I launch Bodywork U, and I hope I’ll be able to quickly share many of my findings here for you to use. I’ll also try as often as possible to address the many questions and requests I get from friends (hang on, Michael - help is on the way ;> ) .