Online Marketing Help for Small Businesses

Recently I have been swamped with questions and pleas for online marketing help by a number of small businesses, and individuals.

One of the reasons I started writing articles and developing content on this website, was to impart my online marketing knowledge with fellow South African entrepreneurs interested in doing business on the web, unfortunately I totally underestimated just how many of you are out there.

The reality is that the internet marketing consulting side of my business and many of the accompanying services, are, and will most likely remain out of reach for the majority of SME’s.

As you probably know by now my core business focus has and always will be my own online business, and the consulting side is merely an extension of that.

This is one of the reasons why I only deal with very select clients, and I continue to turn down more consulting opportunities than I accept. I know that sounds a little “elitist” but the reality is that my business has to come first.

The benefit to any company that does access my services, or for any person that reads the content I put forward, is that they know that the information is not only tried and tested, but it comes from a source whose primary business income is not linked to teaching people how to market online.

Having said that though, I have come to realise that that still leaves a whole bunch of people “between pillar and post” when it comes to getting online and doing business online… and I know just how overwhelming this can all be!

Enter Peter Carruthers ….

For those of you who don’t know the name, Peter Carruthers is synonymous with helping SME’s, and for as long as I can recall he has been in the trenches sorting out and advising on all the issues that small business owners face.

Everything from finance advice through to marketing, and he happens to be darn good at it. Much like my own philosophy on business, he believes you have to do it, and prove it, long before you can even think of teaching it.

I have known Pete for many years now, and his advice back in my previous business shed some much needed light in some very dark times.

Even though I moved on from that business, Pete and I have remained in contact, and last week Friday we finally meet face to face after a 4 year gap.

Pete in his wisdom (all 50 odd years of it) has recently been helping small businesses come online, and I had the privilege of reviewing his most recent seminar called “Finding clients” which teaches very basic but effective ways to get online and start capturing clients and prospects in the online space.

What really grabbed me about the information he presented, is that he has devised a system that is so easy to implement, anyone can do it!

Honestly this is one of the very best web presence “start up” concepts I’ve seen in a long time, and the great part is that it’s virtually free.

I knew right away that this was the kind of information that would not only help the hundreds of people who have emailed me over the past few weeks, but that this was pure gold for small business desperate to make a splash online.

Anyway I was so impressed and overjoyed that virtually bulldozed Pete after the workshop into taking this information and packaging it specifically for my subscribers and the people on this site.

Despite that fact that the information was intended to be exclusive for his business warrior community, Pete agreed and is currently working on putting his presentation into a DVD along with a workbook from the seminar.

Here is a quick snap shot taken from one of the delegates (Gary Amstutz owner of www.rubberstampsa.co.za) cell phones…

As you can see Pete (that’s the slightly more mature gentleman on the right) is looking a little bewildered after being hastily propped into position.

I’ll keep you posted on the progress, but I am really excited about this because I know this information is going to drastically help those folk who are really desperate to start capturing some of the online market.