While fuel prices are cutting into the business owner’s bottom line, increasing prices of every day goods are beginning to hit the consumers.  Consumer confidence levels have dropped, housing markets declining and overall business expenditures are dropping. 

Opportunities?!!!

You bet!  People make money in both good and bad times.  No matter what, items need to be shipped.  Everything around you has been on a truck and those goods are still moving, just not quite as much.  Point is, while the others are complaining about their poor business results and blaming the fuel prices, the economy and seasonal fluctuations, you can be earning a profit.

Now the questions is, if other businesses are failing, which they are, how do you find their customers?  How about a billboard ad and hopefully someone will see your ad.  Better yet, buy a TV slot.  You might get better results if you throw some mud at the walls.

Targeted Marketing is paying only for an audience that is looking for your service.  Unlike the airlines strapping you to a seat for 4 hours and emersing you in advertising on your seat tray, we’re talking about giving your message to those that have asked for it!

Search Engine Marketing and Targeted Email Marketing are just that.  There is no question that advertising dollars are moving from traditional means to online means.  The North American SEM industry 30% from 2006 to 2007.  Thirty Percent folks!!!  The Kelsey Group reported that Online Advertising will hit $147 Billion by 2012, from $11.5 billion in 2007.  Are you kidding me?!!!  Someone is making money from advertising online, or it wouldn’t be growing so much!

Whether is Pay Per Click, Search Engine Optimization or Paid Inclusion, standardization and growth of the SEM marketplace is inevitable.  Today those standards do not exist.  There are white hat, black hat, grey hat and every other color hat SEOer.  Today the black hats exists, but in time, they will go away and an elite group of white hat SEOer will prevail.  Marketing in the days to come won’t find success with tricks, but old skool marketing will prevail in the online world.  Traditional tricks won’t work, but hard, quality campaigns and solid content will win.