I've had the opportunity recently to do some small business consulting. Like many small businesses, this small biz was looking for more effective ways to market itself. We began with the obvious online channels - a website and blog. We began a search engine marketing campaign using Google Adwords to get a feel for what keywords his ideal customer was typing into Google to find him. As we began looking at the metrics ( the number of clicks or visitors driven to his website, the conversion rate of his website, his closing ratio etc), I realized there were deeper issues. "How much does it cost you to service this customer", I asked? He didn't know. Our conversation then migrated into a discussion Read more [...]