Why Small Businesses Should Learn More About the Internet 

As a business owner, you take on many different roles within your company. Since the start of your company, you may have handled sales, payroll, customer service and more. But this responsibility makes it very difficult to manage all of these areas to their best potential and still enjoy your business … especially as you grow.

That being said, entrepreneurs tend to overextend themselves. The average executive works 72 hours per week. But that time would be better spent on something that you are an expert at. That is why every business owner eventually learns to narrow his job title. It is important to understand that a business operates more successfully when the owner doesn’t stretch himself too thin. That’s where your team comes in. Hire qualified employees to manage the roles that you do not specialize in. In order to do this, you need to find your team players.

Michael E. Gerber said it best in The E-Myth Revisited: “If your business depends on you, you don’t own a business — you have a job. And it’s the worst job in the world because you’re working for a lunatic!” So, you need to target the right employees who are experts in areas that you are not. This way, you can focus on your strong point, whether that be sales, marketing or anything in between. All other positions need to be delegated to your team.

However, it is easier to hire the right people for positions that you have already played a role in. You know what the job takes, and therefore understand what to look for. As the business owner who has already handled the customer service, content creation and so on, you will have a specific list of skills that the potential customer service representative and writer need to have.

But when it comes to your business’s Internet marketing, it isn’t so easy. This tends to be the one role that is more difficult to fill. Most small-business owners do not take the time to learn about the Internet themselves. With all of the other hats they wear, this is no surprise. Erika Andersen with Forbes even states that only one in 10 business owners know how to use social media or other online advertising to market their services and products. This number is too low.

Since so few entrepreneurs understand how to manage their Internet marketing, it becomes very difficult to understand what to look for in an Internet marketer. You need to be able to hire the best candidate for the job. In order to do this, small businesses need to learn more about the Internet. It’s important to be able to decipher between the salesman and the true Internet marketer. You want to build a team who is very successful at what they do.

When seeking an Internet marketer for your company, you need to be able to ask the right questions during the interview process. That is where necessary Internet marketing knowledge comes in. You need to be able to control the interview and address the latest Internet marketing trends. The candidate should be able to expand on each topic that you mention — in detail. If you do not invest the time to learn about the Internet and different marketing techniques, you put yourself in a position to hire the wrong person. You invest in the wrong strategies. Since Internet marketing is a tool that drives more leads than most other marketing strategies, it is critical to educate yourself.

Do this by following authoritative content distributors that publish material on Internet marketing. Read as much as you can and absorb all that you can. Browse the Loud Rumor blog for tips on Local SEO, PPC and strategies. You can also click here to learn all about SEO and other strategies which can help your business. Every other week, we also gather our top 10 favorite Internet marketing blog posts over the previous two weeks and put them all in one article for readers to learn more about various topics in the industry. This is a great resource for both beginners and experts.

Additionally, engage in other educational opportunities such as webinars and workshops that offer free sessions on Internet marketing. Our team at Loud Rumor, for instance, offers these on a monthly basis.

If you want to build a successful team for your small business, then you need to be able to hire the right people. In order to really optimize your company’s presence and bring in leads, you need Internet marketing. Your Internet marketer needs be an expert in this area, and you need to be able to find them.

Mike Arce founded Loud Rumor, an Internet marketing company for small businesses, and focuses strictly on new customer generation.

Mike has spoken for companies like Infusionsoft, the Better Business Bureau, ASBA, and Local First — all on the topic of Local Business Internet Marketing. He has a passion for local businesses and helping them grow.