The problem is that any business area or profession that experiences unusual growth (think ad-supported "free" online services in 1999, or real estate from 2002-2008) inevitably attracts, along with some very bright people committed to their new craft, a less savory crowd of opportunistic, incompetent or even unscrupulous entrants as well. No reputable SEO consultant or firm will even offer such guarantees. Nothing wrong with that, competition is good! Particularly for buyers.) Here are seven characteristics to help avoid hiring one of those types for your next SEO project. Price. MORE >>

Remember the ad where the two big company consultants sat in front of a corporate business executive’s desk, and when the executive asked them, “What do you do?” ” the consultants said, “Err, we don’t  do anything…”? In the past, the label “consultant” designated someone who provided advice to businesses and organizations, but did not implement their advice. What should you look for when hiring a marketing consultant? How many years the marketing consultant has actually consulted? MORE >>

Interest in social media marketing is surging, with several recent studies showing that a majority of companies, of all sizes, are now using social media in some form for business purposes. I've also seen dramatically increased interest in hiring social media consultants. But if most companies are already using social media in their marketing/PR mix, why is a consultant necessary? If you're inside an organization on the hiring side, here's how a social media consultant can help your firm. If you're a consultant, here's what you have in your bag to sell. MORE >>

In a phone call this week I was swapping war stories with a well-known sales and marketing consultant, who, like us, works with B2B companies to improve their return on marketing automation. Does all this mean that buying into marketing automation requires you to first hire an agency or consultant? B2B Marketing Lead Management Lead Nurturing Marketing Automation marketing automation agency marketing automation consultant marketing automation consultants Marketo agency Marketo consultant Marketo partner sirius decisionsemphasis mine). No, not necessarily. MORE >>

The SeoQuake team, the group behind the SEMRush tools for SEO and keyword research, recently released a new tool to help SEM consultants and agencies find local clients. SEMRush Geo displays Google AdWords advertisers on a Google Maps background, enabling users to identify the businesses within any geographic area who are running AdWords campaigns. Clicking on any businesses opens a small pop-out with additional information (which is also displayed in the left sidebar). For SEM agencies and consultants, the SEMRush Geo tool is a prospecting goldmine. MORE >>