A reader wrote and asked me if she should purchase marketing software. The company that was aggressively pursuing her business (for a hefty fee) promised software tools to automate email marketing campaigns, her desktop, and even perform all her Internet marketing for her. She wanted to know if the claims being made of "automatic marketing" were legitimate.
WIB Answers: There are many applications you can purchase for marketing online - some require the purchase of software and/or licensing fees, others are based on pay-per-use, but most charge a set-up and monthly fee. Before you pay for marketing software, consider trying some free tools first to see what features you like and don't like.
Should I purchase marketing software?
Unless the company offers a free trial period, I recommend against it.
Two questions to ask yourself before you buy are:
- How much money do I have to spend?
- How much time do I have to devote to marketing?
Buying software is not a business solution -- using tools you purchase is.
Small Budgets
If your budget is small, start small. Try email services like VerticalResponse (affordable and easy)that offer trial periods or low-cost options without long-term commitments.
Most online email services allow you the ability to import and export mailing lists. If you can export data, and decide to purchase your own email marketing software or go with another company, you can take your data with you.
The downside with many online email marketing services is that they brand your newsletters with a link to their site -- unless you pay a little more to have their branding removed.
Try Google Business Tools for Free
Before you buy expensive software to manage your office check into Google's free business tools. Google offers a wide variety of tools to build your business including document sharing, spreadsheets, email, website marketing, project management, and even phone services.
Truth: There is no such thing as "automatic" search engine marketing.
Search engine marketing is an industry filled with scammers - it is an industry the truly bears the caution "buyer beware" like few other industries.
In January 2011, Google announced its intention to severely smack down content mills and auto-generated content sites. Automated tools - no matter what they claim - cannot predict and adapt to changes in search engine algorithms and are more likely "spam" building tools than true predictors of trends and markets.
Before buying Internet marketing software -- or signing with an SEO company be sure to take time to read Google Webmaster Guidelines.
Marketing Takes Work and Human Involvement
The reason major brands spend millions hiring marketing companies is that marketing takes time, skill, and a lot of hard work. If large companies could market their business with automated tools for a lot less money - they would.
Software tools do not build businesses - people do. Tools can help you manage data, organize your day, and speed up the process of marketing. But I would be wary of any company that tells you software will do it all for you. Marketing on "auto-pilot" is never a good business solution unless you want to crash.
