The online world is still very new, and constantly evolving. You may be thinking about outsourcing your Web promotion to an expert who is immersed in this world as their fulltime occupation, rather than trying to acquire this knowledge, and cope with pace of change in-house.

So, what should you look for in a consultant, and what guarantees can you expect?

Choosing consultant

The consultant should ask a lot of questions about your business and your objectives. They need to be very clear about strategic and specific goals of your site. Do you want as many visitors as possible (as in: "We get millions of hits on our Web site"), or are you more interested in attracting qualified leads for your association? Are you selling products? Are you looking for new members, sign-ups for your newsletter or events, media coverage, etc.

It's possible that there could be different markets for each of your objectives. The consultant needs to demonstrate that they clearly understand demographics of audience you want to attract. This includes whether your markets are currently online, whether they are comfortable using e-mail, etc. It's also important to clarify any restrictions on your marketing - for example, if you are only targeting specific locations.

The key to effective Web marketing is to have a comprehensive, integrated plan that focuses on where your markets "hang out" online. It's absolutely not enough to concentrate your efforts on search engines - that's a passive rather than an active approach. You want to reach out to your potential visitors, not wait for them to come to you. And, you want to ensure that your offline marketing includes your Web site - up to a third of your traffic can now come from real-world sources.

So, consultant should propose to you a wide-ranging plan (assuming that's appropriate for your goals) that includes:

* Search engine strategies * Paid (bid for placement) listings * Review sites and directories * Linking with other appropriate sites * Advertising / e-zine sponsorships (depending on your budget) * Online public relations opportunities * Integration with your real-world marketing

1. Creation - For everyone there is a place. You must find your Niche. Your special place in marketing world. 2. Development - Once created, you must finely tune your Niche as you would a musical instrument. 3. Exercise - Like muscle tissue, you must exercise your Niche with State of Art Marketing & Advertising. 4. ReCycle - Occasionally you must recycle all or part of your niche to stay competitive. 5. Death - Everything has a time to die, and although many products seem to go on forever, sooner or later they come to their conclusion.

To have a "real" edge over your competitors you must know your market, who's going to buy your product and strategy you will use to get them to do so. You have to know what business you are in and what product you sell. This sounds rudimentary, but all to often it is not. This my friend will be your Niche In The World.

How you develop your niche largely depends on niche you have created already, knowingly or unknowingly.

Creating a Niche is quite like creating an entity unto itself. Creating, Developing and Nurturing your Niche can be difference between failure and success.

Your Niche can make you stand head and shoulders above your competition. It can give you ability to corner your own little piece of consumer world.

Get a "Unique" Niche! Your Niche should allow your prospective client or customer to visualize that they are receiving something special, something only you can give them in a way that no one else can. How do you make your Niche stand out above rest?