Being an offline consultant does sound like a good job to many people. After all, its generally a freelance opportunity that will allow you to set your own hours and work when and where you want. In addition, you get to help introduce people who may not know that much about the Internet to the world of online marketing, which can be a very rewarding job, particularly when youre successful!
However, theres an important question to ask yourself before you get involved in offline consulting namely, are you the right person for the job? Just because you happen to know how to get online and update a Twitter account doesnt necessarily mean that youre the person to help revolutionize sleepy businesses the world over. Of course that doesnt meant that there arent ways for anybody get to the skills to become an awesome offline consultant, but are you ready to take the step right now?
First of all, read these acronyms: SEO, SMO, PPC. Do you know what they mean? The answers are of course, search engine optimization, social media optimization, and pay per click. If you didnt know what these meant or you dont know what they are after having the acronyms decoded stop, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars, and do not get into the business of offline consulting. While you might be moderately familiar with the Internet in general, being able to lead somebodys business into the realm of online marketing requires a lot of expertise on your part. If you dont know the lingo, its not time for you to go into business.
Also, sit down and ask yourself if you really enjoy teaching. Essentially, working in consulting is like sitting down and explaining a subject from its very roots, particularly if youre going to be working with offline clients. The vast majority of these clients will have zero tech savvy at all, so you need to know how to be patient and explain the very technical in ways that laypeople will understand. Even if you do know what SEO means, its unlikely that your offline client will know what it is. If youre willing to take on the role of being a teacher as well as a consultant, youre already halfway toward making this job a reality, but if youd rather deal with those who dont need to have their hands held throughout the process, you might want to look elsewhere for employment!
Examine your motives and your own personal characteristics before embarking on this exciting and yet challenging career. Having a little bit of self-knowledge will get you and your clients far! In the event that this isnt the career path for you, be honest with yourself you and your potential clients will be much happier this way!
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