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The Tangled Web of Online Marketing
By Ken Wisnefski, President, VendorSeek.com

Who is in control of online marketing?  The advertiser?  The buyers?  Is it the Web?!
Who is in control of marketing? There was once a time when bright-eyed salespeople would knock upon your door and show you the latest in cleaning supplies, cosmetics, cutlery, etc. The advertiser was physically present. Next, came the days of phone calls, television prompts, yellow pages, and radio alerts; advertisers took a step back, but were still present and in control.

Tangled Up

The days of Web marketing came, and the tides turned. Consumers began calling the shots. The presence of search engines enabled buyers to virtually ask for what they wanted with taps of the keyboard. All of a sudden, the juggernauts of the industries and Timmy the teenager down the block were on the same results page offering their goods and services. It became anybody’s ballgame. Businesses had to compete fiercely for consumer attention on the Web.

The business world cringed, anxieties ran high, and Web resolutions were instituted. The world of Web marketing began. Search Engine Optimization services helped garner high rankings, banner ads were ubiquitous, and pay per click became a keyword’s best friend. Buyers searched for goods and services, but the results depended on engine rank and the advertiser’s ad budget. The Web was in control.

It might be safe to say the days of traditional marketing techniques such as door-to-door, television ads, radio ads, yellow pages, etc., are out of turn. Consumers visit the Web to make their purchases. Americans spent $11.8 billion on the Internet to make purchases from Nov. 1 to Dec. 1, 2006 alone (comScore Networks). Businesses are aware of the online spending trend. They are projected to spend $35.4 billion on advertising by the year 2011 (Reuters).

Both buyers and sellers are stuck in the Web. The consumer is tangled in the confusion of search, and sellers are left to be eaten by competitors who can afford the increasing price of online marketing techniques. The Web is in control.

What if there was a way for buyers and sellers to transcend the control concept? What if there was no need for control? What if there was simply a way for buyers to get their needs met and sellers to provide their goods and services to those consumers?

The Web Un-spun

Matchmaking sites offer a solution. What is a matchmaking site? Those that match the buyer and seller together from a third-party perspective much like the Web, but with a more individualized and personal touch. These sites offer quality sellers to meet the specific desires of buyers.

Relationships are made based on analyzing the needs of the buyer and matching them with multiple providers that can supply their needs. Business does not need control; it needs facilitation.

Kenneth C. Wisnefski is the president of VendorSeek.com, an online business to business marketplace that connects business consumers with pre-approved vendors in over 150 different categories. VendorSeek.com has over 5,000 vendors in their Approved Vendor Network and processes close to 10,000 requests per month from businesses of all sizes.

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