I Met a Successful Business Owner Who Succeeded Without an Online Presence

[DontAsk]

What I actually meant was that online presence is a given today

That's what you said, and we know what you meant. Repeating it doesn't make it any more correct.

 

[Zak@Pondhop]

I published an article about Google's dominance, the importance of supporting local communities, and the effectiveness of newspaper advertising. Shortly after, I received a call for a consultation.

The caller runs a successful construction company in London, well-established in the area for many years. However, he has no website, no Google Maps listing, and only a neglected Instagram page. He relies solely on word-of-mouth within his local community, delivering high-quality work that satisfies his clients.

He proved to me that what I wrote was true.
Support your community – that’s why I’m here too.

Word-of-mouth will always be one of the strongest forms of marketing, but having an online presence can help reinforce it. A well-placed website or Google listing doesn’t replace reputation, but it can make it easier for new customers to find and trust a business. The best approach is often a mix of both!

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Maybe they should be made or paid to care?
The missus went into BOOTS at the weekend after some 10% max strength IBULEVE Gel. They hadn't got it, but had got BOOTS own brand and a Voltarol alternative.....but didn't tell her. She left empty handed.
At £9.45 a pop and 2,232 stores across the UK just one episode like that each day per store for a year loses BOOTS £7,698,726, but more importantly my finger was xxxxxxxx sore all weekend.

It's surprising when you do the sums over time,

 

[NickGrogan]

Word-of-mouth will always be one of the strongest forms of marketing, but having an online presence can help reinforce it. A well-placed website or Google listing doesn’t replace reputation, but it can make it easier for new customers to find and trust a business. The best approach is often a mix of both!

It can also weaken or destroy it. If you are easier to find so are all your competitors. Its amazing how many people don't get basic marketing.

 

[NickGrogan]

What I actually meant was that online presence is a given today and should be used strategically to boost your business

Equally wrong for the exact same reasons.

 

[fisicx]

Word-of-mouth will always be one of the strongest forms of marketing

Depends on the business. None of my clients know each and are very unlikely to tell anyone else about me. Right now I have one in Australia, one in the UK and another in Finland.

 

[NickGrogan]

Depends on the business. None of my clients know each and are very unlikely to tell anyone else about me. Right now I have one in Australia, one in the UK and another in Finland.

Yea, but if you made a TikTok, they could all see and then tell their imaginary friends in America.

 

[fisicx]

Yea, but if you made a TikTok, they could all see and then tell their imaginary friends in America.

True. I can see a TikTok about a plugin to calculate loan repayments soon going viral.

 

[NickGrogan]

See. Now you're getting it.

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[NickGrogan]

You're welcome. The funny thing is Google and Chatgpt will pick up this content, and believe it.

Also, why are there two // at the end of the URL in your signature?

 

[fisicx]

Also, why are there two // at the end of the URL in your signature?

Probably incompetence. Haven't got a clue what I'm doing.

 

[NickGrogan]

There's your second TikTok sorted...

 

[Local Burak]

I recently spoke with the same business owner again, a construction company owner, and realized he didn’t know what his business needed. It made me wonder how many business owners out there don’t fully understand their needs and end up working with a standard agency.
This business owner has been running a successful construction company for years without any online presence, just word-of-mouth and high quality work. However, he now wants to expand and grow further. What he needed wasn’t a generic website focused SEO strategy but local SEO for a location based business like his. Without that, investing in a standard approach would have been a waste of money.

The EU is considering fining Google for violating competition rules for some millions of euros. This raises an important question, can we rely solely on Google for our business, or is the real solution to take the right approach while keeping up with the constant updates?

 

[fisicx]

You don’t seem to understand marketing.

The answer to your question needs proper market research to determine the best channels to market the business.

 

[Mark T Jones]

I recently spoke with the same business owner again, a construction company owner, and realized he didn’t know what his business needed. It made me wonder how many business owners out there don’t fully understand their needs and end up working with a standard agency.
This business owner has been running a successful construction company for years without any online presence, just word-of-mouth and high quality work. However, he now wants to expand and grow further. What he needed wasn’t a generic website focused SEO strategy but local SEO for a location based business like his. Without that, investing in a standard approach would have been a waste of money.

The EU is considering fining Google for violating competition rules for some millions of euros. This raises an important question, can we rely solely on Google for our business, or is the real solution to take the right approach while keeping up with the constant updates?

You seem to be going around in circles.

This really is the basics of sales or marketing.

A professional will start by asking questions around needs, wants and circumstances.

A chancer will shoehorn their product or solution into every situation

An amateur will knock the competition

 

[NickGrogan]

Its probably better for the construction company owner if you stop talking to him. He's been getting on fine for years and knows what to do.

You on the other hand, seem to have just discovered local SEO and think its the answer to everything. Its not. You'll do more harm to his business than good.

Its great if you want to learn about marketing, but the first thing you read is not the answer.

FYI, The EU is always thinking about fining American companies for things, it's how the EU taxes them.

 

[Local Burak]

I am happy to open a healthy discussion on the topic and hear different approaches to marketing. I hope we all respect each other in the comments, even if we hold different opinions. Once possible, I will provide an update on what this business owner chose and the outcomes.

 

[fisicx]

If the owner of this business wants marketing advice they are free to join UKBF and ask the question.

There is no point in discussing anything without knowing the details of the business or their future plans.

 

[Mark T Jones]

I am happy to open a healthy discussion on the topic and hear different approaches to marketing. I hope we all respect each other in the comments, even if we hold different opinions. Once possible, I will provide an update on what this business owner chose and the outcomes.

I think everyone is fully behind the main point here - that you need to engage with a prospect before recommending solutions

Beyond that, it's rather unclear what your point is.

Out of interest, what other avenues will you be exploring?

Networking - formal or informal (anything from structured groups to local pubs where trades meet)?

Parish magazines? (Often cheap and effective for trades)

Local community pages?

There are a lot of angles to explore here

 

[fisicx]

@Local Burak - how about you do some investigation on the many, many methods of marketing and test their effectiveness on the construction business. You can the report back on which worked and which didn’t. Give your testing 6-12 months as marketing often requires time to develop.

 

[japancool]

How did you find it then?

Acceptable.