Whenever I bump into friends or speak to people, they always ask me, “Hey Andrew…what do you do for a living?” I usually say, “Well…I do this, that, the other thing with Social Media. I write and create blogs about Live Chat and other website technologies…yada, yada, yada…” I talk about evolving small businesses into lean, mean fighting machines of commerce and service, but there has to be a way to succinctly put everything together without losing the message. That being said, I’m glad to say that I have come to an epiphany of some sorts with the help of a long time colleague and friend. I hadn’t spoken to him in some time and it was good to reconnect and catch up on basics, regarding our unique lives, careers, families, etc. During our conversation, it dawned upon me, from his perspectives and intuitive knowledge of just about everything that I knew about Internet Marketing that I had been looking at myself myopically.

I always think of others before I think of myself. I always try to help everyone I know with my experience and knowledge base. I’m always trying to think of a better way for others to become better at what they do. My problem was that I wasn’t seeing the bigger picture: Where do I fit into the picture? What is it that I am doing…and why? My friend told me that he thought my blog was a great place for me to share my knowledge and experience with others. That is just the surface of it all. I realized that I am not just an Account Executive at LiveChatAgent or a Social Media Consultant or any other piece of the puzzle. I was sum of their total. I am an Internet Marketing Consultant.

What does an Internet Marketing Consultant do, you may ask? Good question…

Well, a good way to think of it is like this: When you bake a cake you need all the right ingredients from the flour all the way to the icing. Internet Marketing is just like that. The difference is that, unlike grandma’s delicious marble babka cake that always used the same ingredients, mixed in the same manner time and time again, Internet Marketing’s recipe is constantly changing. You need to figure out the proper recipe for each client. Not every client is going to need an SEM campaign. Not every business is going to need a Live Chat agent based upon site traffic. Not every business is going to need a new site. Not every business could benefit from Social Media as much as others could. Etc…etc…etc…

An internet marketing consultant knows how pick and choose from a wide variety of tools and ingredients to bake just the right cake for internet success for a business. No two businesses are the same. The approach and follow through have to be organic and contoured to that business.

I already do what I love, which is helping businesses realize their true potential, but now with the bigger picture of adding all of the components of my experience, knowledge, connections and creativity in mind as well. I knew all the ingredients were in the kitchen. I knew what the finished cake would look, feel, smell, and taste like. I just needed a good timer to know WHEN to mix it all together or to put it simply, connect everything seamlessly and convey it succinctly. I’m proud of myself, knowing that I have always been a true maverick and it’s good to know that others out there see the same thing in me.