Your professional image is critical on the web - were prospects are always a click away from goodbye. Research shows businesses are using online search more and more to find professional services. Pronto Marketing provides online marketing for IT Consultants and Managed Service Providers

1. Why Getting Your Online Marketing
Right is More Important than Ever.

2. Search and Research Usage Up
Search has move up to the #2 Internet daily activity
with Researching a Product or Service at #3.
Pew Internet and American Life Project – Trend Data

3. Search Leads Yellow Pages
When consumers start to look for business
services and products online search has, for the
first time, supplanted Yellow Pages as the
preferred method.
• 31% use search engines as their primary
source
• 19% use Internet Yellow Pages (IYP)
• 11% use local search sites
62% of the primary sources for
local business information are online.
TMP Directional Marketing & comScore Local Search Usage Study, Q2 2008

4. Search a Leading Research
Source for Professional Services
The Economist Intelligence Unit Report “Engaging
Professional Service Firms” finds search engines
lead as the primary research source after
professional networks and contacts.
38% found search engines a useful source
for researching the offerings and
competencies of professional services
firms.
Engaging professional services firms
© The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2008

5. Online Search Key in the Early
Phases of Decision Making
When a product or service has already been
identified off-line search is the preferred way to
find a business to purchase from.
Online search is used earlier in the
purchasing process, with 42% using it
in the research phase –up 10% from
2007.
TMP Directional Marketing & comScore Local Search Usage Study, Q2 2008

6. The Website is Key to Moving
Past Consideration to Contacted
• The vast majority of respondents consider
1-5 companies in their research process.
• However, 51% only contact one company based
on their research experience.
The majority of searchers narrow their
consideration sets of possible business
sharply based on their experience with the
search result websites.
TMP Directional Marketing & comScore Local Search Study, Q1 2007

7. Web a Key in Shaping Opinion
• Of businesses looking for professional
services 41% indicated the company website
as likely to influence their opinion – only
second after personal contact with a firm.
• 21% indicated that finding a company in
search results influenced their opinion.
• 39% indicated white papers and cases studies
and 13% online webinars as important.
Online was key both as a driver of
opinion and as a delivery method for the
broadest range of content sources.
Engaging professional services firms
© The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2008

8. Influence Factors on Reputation
Search is the most widely used tool for finding a
local business among consumers.
• Of those surveyed, 82% said search engines
(such as Google, Yahoo!, or MSN) were among
the many tools they used when seeking a local
business.”.
• 39% indicated white papers and cases studies
and 13% online webinars as important – both
easily delivered via a company website.
Nielsen Online Custom Survey and WebVisible, Inc., 2008

9. Business Lags Their Customer’s
Preference for Search
• While 82% of consumers used search engines
to find local businesses only 26% of the same
businesses are investing in search engine
marketing.
• 51% of local businesses feel their website is
not very good and acquiring new customers.
Nielsen Online Custom Survey and WebVisible, Inc., 2008

10. Consumers Adopt Local
Search to Find Businesses
Consumers have become adapt and
dependent
on local search.
• General and Regional search terms
dominate with 81% of searches.
• Only 10% of searches start with a specific
business name.
Only 9% of small businesses are very
satisfied with their online marketing
efforts – yet 50% of consumers go to
the Internet first to find them.
Nielsen Online Custom Survey and WebVisible, Inc., 2008

11. Online Content and E-Mail Key
in Nurturing Relationships
• Email and Newsletters are the preferred
method for ongoing communication.
• Overall the online and digital content is the
preferred media for communication
Nielsen Online Custom Survey and WebVisible, Inc., 2008

12. Conclusions
For this report we looked at data that reflects the broad trends in Internet usage, the trends of how
consumers research for products and services they want to purchase from local business and
specifically how individuals in businesses research and develop opinions on professional services
firms.
Key findings:
• Year over year, in these and other reports, the trends continue to show that consumers, SMEs
and enterprises use search as a primary Internet activity supplanting other methods such as
off-line media and Yellow Pages.
• Personal contact and networking remain, as always, at the top of the list, however a company’s
website found via search and online content are right behind and significant in the research
and decision making process.
• Prospects actively in the market for products and services use online as a key filtering tool,
eliminating most companies from consideration based on what they find online.
• Across almost all size companies and sectors investment in online marketing lags usage as
companies “stay the course” while their customers change their habits.
• For most prospects a professional website, optimized for local search, with quality content is
significant to get their attention and consideration.

13. About Pronto Marketing
We focus 100% on helping IT service companies get their online marketing in gear.
From concept to execution to maintenance we do it all for a low monthly payment.
Contact Us:
1-800-4761828
sales@prontomarketing.com
http://prontomarketing.com