“In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
- Eric Hoffer

The Internet has created a period of profound change with extraordinary opportunities. There is hardly a week that goes by where there isn’t something else new to online marketing. What is so exciting about all of this is that it has leveled the playing field where small businesses and entrepreneurs can become as successful as the corporate giants that once cornered the market by virtue of their brand, financial resources and power.

Now virtually anyone can play ball online and capture a huge market share in their industry. But in order to do that, you have to do some different things. If you don’t pay attention to Google, blogging and social media sites, you stand to miss out on a vast market of internet users who may not only benefit from knowing about you but will eagerly pass your information along to their networks in Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, MySpace and more.

If you’re like many business owners and entrepreneurs, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed with this viral online marketing craze. As a web development specialist, ebusiness expert and project strategist, my suggestion is to embrace these changes as if you were eating an elephant – and do that one bite at a time. Begin by having a  WordPress blog developed. WordPress has proven to be the best blog platform for getting readily indexed by Google.

Your blog should include:

• An email form for email marketing
• A viral sharing tool with each item you post
• Links to your blog RSS feed (which you can create for free through Google’s Feedburner)
• Links to your social media sites
• Categories for your posts
• Ability to moderate comments
• Google analytics code 

Here is your success formula for using the Internet effectively to grow and connect with your market:

Your Blog + your powerful content (company information, video, audio podcasts, articles, news items, testimonials, links) +  an effective website builder content management system + social media participation = Online Marketing Success.

You can keep doing what you’re doing now but if you’re stuck on marketing strategies that are dinosours in today’s world of the Internet, eventually you will fade away as you’re surpassed by savvy online marketers in your industry.

Instead of being part of the learned group, make a choice to become a learner. And stay turned in to this blog for more helpful hints and strategies for capturing your market through the internet and viral online marketing.