Most business owners have learned the hard way that blind trust is not good for business.  Employees, vendors and even customers can be trusted – to a point.  Trust, but verify is the mantra.   Yet, it’s surprising how many business managers are willing to relinquish control of vital corporate assets.  Specifically, this post addresses the increasingly common business practice of hiring online, subscription-based marketing companies to build the corporate website and content management system.

Why Hire an Online Marketing Provider?

Companies like web.com and hubspot.com offer a tantalizing pitch to small business owners: easy; cheap; pay-as-you-go; and of course the oldest trick in the book… free.  Of course, like every good pitch, elements of truth are included.  But business managers that take a longer-term view see the sinister reality of hiring subscription-based online services.

Own Versus Rent

You need to own your website and content management system.  Trusting any person, government or private company to do the right thing with your corporate assets is fraught with risk.  Here’s just one example of what could go wrong:  They increase your monthly subscription cost by $1,000 knowing that you rely on the website.

Would you remodel a house that you don’t own?  Probably not.  Why then, would you invest time and money into developing a website, creating business practices that sell and producing important content – that you don’t own?

Using the Best Online Marketing Tools

Fortunately, if you haven’t hired a subscription-based provider, you still have excellent options available.  Today, hundreds of powerful tools are available to small businesses.  Some of them are sure to produce great results for your business.   If you prefer some direction and guidance a reputable internet marketing company can help you select the tools to grow your business using online channels.  No matter what happens, you remain in control of your business’s online presence.  Contact Aristotle Development for advice on selecting online marketing tools that you control.

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