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Ask HN: Is there any software like this (online marketing for business owners)?

6 points by saturngirl ↗ HN
I have been speaking to a few small business owners and I have come to the conclusion that advertising online is a big pain point for them. Most of them are not tech savvy enough to be able to run adwords or facebook ads - let alone be able to measure conversion rates or A/B test them. They also do not have the budget to employ a company (or a professional) to do the same. These are hands-on business owners who want to do this, but just don't know where to start.

Is there any software or service that solves this pain point?

11 comments

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petenixey
I think that the premise of Hubspot is similar but also that it's way overpowered for SMBs.

FWIW I've seen exactly the same confusion that you describe in small businesses. I worked with the Yellow Pages for a while and went out in the field with their sales guys. They confirmed that most SMEs only think about advertising when the Yellow Pages sales girl walks through the door each year.

I would guess that a plug 'n play - put money in, get customers out for SMBs would do incredibly well. I'm not sure what it would take to deliver it but even if there is a service that's out there that does this, most SMBs do not know about it.

saturngirl
Thanks. Hubspot looks pretty cool. I think you are right though - its an overkill for small b/s. The tool needs to be dead simple to use (even if it means limited options)
fananta
(disclosure: I worked at HubSpot.)

HubSpot is a pretty powerful tool but might be a little much for a small brick and mortar business. I think BuySellAds.com is a great (and simple) alternative to digging through Facebook or Google ads.

bebbs
There's Visual Website Optimizer and it's competitors. I've made good money in the past by setting VWO up on client websites and handling their testing for them. They aren't interested how it's accomplished or whether it's a software or service solution, only that before I started they sold 10x widgets a day and now they sell 15x. When x is worth several hundred dollars it makes them more than happy to pay good money for it to be done.

I suspect this is true for all but the tiniest of companies.

weddpros
At least in Europe, there are many companies helping people with Google ads... Some are dishonest though (like "I'm from Google", "We have a free slot on Google's first page", "your ad will show on each and every search request", etc...).

They're targetting professionals: I've come to know them when I was a photographer. And as far as I can tell, they're not very competent...

UnethicalHacks
the reality is that if you know how to buy traffic online (meaning you can get high ROI) then you don't sell your consulting "services".
bkrull
There are numerous "pay for leads" companies. SMBs want the outcome, and are willing to pay for that. They have little time for DIY.
AznHisoka
Yes, the service is called an agency.

Software won't solve this. if you don't know how to use the Adwords editor, how can you use any software? makes no sense.

Salniter
Small business owners can learn how to do this, through a step-by-step approach, and at a nominal cost. http://affiliatemarketinguniversity.info/signup It says affiliate marketing, but it's all about internet marketing. They can sign up for free and see if they like it, and they will get unlimited free coaching.
seige
Locbox(www.locbox.com) is a startup trying to address exactly this market.
kjpatel
I've been working on a startup called SMPLE.co (www.smple.co) that also tries to address some of this problem. Email us if you want to learn more - happy to share.