Well here we are just about to start football season again. I read in the paper and in some magazines about the draft and the outrageous salaries that go out to players and coaches. Everything is so high profile and to watch some of the players is actually quite amusing. Most of the well known players seem to really take offense if they are not paid gobs and gobs of money for the work they do. I relate this to website marketing in a unique way. Football players are paid to provide performance. As long at they perform, they stay under contract. Staying on the payroll is a good thing, and occasionally if they have an outstanding season, they demand a raise.



Website marketing can be thought of in the same way. You, the website owner, are the coach and it's up to you to find the players that are going to perform for your team. There are lots of players out there to choose from. Some players have natural enemies in the form of competition. Some players sit the bench and others are overpaid and under perform. Ever have an adwords campaign that really did not work? That is a player that needs to be fired. Overhauling them or rehabilitating them really does not do much either. You have to start fresh.

Start thinking about your article writers as team members. Are they in shape? Do they practice? Do they follow directions and the plays? Do they follow your lead and give you what you want? Link builders can also be team members. Actually anyone that you hire out has that performance accountability. You might as well get used to the idea that not all of your players are going to stay. Some need to be benched immediately and some move up to the starting roster. Don't get discouraged if your star draft pick turns out to be a dud or even worse pulls up an injury. Finding the right people does not usually come from one company. You have to look around for them. Some you will find by word of mouth, some on Elance, some from a website you heard about and some from people you train yourself. The best team is the one that is hand picked and groomed. Incentives always seem to work well with performance based players. Don't be afraid to give the stars the royal interview and splash their name around, they love it.

So how do you start? Well outsourcing is always a good idea, so copy what other people are doing. You're in competition right? Do what works. Look all over the place. If you're trying to rank well on Google, then put Google to work for you. Look in classifieds, and forums where these people hang out. Think of it as keyword research. You would not do a lousy job with something that is so important. Keep a file and a list so that you can be organized. Soon you will have the team you always wanted, and the cost to get them will not matter very much.