Online marketing is a scary place, but it's one of the most important aspects of your marketing plan. Our marketing guru Ben Molfetta has some great tips to help you get started.

Once you commit to making online marketing a business priority, what do you do next?

Well, before you get started, here are some things you need to consider.

Online marketing is all about content, not about the technology. Prospects will not read your emails or blogs, view your videos, or spend time on your web site if you don't offer relevant, up to date content.

You have two audiences; your target prospects and search engines. You must balance the needs of each without the pendulum swinging too far one way or the other.

Decide who you are trying to attract. It's tempting to target everyone, but you can realistically only be recognized as an authority online for a limited number audiences.

The real leverage comes from doing multiple things that work together. Your online tactics must complement each other to have maximum impact. It's about one plus one equaling three.

To become and remain relevant online, you must constantly be analyzing, evaluating, and fine-tuning. Your prospects and competitors don't stand still.

Once you decide to significantly enhance your online presence, you must proceed in a strategic and pragmatic way.

The first job is to build a plan that includes a roadmap, a budget, and a content calendar.

An online road map lays out your development efforts in priority sequence and forces you to think about how the tactics will work together. You may start by optimizing your web site, committing to a blog, building a Facebook company page, then instituting a paid search campaign – whatever makes sense for your business. Developing a proper budget ensures you set aside the funds to execute. A content calendar guides your content development and distribution strategy.

The second thing you must do is invest in a full time equivalent – either an internal or external resource, - who will be responsible for content development and managing your online marketing activities on a day to day basis.

Online marketing offers a path to consistent revenue growth. However, like anything in business, it requires sound planning and hard work. It may seem daunting, but the results are worth it. Don't ignore it - the risk of doing nothing is too high!