In the early days of internet marketing the only people really doing anything significant were individuals willing to explore and take risks and a few small businesses whose owners saw an opportunity. Relatively few corporations got involved.

After the big dot com bust, there was a bit of a resurgence in Internet marketing as individuals and small businesses took to the next wave. The rise of Google has led to many people making a great income from Internet marketing. But it wasn’t until around 2003 that small business owners started making their way online en masse. In 2005 it really picked up speed.

Since that time the mantra of anyone doing any kind of Internet marketing was to hit the long tail. Small business owners attempting to market themselves online were chasing the long tail in order to out maneuver their larger competitors with big budgets. It worked.

Unfortunately, the larger competitors were watching and now they are turning their big budgets on the long tail. That could mean the end to the small business advantage.

On the other hand, as one door closes another opens. it looks the future of Internet marketing for small businesses is going to be social media. The small businesses who are able to capitalize on this new medium and exploit their stealth will be the big winners. Are you game?

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4. Is Twitter Social Media For Small Business?
5. Another Take On Small Business And Social Media