If you are a small or medium business (SMB) owner or marketer you are at a crossroads. Regarding Internet marketing I can just about guarantee that one or more of the following apply to you and your efforts right at this very minute.

• You don’t know exactly how much you are spending on Internet marketing
• You haven’t worked out the ROI (return on investment) numbers of your efforts
• You are frustrated with your Internet marketing service provider
• You get several calls a week with people saying they will get you top 10 results
• You plan on spending the same amount of money in the Yellow Pages when your contract is up
• You are interested in social media but don’t ‘get it’ and think it looks like a lot of work
• You are spread thin with your marketing money and marketing talent

You should really act like someone who is on fire. You should stop, drop and roll with regard to Internet marketing. In other words, you should really stop to assess what you are doing, why you are doing it and what you should be doing next.If not you may get burned.

Right now is not a great time to spend because you hear that you can make money on the Internet. While you certainly can it is just as possible that you can lose money due to poor or non-existent research and planning.

Slow down, take a breath and look around. Are you in the right place and doing the right things that will give you best chance for success? If yes, good for you. If no, what’s next?

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About the Author: Frank Reed's blog Frank Thinking About Internet Marketing provides practical advice and insight for Internet marketers from local SMB's to Fortune 500's. Frank provides Internet marketing services through FT Internet Marketing, Inc. In addition, Frank is a regular contributor to Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim and Mike Moran's Biznology blogs.