1. Market :  A lot of markets aren’t really ripe for internet marketing just yet. And there are some markets that are plainly not visible or active online. But don’t assume this will continue on forever. As more on more people connect to the web and learn how to use, the more chances there are for an obscure industry to suddenly gain an online following.

2. Location of your Business: Consider that the Philippines is way behind its ASEAN neighbors when it comes to percent of population that have broadband connection. If you’re doing business in the province, there’s a huge chance your customers aren’t actively looking for your products online.

3. Your own business objectives:  do you really want to use facebook, twitter, foursquare, and other social media tools? If you’ve determined that you have a sizeable online audience and these activities can directly affect your bottom line or build up your brand, then by all means go for it. Otherwise, you’re just wasting your time and other valuable resources. In addition, why bother with digital marketing when you’ve got a very successful offline marketing strategy? Remember to apply the 80/20 rule in all aspects of your business.

I’m not saying that a company should totally disregard the idea of doing business online. What I’m saying is the 3 points above should be taken into consideration before going all out on a full internet marketing campaign only to realize zero or very low ROI. Many entrepreneurs have learned this lesson the hard way.

On the other hand, it might also be good to be the first in your market in terms of online visibility.

** Watch out for my articles on Phil. marketing. I’m also planning to write a comprehensive ebook or whitepapers to help you all out get started online.