Online Marketing – A Fisherman’s View

February 8, 2011 Filed under: Internet Marketing,SEO — Tags: , —

Picture your Online Marketing campaign as a fisherman casting his net over the waters of the Internet, looking to attract and catch the most desirable fish — those visitors who will come to your site and take the actions you want them to take.   Just as a real fisherman doesn’t want bottom feeders or ‘trash fish’, you don’t want unqualified or disinterested visitors coming to your site.  In order to attract the right fish, you need the proper bait and a strong net.  On your website, that bait takes the form of keyword phrases.  Your fishing net is the content on your website that allows you to reel in your visitors and entice them to take the next step on your site.

courtesy of freefoto.com

The practice of SEO is all about using your bait (keywords) and fishing net (content) to attract and convert the right fish (qualified leads).  So, how can you put this fish analogy to work and perfect the sport of SEO?   Here are some useful tips:

Choose bait that’s recognizable, tasty, and unique.  To attract qualified visitors, you need to include on your website the words and phrases your target visitors will be searching for.  Use words your audience uses, not company jargon or technical terms.  Make your content readable and enticing.  If you go after terms used by lots of competitors, you’ll be like a single fisherman in an ocean of huge trawlers, and few fish will be swimming your way — so strive to stand out.  Keyword research can help identify which phrases are most popular and how much competition they have.  That’s the science of the sport.

Place your bait where it can be found. Unlike fishermen, you have an invisible helper in your fishing expeditions – the search engines.  You can place your bait where they always look – in HTML tags, link text, bulleted content, your first sentence, etc. – and they’ll help it get found by the right fish.  Search engines are like every fisherman’s dream — an invisible ally to lead the fish into your clutches.  SEO lets you effectively enlist the help of that ally by understanding how the search engines work.

Make your bait easy to identify. Make every webpage about one clearly identifiable topic and introduce it in the first sentence (remember what your English teacher taught about a topic sentence?).  Be sure to use your keyword phrases in that topic sentence — this is the artful side of the sport.  Then don’t use those same keyword phrases on any other pages – otherwise you’ll compete with yourself and dilute the ranking strength of your page.  And your visitors will be like fish fooled by false lures.

Attract the influentials. Fish swim in schools.  While they may not have individual leaders, they do follow the school.  In marketing yourself on the web, you’ll want to attract the schools, which means getting links from relevant and popular websites, blogs, and social media influencers who can bring schools of qualified visitors to your site, along with links that will enhance your search ranking.

Make sure your net is strong.  Once you bring visitors to your website, don’t let them swim out through the holes.  Have a clear call-to-action on every page.  Link fluidly from one page to the next and encourage them to stay for a while.  Don’t include lots of outgoing links, and don’t link to an email address, as they may never return (use a Contact Us form instead).  Have a clear strategy for what you want them to do (download a tool or ebook, sign up for a free service, leave an email address, etc.) and know how that fits into your overall marketing strategy and sales funnel.

Learn from your mistakes.  Every fisherman has a story about how the big one got away.  Your online marketing efforts might have a similar story to tell.   But you can use web analytics to make sure you don’t make that same mistake again.  Track each element of your online marketing campaign — keyword effectiveness, incoming link quantity and quality, traffic statistics, performance of call-to-action buttons (and more) — and learn what works and what doesn’t work.  Then use those metrics to fine-tune the effectiveness of your online marketing tactics.

I guess this is where the fishing analogy ends.  I’m not going to suggest that you fry, saute, or otherwise cook your catch…nor does catch-and-release seem appropriate.  I trust you know where to take your customers from here.

NOTE: This blog post does not reflect my true thoughts about the sport or politics of fishing.

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10 Best Online Marketing Posts from 2010

December 16, 2010 Filed under: Fun Stuff,Internet Marketing — Tags: —

It’s December, which means a good portion of what you’ll read and hear from media in the coming weeks is likely to be “Best of 2010” year-end wrap-ups.  In that spirit, I’d like to share my favorite blog posts of 2010 in the world of small business marketing.  They’re favorites because:

  • They’re topics that help small businesses grow through online marketing
  • They are plain spoken and to-the-point
  • They give practical, usable advice
  • They’re thought-provoking
  • All provide original insights on key aspects of Internet marketing and social media

Here goes:

What Do Your Customers Really Want? from M4B Marketing.

50 Can’t Fail Techniques For Finding Great Blog Topics from Copyblogger.

40 Social Networking Sites Specifically for Small Business, Entrepreneurs and Startups from Small Biz Bee.

How to Build a Community from BizSugar.

The Rich Get Richer – True in Organic Marketing from SEOMoz.

Local Search Ranking Factors from David Mihm.

9 Tips That Improved My Blog from Global Copywriting.

Is Social Media Really Anti-Social? from Partners In Excellence.

How to Convert New Visitors Into Returning Readers That Act from Blog Tyrant.

Beginner’s Guide to Web Data Analysis: Ten Steps to Love & Success from Occam’s Razor by Avinash Kaushik

I invite you to leave a comment and share your favorite posts from 2010 about how to market your business effectively on the web.

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Online Marketing: How the Pieces Fit Together

November 10, 2010 Filed under: Internet Marketing,PPC,SEO,Web Analytics —

How Web Design, Content, and Analytics Work Together to Generate Online Leads and Sales

Guest Post by Brandon Clay

Good online marketing is like a jigsaw puzzle.

Dump all the puzzle pieces on the table and you have a mass of colorful cardboard. The pieces are useless when separate. However, when everything fits together it’s a different story.  Once the pieces are connected, you have a picturesque seaside complete with beach house, sand dunes, and seagulls floating in the wind. Your pile of disjointed sections becomes a beautiful picture.

Successful online marketing is much like that jigsaw puzzle. There are many pieces to a solid online business. A good business, a strong market, an engaging website, and other factors play a role in determining how well a company does online. But if you remove any of those key components, a business will falter online. It takes everything working together to maximize the online medium. (more…)

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How to Manage Your Search Marketing Agency: No More “Go Do It Please”

October 27, 2010 Filed under: Content Marketing,Internet Marketing,Social Media Marketing — Tags: , , , —

There’s no doubt about it – marketing as a profession is undergoing massive changes, right now, in real-time.   When you’re in the midst of change, it’s hard enough to shift your perceptions, and even harder to alter long-established practices.   But in marketing as in anything else, if you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need to acknowledge that things aren’t what they used to be, and then be willing to reset your expectations as well as your plans.

I’ve been a marketing professional for over 20 years, and for the first 17-18 years, the practice of marketing didn’t change much.  Companies determined their product (or service) strategy, created marketing materials, attended conferences, hired ad agencies to run ad campaigns and PR agencies to pitch stories to the press.   (Gross generalization, I admit, but roughly true).  When you hired an agency, you expected the ‘creative types’ to go off, think creatively, and come back with some cool-looking ads or some punchy story ideas to pitch to journalists.  The implicit expectation: “just go do it for me, please.”

The new world of search marketing and social media is much different.  If your job is to market your company’s products, you can’t expect an agency to just “go do it” for you.  Why not?  There are 3 main reasons, as I see it:

Content Freshness. Your online image is only as fresh as your content.  While an outside marketing agency may know lots about your company or product, they’re just not as close as you are to what’s new and interesting about it.  You’ll need to keep the content coming, and keep the news fresh.  An outside agency can, however, be a terrific brainstorming partner, content management advisor, ghost writer, editor, content optimizer, writing coach, and even blog “personal trainer” (ask me about this if you don’t know what I mean).   Online marketing is fast evolving into content marketing, and an agency can be a valuable partner in helping your company to make this transition.

The Personal Touch.  Social media is all about connecting directly with your customers and prospects, and an authentic voice is critical to establishing trust.  It’s therefore a good idea to develop your own company “voice” and to build a credible presence on social media.  An outside agency can be a key partner in helping you set goals for your social media strategy, understand the different social media channels and which are best suited to your goals and audience, and coach you on how to get started.  They can also help you tie your social media strategy to a larger Content Marketing strategy, and measure your effectiveness across the board.

Quick Response.   It’s likely your company is being talked about online.  Whether it’s online customer reviews, social media discussions, or blog comments, your company name – and hence your online reputation – is out there.  If you want a chance to respond, shape your image, or even just track what’s being said, you’ll need to tune in to this chatter.  A company representative is once again your best online voice, although a marketing agency can track and measure what’s being said and point you to the trouble spots that need your immediate attention.

Success for a marketer in the current online environment starts with engagement.  Engagement is becoming an over-used word, but it’s an apt one nonetheless.  If you don’t engage with your customers, you’ll lose their online attention; and for a growing number of consumers, online is where their attention is increasingly focused.

Does this mean you shouldn’t hire a marketing agency?  No, that’s certainly not what I’m suggesting (disclosure: I AM a marketing agency).  And you should still expect creative ideas, solid strategic thinking, and excellence in execution, as good marketing agencies have always provided.  But I am suggesting you alter your “just do it for me” expectation.  To help you succeed, an Internet Marketing agency needs your deep involvement.   While there are agencies who’ll encourage you to outsource everything to them, a more effective approach is a partnership.

If you want to portray an authentic online presence, you’ll need to develop your own unique voice in social media, generate unique content on a frequent basis, and respond in a timely manner to your online fans and reviewers.  These are big tasks, and an online marketing agency can help – as coach, editor, organizer, strategizer, ghost writer, metrics tracker and analyst, and more.  But they can’t “just go do it” without you.

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Google Instant And The Small Business Owner

September 10, 2010 Filed under: Internet Marketing,Local Search — Tags: , —
SEO and Google Instant

source: Google

If you pay attention to the Search Engine Marketing industry (which I do), it’s hard to miss this week’s news about Google Instant, the new Google feature that shows search results in real time, letter by letter, as you’re typing in the search box.  This is one step beyond Bing’s already-existing type-ahead feature, which guesses what search term you’re typing and offers a list of probable word matches; Google guesses a word match and also displays a page of search results to go with it, then changes those results as you type each new letter to reveal your full intent.  The idea is you can click on a relevant search result before you’ve even got your search term fully formed.  The assumption by Google is that people can think and read faster than they can type — and will appreciate Google keeping up with their mind rather than waiting for their typing finger.  No more having to hit that pesky <Search> button before getting your list of choices.

There’s been lots published in the first 2 days to analyze what this means — for searchers, for website owners, and for the SEO practitioner.  But what does it mean for your small business, if you’re looking to improve your search ranking for a handful of keyword terms?  Here’s a roundup of opinions from across the web, and my overlay of comments from a small biz perspective.

1. It’s great for searchers – provides helpful suggestions, broadens your search experience, and is more efficient.  This undoubtedly describes Google’s intention, as the new feature is positioned to improve the search experience and create the best match between the searcher’s intent and the list of search results.  If you’re a small business and your site is well optimized for keywords that do a good job of describing your business, this is good news for you.  It may even direct users to your site by moving you up from page 2 to page 1, because the result page will be changing dynamically and refreshing instantly as the user continues to type  and narrow their search.  In the course of typing a 2-word search term, for example, a user will see a different list of search results for each letter they type, rather than just a single static list after they click <Search>.  This makes it even more imperative that your website is super-well optimized for the keyword terms most important to your potential customers.

2.  Popular keywords will become even more popular. Lots of initial reaction to this new feature suggests that search volume will increase for the most popular keywords, because Google will “suggest” the most common ways to complete the searcher’s query.  In the short term, this may give more search prominence (and hence more traffic) to the most established brands, as they are more likely to be “suggested” by Google.  However, if the suggested results don’t deliver what the user is looking for, this result may subside over time.  Implications for small business?  Don’t be too quick to judge whether this gives unfair advantage to the big players.  Ultimately, it’s more likely to send more qualified leads your way.

3. Google Instant means no one will see the same web anymore, making it virtually impossible to optimize your site for your intended audience. Real-time feedback will personalize every search so there’s no predictability to people’s search behaviors.  This is certainly true, but it doesn’t mean site optimization is no longer valuable.  It does mean, however, that you can’t “game” the system to trick the search engines.  Instead, Google will reward (as it’s always tried to do) the websites that most clearly explain what they’re about, by sending them searchers who are looking for them.  If a searcher knows what they want, and you’ve optimized your pages for what they want, your chances of being found will be better.

4.  There will be less traffic for long tail keywords. This is SEO-speak meaning that search terms with multiple words (a “long tail”) will become less common because searchers will find a relevant result before they type the 3d or 4th word.  Makes sense.  This could be bad for small businesses, as conventional wisdom in search marketing circles has been that longer, and more specific, search terms are less competitive and therefore offer a niche for small businesses to compete with more established brands.  If you’re in a well-defined niche business, you may continue to draw long-tail keyword searchers; if not, you may indeed see a dip in your search traffic.

5. This new feature is not that new, and is annoying besides…it won’t change much of anything. Like any new feature, this one has critics as well as fans.  Recognizing this, Google has made it easy to turn off the feature, though a good percentage of people, even if they find it annoying, won’t do this.  If you’re a small business, this means things may not change at all for you.   (…and here’s my favorite comment from a not-too-impressed user:  ”Great. Like we’re not lazy enough. Thanks Google. Those few extra nanoseconds come in real handy.”)

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Google Local – Changes Coming

July 21, 2010 Filed under: Internet Marketing,Local Search,SEO — Tags: , —

There’s been quite a buzz going around in SEO circles about changes that Google appears to be testing and is expected to roll out soon for their Local Search results.  These changes were first noticed in a Google test by Linda Buquet, and she writes about the news in her Catalyst eMarketing blog.  Her initial discovery was first shared in Mike Blumenthal’s blog Understanding Google Maps and Local Search, a terrific resource for following everything that goes on in the Local Search arena.  The gist of the coming changes is that Google will be making Local Search Results much more prominent on the search results page and will make it easier to identify and find a company’s Google Place Page.  This is good news for companies with a local market focus, and makes it more important than ever for those business owners to make sure they have a strong, complete, and compelling presence on their Google Place page (see my recent video post on Getting Listed in the Local Search 7-Pack).

Another new offering from Google in the local business category is Google Tags, which are yellow markers displayed on a company’s Local/Google Maps listing to announce advertised specials — coupons, special offers, and other advertiser-supplied content.  Unlike Google’s Adwords pay-per-click advertising, Google Tags advertising is available for a flat monthly fee of $25.  Google is running a promotion this week (through Friday, July 23) for a 30-day free trial of Tags for new customers.

Don’t neglect this important element of your Internet Marketing activities…Google Local Search for small businesses is becoming an increasingly important way for your customers to find you!

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Google’s Local Business Center – Getting Listed in the 7-Pack

July 19, 2010 Filed under: Internet Marketing,Local Search,SEO — Tags: , —

The Google Local Business Center – renamed recently as Google Place Pages – offers a great opportunity for your business to be found by local searchers.    When a searcher is looking for a business that serves the local market, Google will display what’s known as a “7-pack” of business listings alongside a map of the area that pinpoints their locations.  So how, you may ask, can you get your business listed in this premium “7-pack” for your local market?

See the short video below for a quick training and overview of the 7-pack and what you can do to get listed.   If you’re looking for more in-depth training and information, check out the link below the video.

For more information and to see what the local search “experts” say, see this June 7, 2010 report on Local Search Ranking Factors, from David Mihm.

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PPC Advertising – Using Your Results to Improve Your Business

April 27, 2010 Filed under: Internet Marketing,PPC — Tags: , , , —

This is the fourth post in a series on Pay-per-click advertising.  Lots of our clients struggle to understand PPC so they can evaluate it as an investment, compare it to traditional advertising, figure out how it works, or sometimes just explain it to their boss.  The explanations can get rather complex, so I decided to make a series of blog posts to help educate clients, readers, and anyone wanting to learn more.   This is the last article in the Pay Per Click Advertising 101 series.

 What You Can Learn – And What To Do With It

 A well-planned and well-executed PPC campaign can achieve your advertising goals AND a positive return on your advertising investment.   Data collected from your campaigns can help you answer important questions about your ad campaign, your website and your business.   What we didn’t cover last time – what this post is about – is what you can DO with all these answers.  Certainly you can use the information to improve your PPC ad campaign (we can do that for you).  But the insights you’ll gain can also go further than that.

 Critical things you can learn about your market

  • What search terms are people using when they look for a product or service like what my company offers?
  • Where (what websites) are people are coming from to visit my website?
  • What words, designs, or ad copy get them to spend more time on my site?
  • What gets them to take the actions I want them to take on my site?
  • How much revenue am I generating for the cost of my PPC campaign?

How to Use What You’ve Learned (more…)

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PPC Advertising – Measurement and Analytics Tell the Real Story

April 20, 2010 Filed under: Internet Marketing,PPC,Web Analytics — Tags: , , , —

This is the third post in a series on Pay-per-click advertising.  Lots of our clients struggle to understand PPC so they can evaluate it as an investment, compare it to traditional advertising, figure out how it works, or sometimes just explain it to their boss.  The explanations can get rather complex, so I decided to make a series of blog posts to help educate clients, readers, and anyone wanting to learn more.   This is the third article in the Pay Per Click  Advertising 101 series.

The Control Metrics – Measuring ROI

If it’s indeed about control and ROI, then the metrics are key to PPC.  And they are.  There are innumerable Web Analytics tools available to help you measure and analyze the activity on your website, but the easiest to start with (for free!) is Google Analytics.  Anyone who wants their website to work for their business should use Google Analytics.  If you’re running PPC ad campaigns, it’s a good place to start, and here are some key metrics to watch: (more…)

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PPC Advertising – Controlling the Inputs to Optimize the Results

April 13, 2010 Filed under: Internet Marketing,PPC — Tags: , , , —

This is the second post in a series on Pay-per-click advertising.  Lots of our clients struggle to understand PPC so they can evaluate it as an investment, compare it to traditional advertising, figure out how it works, or sometimes just explain it to their boss.  The explanations can get rather complex, so I decided to make a series of blog posts to help educate clients, readers, and anyone wanting to learn more.   This is the second article in the Pay Per Click Advertising 101 series.

The Control Levers

Picture us inside a big black box.  Big – as in the size of your house.  On one wall, picture rows of knobs or levers, and then imagine us, on your behalf, poised to turn them, pull them, or simply adjust and tune them.   In reality, all the knobs and levers are on our computer, controlled with a simple mouse click.  Best of all, they take effect immediately and will start generating immediate feedback.  When it’s done well, PPC gives a level of control that’s superior to nearly every other form of advertising.  Here’s what we’re controlling to make your PPC campaign work its best for you:

(more…)

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