SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
These days, search-engine
optimization (SEO) covers a lot. It’s also integrated with many other marketing
disciplines. It’s a part of content marketing, as well as branding and
visibility. Showing up in Google (let alone dominating the rankings) is
sometimes half the battle.
SEO is about getting a grip on the following : Site speed, Redirecting URLs in a redesign, Information architecture, XML sitemaps, Clean code review, Panda/Penguin cleanup.
LOCAL SEO
We are all assuming that SEO is of intended in targeting a broad range of audience, however, rarely do we realize that 22% of all searches are
location-based, and most B2C purchases happen within 20 miles of an
individual’s home. Local rankings lead to foot traffic, phone calls and
purchases. Start by completing your Google Business Page, and go next-level
with things like schema and “rich snippets.” Know also that one-third of mobile
searches have local intent.
CONTENT MARKETING
If we take Google’s word for it,
so much of SEO boils down to the creation of invaluable content and great user experiences.
When this content and these experiences are naturally talked about and shared,
Google gets signals that your website is a destination worthy of being featured
prominently in its results. As a result, better content and a more usable
website (i.e., the outcome of content marketing) should translate to rankings.
Another way to look at content in
the context of SEO is to apply the principles of content strategy to ensure
creative assets are useful, usable and desirable. Content that rewards users is
also content that search engines should love.
Content marketing is best
described as a philosophy.
Every conscientious marketer
knows content creation is a powerful tool to strengthen bonds with customers
and meet business goals in a buyer-first world. Devout content marketing
disciples already know and practice the principles of delighting their
audiences with invaluable content. They know that providing invaluable content
translates to loyalty.
FORM VS. FUNCTION
The first rule of content
marketing is that it’s not about the form! Substance first, structure second.
Blog posts, case studies, white papers, guides, infographics, contests, social
media campaigns, videos, webinars, podcasts … it doesn’t matter.
What matters is that you’re
giving customers something they value.
Rather than thinking about media,
channels or any specific tactics, start by viewing content marketing as a set
of principles in which building trust, not twisting arms (i.e, the hard sell),
is the goal. Your world-class content is what comes first, the vehicle for
distribution is second.
TANGIBLE BENEFITS
In addition to the brand
credibility and customer satisfaction that you will gain from premium content
being central to your marketing strategy, you will benefit from:
Organic search-engine rankings, especially
for timeliness or social influence.
Greater audience engagement:
Social shares, ‘likes’, repeat visits, avg. time on page/site.
Opportunities for external links
(and qualified traffic) back to your site.
Digital Advertising:
Pay-Per-Click (PPC), Display,
Social
Google AdWords account management
(aka SEM / search-engine marketing, PPC / pay-per-click)
Microsoft AdCenter account
management (aka SEM / search-engine-marketing, PPC / pay-per-click)
Social advertising (Facebook,
LinkedIn, Twitter)
Display & retargeting / remarketing
Image / video ad creation
SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING
Social media offer another
channel for your messages. Potential places to advertise are as vast as the
Internet itself. Whether sponsoring videos on YouTube or Snapchat or paying for
placement on Twitter via Vine, you can creatively reach audiences wherever they
are. Sorting through the biggest players can sometimes be confusing, but here’s
an easy way to differentiate:
Facebook
Primarily for business-to-consumer
products/services
Increases awareness, fans and
acquisitions
Retargeting to custom audiences
by email addresses
LinkedIn
Primarily for
business-to-business products/services
Currently the only place to
target individuals by job title, industry and company
Converts leads 4x better than
those from other social media advertising outlets (Facebook, Twitter)
Twitter
For both business-to-consumer and
business-to-business products/services
Target by topical interest
Measures engagement by device,
location, gender and interest.
