Importance of SEO, Content Marketing and Social Media Advertising

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.