There are few things more important to business success in today’s world than a high performing website and a robust Internet marketing effort that includes social media. These things are without question the future of all commerce.
Recent data even suggests that companies and organizations that fail to master the art and science of Internet marketing will be gone or at least irrelevant in five years.
And here’s the challenging part… the tools one needs to succeed literally change on daily basis.
In truth, the complexity of it all makes achieving sustained success with Internet marketing extremely difficult.
To try and simplify things a bit – here are the areas essential to business success along with some tips for avoiding costly errors.
SEO
SEO is short for search engine optimization – the process by which one enhances the content of a website to increase the likelihood that someone searching the internet will actually find your business. In the early years of the internet – SEO was simple – and those that knew how to game the system often had great success.
Not true today – particularly with search engines becoming increasingly sophisticated. Did you know, for instance, that Google changes the mathematical formula (called an algorithm) it uses to produce search results on at least a daily basis?
Here are a few basic SEO tasks that are essential:
- Make sure you populate your website with content that is written for humans, is interesting, and that provides value. Content is king in SEO.
- Make sure to use the words and phrases (called keywords) customers would use when searching for your products or services – but don’t overdo it. Remember you are writing for humans.
- Don’t forget little things like adding unique title tags and meta descriptions to every page of your site.
- Make sure your website is fully responsive – which means you need to make sure it looks good on every device someone might use to search for your company. The major search engines care about the website user’s experience. Your website must meet high standards to be ranked well.
- Be sure to build and submit a website sitemap.
- DO NOT assume your website developer understands the essential of SEO. Few actually do.
Social Media
Equally complex and ever changing – and vital to master. Eighty-five percent of businesses in the U.S. use social media in their marketing mix – 90% report it’s a tool that makes a difference. So let’s break down a few basics:
- There are many platforms to choose from. If you are selling B2B you probably want to focus on LinkedIn and YouTube as your primary tools. If you are selling B2C – then Facebook, Twitter and Instagram should probably be at the top of your list.
- Take the time to use the tools well. Post content that helps rather than sells. This approach will help you gain the trust of your prospects. Never post just plain text. Incorporate photos and video in every post.
- Learn how to automate your posts and learn how to use the boosting features and the paid advertising features to maximize effectiveness and reach.
- Monitor your pages and actually engage with your customers. Get conversations started.
PPC
Pay per click advertising is a form of digital advertising that has many advantages and some major pitfalls. Here are some things to think about:
- If you have a website struggling to make it to page one in search results – PPC ads can help you get there quickly.
- PPC advertising allows for a high degree of micro-targeting – leading to more efficient ad spends.
- You need to make sure you know what you are doing – or get help. Google and Bing make PPC seem very easy to use. That’s a trap. If you care about your bottom line – it’s anything but easy. Creating effective campaigns, ads groups, choosing keywords, and building ads and landing pages requires a considerable amount of expertise if you want to avoid grossly overspending with little result.
The only constant in Internet marketing is rapid change. And from a marketing standpoint – few tools are more complex and difficult to master… yet few things are as crucial to business success. Invest the time to really understand your options so that you can use them well.
Kate Gold is a partner at the Internet marketing agency Gold & Partners LLC. in Avon, Conn. To learn more about the firm visit www.goldpartnersllc.com.
Read other Friday Focus columns.
Friday Focus is an online-only weekly series of columns focusing on human resource, business legal issues, technology, and marketing. Interested in participating? Send an email to Keith Griffin at kgriffin@hartfordbusiness.com.
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