The Trifecta of Internet Marketing
What you need to know in order to market you’re business effectively online.
The Trifecta of Internet Marketing When it comes to marketing your business online, there are three foundational components you must have in place if your internet endeavors are to be as successful as possible. Sure, you could get away with avoiding one of these, but why would you? Doing so just leaves money on the table. When we talk about the “trifecta of internet marketing” we’re saying there is a three-pronged approach to a successful campaign. Think of it like a three legged stool. Each leg supports the other, and allows for the stool to remain balanced and stable. Remove one of the legs, and the strength of the remaining legs is unrealized, as the stool topples over. In this short read, we’ll discuss the three foundational aspects of every successful online campaign.
! ! Search Engine Optimization (SEO) SEO is the practice of helping your website rank favorably in the search results. So, when someone Googles “brilliant business owner” you come up as the first result. SEO breaks down in two categories, “On-Page SEO” and “Off Page SEO.” On-Page SEO On-Page SEO is work that is done on your actual website. Before setting out to optimize your website for SEO, it’s important that Keyword Research be done. You can use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner tool to understand the search volume for a given phrase. For example, there are 9,900 Average Monthly Searches for “Dog Treats.” Come up with a list of keywords that have a high volume, and if possible, low competition. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll then have the information necessary to develop content around those keywords that will generate the highest volume of traffic.
Once your content is developed, you’ll need to make sure all your meta data is optimized and focused around the keyword you want to rank for. There is much more to on-page SEO, and you can gain a wider understanding of what needs to be done by reading this guide on SEO. However, on-page factors are foundational to your online success. Without it, you’ll rob the effectiveness of everything else you do. Be sure that everything you do is in accordance with Google Panda guidelines. Off-Page SEO Off-page SEO is the practice of marketing your website across the web. When another website that is considered authoritative in your niche by Google links back to your website, Google considers this a vote for your credibility. It’s very important that you seek out the help of professionals when attempting off-page work, as many of the strategies used to acquire links in the past will now earn you penalties by Google. Whereas Google Panda deals with on-page content, Google Penguin deals with off-page factors. The big idea here is that you need to have good link diversity from high authority websites that are related to your niche. Editorial publications, business and product reviews, video sharing channels, and document sharing sites, to name a few will help establish your website as a credible source of information in the eyes of the search engines. Without solid on-page and off-page SEO, your chances of ranking for a competitive Keyword are slim to none. Lay a solid foundation with both.
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Pay-Per-Click Advertising When talking about PPC vs. SEO, we often talk about the difference between renting and buying a home. Think PPC like renting. You pay (typically more) for a period of time, and once you’re done paying, you walk away with nothing. Your dollars have not established any equity in your home. The same is true for PPC. Over the long run, it’s going to cost you a lot more for a healthy PPC campaign. Once you stop paying, your campaign ends, and no brand equity (except for the new customers you’ve acquired) has been established. Dollars spent on SEO, however, are lasting. You may decide to stop your campaign after a year, but the content that’s been created will stick around. That being said, there are many good reasons to leverage the power of a PPC campaign. Let’s go back to our house example. When you’re building a house, sometimes its necessary to rent temporarily. The same can be said with an SEO campaign. It takes time to establish your presence online through content marketing and SEO. Although you should be very cautious of anyone who offers guarantees with regard to how long it will take to get on page 1, with a healthy campaign, you should begin seeing significant results in 3-6 months. During that time, many businesses decide to spend money on a PPC campaign which is more instantaneous in nature. This can help offset the investment of SEO, by producing sales much more quickly than SEO. How does SEO impact PPC? When someone clicks on a PPC ad, your website will be judged based on the quality of content they find, how relevant it is to their query, and the perceived quality of your products & services. Not only will thin content kill your chances of ranking high in the search results, it will also dramatically reduce your conversion rate. Additionally, those who click on your ad may also research your brand elsewhere online. If you have not done an adequate job of off-page marketing for your website, the user won’t find information that would lead them to make a purchasing decision. Good on and off page SEO will increase the conversion rate of your PPC efforts, and reduce the cost of customer acquisition.
Social Media Presence Many people have the misconception that as soon as they begin marketing through social media channels, they’re going to go viral. Although this can happen, it’s not the norm. However, that’s not to say there isn’t value in Social Media Marketing. In fact, it’s a very powerful way of getting the word out there about your brand. Although there is lots of great content out there that goes into great detail about the value of this approach, in this publication, we’re going to focus on the synergistic affect Social Media has on the other two “legs” of our online marketing trifecta. Whether someone lands on your site as a result from clicking on a PPC ad, or from the organic search results, the first thing they’re trying to determine is your credibility, and whether or not they should trust you with their business. A strong social media presence allows your prospective customers to “look under the hood” of your business and see how people are engaging with your brand. Engaging with your customer base on social media by providing high quality and relevant content on a consistent basis will increase your conversion rate among those who are investigating your product or service.
! The Synergistic Effect of All Three Internet marketing all boils down to conversion. If none of these strategies result in more sales, the whole thing is pointless. So effectively, the idea is to do everything you can to increase conversion rate. SEO, PPC, and SMM all work together in a synergistic way to communicate your relevance and credibility to your prospective customer. These days people have all the means necessary to thoroughly research the products they want to buy, as well as the company they wish to buy from. You need to ensure you’re meeting these people in the places they're searching. To learn more about each of these approaches, and how you can ensure your brand is leveraging the synergistic value of each, contact Brown Box Branding today.