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By: Alex Fernandez
Internet Marketing Strategist
The world turns to a combination of search and social media for information. Boom. Blog complete.
Okay, I’m not getting off the hook that easy! It’s actually a little more intricate than that. Generally speaking – what I said is 100% true, according to studies by GroupM and comScore in 2011. Online users use both search AND social to find information about businesses and make buying decisions. As such, we advocate a combination of SEO (search engine optimization) and social media strategies to reach targeted audiences online. It doesn’t stop here though.
There are a couple ways you can look at it:
(1) From a Social Media Marketer’s point of view
OR
(2) From a Search Engine Marketer’s point of view
The Social Media Marketer:
“My awesome social media is SEO!”
Social media has always helped SEO, even if unintentionally. Social media is online content that is easily sharable, generating website traffic. Since Google and other major search engines place so much emphasis on relevant inbound links social media is a no-brainer. The concept in social media is to create lots of valuable content for your audience, and be rewarded through user engagement and loyalty long-term.
EXAMPLE:
Let’s say you’re a health care organization, and you want to provide information on preventative health.
- You have your marketing communications firm work up some value-added information on preventative health care, in the form of a blog series, eBook, and YouTube video series.
- Each of those items will attract links from other online users posting about the topic of preventative health.
- Each of those items links to your company website.
- Then, you share all of these items on your social networking websites and online forums.
The result is an influx of links, all revolving around your brand name, and all in the context of “preventative health.” The happy accident is that you’re just a social media guy – and somehow you just SEO’d the company website for a targeted keyword. In this example, the social media content (developed merely as added-value for the social audience) became an SEO effort.
~ Now, from the other point of view ~
The Search Engine Marketer:
“I’m going to use Social Media to enhance my already- awesome SEO strategy!”
Search engines have recently been placing much more emphasis on social media. There have been many studies about the correlation between brand mentions on social media and search traffic driven to the company website. Google and Bing are even paying special attention to social engagement metrics in determining search engine ranking for social content. The more “+1’s,” “retweets,” and “likes” your content gets – the more likely it will rank in search.
EXAMPLE:
Let’s illustrate with another scenario. You’re an SEO marketer for a local attraction company, and you discover in your analytics that a significant number of users found your website with the keyword phrase, “things to do in naples.”
- You decide to build out a new section on the website dedicated to the topic, which includes several suggested activities, linking out to cooperating businesses (that will hopefully link back in appreciation).
- To get the word out, you connect the company with all the cooperating businesses on social media.
- You consistently mention the other brands and use strategic hashtags on Twitter, gaining retweets and followers.
- You commit to a reputation management effort to engage with your past customers on user review websites.
- You mention the new page on travel forums and blogs.
The result is a rising search engine ranking of the page for the desired keyword phrase, as well as increased over all search engine visibility. This is because the target audience won’t just see the landing page you created in the search results page – they’ll also likely see your Twitter mentions, your user reviews on the reputation management sites, comments in the blogosphere with +1’s, etc. In this example, the SEO strategy was accented by social media, rather than being social-centric.
No matter which way you look at it – social media and SEO are so complimentary they should be a part of every healthy online presence. Your customers will certainly look to both before making a decision on whether or not to buy from you. These efforts might be handled by different people, departments, even different companies at times – however they work hand-in-hand – and all businesses need them.
If you’re interested in the best of both worlds (Social AND Search), then give us a call at (239) 221-2858 or email us at info (at) getpushing.com.
Until next time!
By: Alex Fernandez
Internet Marketing Strategist
Last week, our Interactive Website Developer, Matt Mernin, discussed the benefits of developing a custom website, rather than using a website template. Some of the benefits Matt discussed included custom design, user navigation, web standards and tailoring the website to the business’ marketing goals.
Over the next few weeks, I will share with you my favorite website platform for personal and small to medium sized business websites. WordPress allows you to have a completely custom website, just as Matt described, using a flexible, stable, tried and true platform that nearly anyone can operate.
This week (Part 1) discusses the Benefits of the WordPress Content Management System. Next week, I will go into Part 2: Search Engine Visibility Benefits, followed by Part 3: Differences Between WordPress Themes and Website Templates.
Benefits of the WordPress Content Management System (CMS)
A CMS is defined as an online application that allows you to manage, edit and publish content on a website. All websites for businesses should have some sort of CMS, as they allow for employees or business owners to update website content without the constant need of professional assistance.
- Easy to Operate – While WordPress can do pretty much anything you want it to do, it is surprisingly simple to update and maintain your website. There is really no need for experience with HTML or any programming language when updating your site content. For the most part, everything is point and click, and one can learn to manage a WordPress website in little time. The beauty is: advanced features are available, but not needed; so if you ARE web savvy, you still have the ability to geek out to your satisfaction.
- Cost-Effective – Rather than building a completely custom CMS, which would take much time for planning and development, WordPress is an effective CMS solution — and installs in 5 minutes! Unless you are a very large company planning to build a very large website, a WordPress CMS is a great solution. Also, many companies we work with tend to want something simple and stable, so their employees can be trained to access and update certain areas of the website. While, at times, there is still a need to have a professional website developer make updates, 80-90% of them can be made by a computer-literate employee with minimal training.
- Robust and Flexible – If you haven’t considered WordPress as a CMS, you would likely be surprised at just how much it can handle. Everything is 100% customizable with a skilled development team. Like many website platforms, WordPress is cloud-based. This means the site can be managed from anywhere, by unlimited users, and on a variety of devices. There is no need for HTML programming or FTP software for basic updates. The website can grow as your business grows, with easy-to-add pages, blog entries, plug-ins, widgets and the list goes on. With a basic understanding of how your WordPress Theme functions, it is easy to expand the website when needed.
- Plug-ins and Widgets Galore – The primary benefit of WordPress is that it is the most ubiquitous website platform out there. If you can think of a function you would like your website to perform, it probably already exists and can be downloaded and installed for free (or cheap). These are generally referred to as “add-ons” and each one can save hours of development time, essentially saving you money. One of the most common uses for plug-ins and widgets is Social Media Integration. This could include adding social connectivity to your website sidebar, adding social sharing options to your website content, feeding social networking updates into pages of your site, the list goes on. If you’re already allocating time for a social media effort, why not leverage your website traffic to generate awareness?
The benefits of WordPress as a CMS alone makes it a viable option for most companies. However, in this author’s opinion, the real magic to WordPress is revealed next week, in Part 2! Don’t forget to check back, or add us to your RSS reader.
If you’re considering a custom website for personal use or for a small to medium sized business – shoot us an email at info@getpushing.com or give us a call at 239.221.2858. We’re open to answering any questions you may have, as well as discussing how some of these ideas might apply to your website.
By: Alex Fernandez
Internet Marketing Strategist
“What is it that you do again?!”
With Father’s Day coming up this Sunday, I wanted to give my father a gift, in the form this blog entry. I’ve always wondered if he understands exactly what I do here at PTE, as an Internet Marketing Strategist.
While I’m sure he knows it has something to do with the Internet, websites, search engines and social media, I don’t think I’ve ever taken the time to properly explain how all those things come together. This is ALSO a great opportunity for anyone else to learn about the fundamentals of internet marketing – as it has proven to be one of the fastest growing industries in recent years!
So, what IS Internet marketing?
Internet marketing, also referred to as web marketing, online marketing, E-marketing, the list goes on, is the practice of marketing products via the Internet. Typically, it also implies the use any email, mobile and/or wireless mediums. While my specialties are mainly search marketing and social media, the rapidly-evolving plethora of disciplines that fall under the umbrella of Internet marketing makes keeping up quite fun!
What it really comes down to is marketing strategy. I’m a strategist, Dad! I help companies find a target market that is in need of their product, and then develop a strategy for reaching that market and communicating with them effectively. The many disciplines of Internet marketing all come into play at different points in the AIDAS Buying Model. AIDAS stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action and Satisfaction. These are the stages that the typical person goes through before they become a satisfied customer. In the graphic below, the orange triangle represents the decreasing number of potential customers that make it through each step. My job is to minimize those decreases, thus maximizing the effectiveness of an online business.
Here’s where it get’s fun – EACH step in the graphic below plays a special role in the AIDAS buying model – and EACH step requires its own special set of disciplines. For example, search engine marketing, social media marketing, and advertising are vital to the Traffic Generation step. Website usability and testing methods, as well as analytics and evaluation methods are vital to setting Conversion Goals. Every step requires a different set of skills. That’s why I work with an awesome team. Everyone at PTE helps with specific areas of the buying model.
So there you have it. I’m not a web designer; I’m not a programmer; I’m not a social media manager (although I used to be); nor am I a sailboat captain.
Those are all very specialized positions. I’m a strategist that helps businesses compete online. I help businesses get found, attract visitors to their websites, and maximize the performance of those websites, creating emphatic customers. I hope that best explains it, Dad! Happy Father’s Day!
Yes, we’ve got another announcement to make! Rounding out our recent growth spurt, we’re excited to share that we’ve added Matt Mernin to our team!
Hired as an Interactive Web Developer, he will be responsible for all web development, coding, design, and email campaigns. He’ll also collaborate with Alex Fernandez, our Internet Marketing Strategist, for other web-based projects.
A lifelong resident of Lee County, Matt has been doing graphic and web design for nearly 10 years. He will soon graduate from Full Sail University with a Bachelor’s degree in web design and development, with a focus on Web development usability and standards.
His skills are timely addition to the marketing mix we offer at Pushing the Envelope, Inc. and we’re proud to have him on the team! You can contact him at matt(at)getpushing.com.
By: Alex Fernandez
Internet Marketing Specialist
One of the most fundamental marketing lessons I took away from my days at Florida Gulf Coast University with Dr. Ludmilla Wells, was this principle: “You CANNOT market in a vacuum,” meaning that there will always be external factors, such as competition, environmental factors, industry trends, etc., that you will have to adapt to. Simply ignoring these factors can render a great idea absolutely useless.
The topic I want to address today is building a brand with online competition and SEO in mind, or “Branding for SEO”. One of our specialties at Pushing the Envelope is establishing online presences for our clients, whether it’s building them a website, landing page, social media account, or online directory listing. However, often times we will find that the client hasn’t considered online competition when they built their brand, as if search engine ranking pages (SERPs) and Internet marketing in general was an afterthought.
Internet marketing and search engine marketing is not the “wave of the future” as it is often tritely described. Internet marketing and search marketing is NOW. I would even go further to say that mobile marketing is also NOW. These mediums should be the first consideration for anyone that is creating a new brand. A few questions you should ask:
What are your domain options?
- A costly domain isn’t usually a great move for a start-up.
What are the top three results for each keyword or key phrase you are targeting?
- These are your search engine competitors, which could vary greatly from your offline competitors.
How active are your search engine competitors online and on social media channels?
- It might behoove you to find ways to be different and avoid an uphill battle from the start.
These questions might seem uber-simple, but they can save you thousands of dollars in time and web development costs, which will make you more profitable long-term. Here are a few principles to follow when branding for SEO:
Check the search results first!
Whenever I have idea for a new website, the first thing I do is see if anyone has come up with a similar or better idea before me. As brilliant as we like to think we are, the law of large numbers will always prompt me to perform a quick benchmark search inquiry. Why? Because if I thought of it, there is a high probability that a large number of people before me thought of it, too.
To illustrate let’s say you type in the prospective brand name and you see several other companies doing business under that name. Perhaps all but one company are doing business in a different industry. You are going to look at the one search competitor within your industry, and click through to their website, blog and social media. Is everything well designed, up to date, creative, content-laden, etc.? Will you be in direct competition with them? If so, you might want to rethink starting off with an uphill battle.
Own your brand on the major search engines.
Another concept of branding for SEO is owning as much of the web under your brand name as possible. Search for popular business directories such as DMOZ, BOTW, etc. – there are thousands of others. Then add your company information, keywords, links, any information they will allow you to include. Each new directory you setup for your business will generate an additional backlink to your business.
Another step to take is local SEO, if your business is a brick and mortar company with specific locations. You can place additional listing for your business on popular local search and user review websites, such as yelp, MerchantCircle, Trip Advisor, YP, superpages, and more.
The end result is your business “owning” the SERPs for your brand keywords. If you type your brand into Google, you want more than just #1 – you want 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, and so on.
Grow your brand without destroying it.
To illustrate this – think about the “New Coke” crisis that the Coca-Cola Company had in the 1980s. By creating a new beverage and discontinuing the old beverage, they essentially alienated their customers and abandoned the brand equity of Coca-Cola Classic.
This is a great way to think about branding for SEO. It’s important as your company grows, to keep in mind that you should never abandon the brand equity that you have built. It can take multiple years for some companies to reach number one for their targeted keywords – only for them to decide that they want to change their brand name. Make sure your brand strategy is clearly defined before changing your online presence.
You might want to add a brand extension, or create a separate website for your parent brand, rather than changing your current name in order to avoid unnecessary losses. For example, SC Johnson is the parent brand for Windex, which has a dedicated landing page for it’s Windex Outdoor Shine product. Each of these company names work together to create brand equity, without detracting from one another.
If you have questions about how you should go about launching your next big idea, or if you want to grow your brand without losing your brand’s equity, please contact us! We’re here to help you succeed.
By: Annette Venditti, Communication Ally
I love writing. I have been writing since I was young, first in diaries and journals and then in my sketchbooks and school notebooks. I love the creative process, the ability to create a place and a story that can entertain, educate and paint a picture for everyone to enjoy.
I have now entered the world of blog writing where I get to use my writing experience as well as share ideas and information with a wide variety readers – and I love it! My challenge has been realizing that the blog platform is not just about the story and the message you are trying to send to your readers, it’s also about the technical process of getting your information to your existing readers (and prospective ones), and get them to share it in the most effective way possible.
Here are some tips on blog writing that incorporate my old school process of writing and the new school of SEO for capturing your audience and ensuring they come back to read every post.
Make it Web/Search Friendly
SEO (Search Engine Optimization), the organic process of leveraging keywords and content development, is important to blog writing as you want the content to appear first on all search engine platforms. Did you know if you rank top in a search, your content and brand’s level of expertise is perceived to be higher and people assume that you are the better choice?
For some tips on writing SEO-friendly blog posts, check out Mashable‘s article.
Using smart keywords within the title and text of your blog is an effective way to develop this strategy. Keywords are actually made up of 3 to 5 words, or key “phrases”. Refine them by starting with the more obvious (i.e. company name, brand, services/products) to the more detailed topics and categories that relate directly to your blog site and add them in a natural writing style throughout the blog content. Don’t forget about creating tags as they also help organize your content for search engines giving you much better results.
Make it Easy to Access
Not everyone is going to remember to check your blog daily or weekly. Make it easy for them to remember or get the information directly. This includes have an RSS feed option set up so your readers can get your new blog posts directly in their email or sending email updates, including links in your newsletter, etc.
Content
The second element is your blog content, which should always be original, engaging and educational (informative) each time you post. Content in a blog is meant to be conversational allowing the reader to get a sense of who you are and what you represent. Add photos, videos (with links in the descriptions to the product or item referenced) and links to other sites throughout your content which enhances the blog overall.
Consistency in your blog’s style and message, one that supports and reflects your organization’s identity is the goal. Make sure it’s clear what your blog is about and commit to sticking with that topic or genre.
Proof It!
Always proofread your content (better yet, ask someone else to proof it before you post) as there is nothing worse than spelling and grammar mistakes when reading a blog online. Don’t just trust spell-check as many grammar mistakes are skipped when running this on your content.
Blog writing can be fun and easy, but be sure to stick to best practices. There are many resources out there to help you make your blog the best it can be. If you have questions for us on this topic, feel free to post a comment and thanks for reading our blog!
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