If you’ve landed on this page, it’s probably because you’re trying to figure out your internet marketing strategy. With so many tactics at your disposal, you may be wondering what strategies are right for your business and how to prioritize them.
Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Local Maps SEO
Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization help your business to rank on the first page of Google and other search engines. That sounds important and it is. Search engines are where people go when they are looking to hire a business. You want to be there when they need you, so this should be a high priority for any business. But SEM can be expensive and SEO is unpredictable. And both are competitive.
That said, there are things that you can do to take control. A search engine marketing campaign that is laser-focused on your geography and your ideal prospects nearly always produces a positive return on investment. The fact that Google makes the majority of their fortune with paid ads is proof of concept.
When it comes to ranking organically, there are strategies for getting your NAP data (name/address/phone) to exactly the right data providers so that Google sees your business as an authority and ranks you above your competitors. As for ranking in the organic section below the maps, the right amount of onsite SEO, content creation, and social signals can make that happen.
But even when you’ve mastered all of these tactics for ideal search engine marketing ranking, you’ve still only handled a small piece of the internet. Alexa says that people are only on Google for fifteen minutes a day, but that the average American uses the internet over five hours a day.
Display Advertising, Video, and Social Media
That means that if you want to get your message to people in the places where they spend the majority of their time online, you need to consider display advertising (on mobile and desktop devices), video and social media.
These strategies are ideal for branding and name recognition. Appearing before a user as they surf the web reminds them of your brand and your offers. Having a short video that highlights your business gives prospects a deeper look into your business and what your stand for.
When it comes to social, you simply cannot live without it. A business that’s not leveraging the many social sites that are available is simply missing out on an established medium where people spend a great deal of time. Social is built in a way that you can effectively do it yourself, and we encourage that. But even social algorithms are changing every day and it may take a professional who truly understands the channels to make the most of the audiences that are available on social sites.
Display Advertising, Video, and Social Media
You could afford to implement every internet marketing strategy. And you could be in the paper, on TV, on the radio, and on billboards. But we know that’s not likely to happen. In the end, you have to choose. So consider your goals. Do you want to be found when people are searching? Do you want to reach people as they surf the web or hang out on facebook? Either way, there’s an internet strategy that’s right for you.
