Think Big Blog

The minute that most of us get out of bed in the morning we are bombarded by thousands of messages - from our televisions and radios to the information that comes at us online. When you really stop to think about it - how is it possible that all of these messages are delivered? That all of them reach their intended audience? The answer, of course, is that they don’t. With so much coming at us rapid fire everyday, a ton of information falls through the cracks. It is only the savvy marketing person that can craft a message that tunnels through the interference and it hits its mark. Of course, this is the most important concern for everyone promoting a product or service - and especially a website that competes in an often chaotic online arena everyday. Online marketing is one of the toughest things to do successfully because so much of what we deal with online is not tangible - we are dealing in things we can’t really see but must still measure. We need to be able to get the attention of targeted web traffic and deliver them to our site.

Define your business through keywords.

Any business that has worked with a website optimization firm or online marketing company has been introduced to the concept of keywords. This is much more than just choosing keywords that can be used throughout your website content. These are the words that truly define your business in the ways that are most important because - if done right - these are the words that are most likely to be used by your targeted web traffic in an online search. An online marketing campaign will use these keywords to target website traffic with pinpoint accuracy - to the people who are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer and be converted into customers. More in the next post…

In the last post we talked about how important marketing is for a website as well as a traditional company. Online, website owners are concerned about generating a buzz around their site and around their business as a whole; a buzz that can be created by implementing a sound strategy that includes a variety of different marketing methods. In the last post, we talked about the first - and most effective - method of getting attention online. That involves hiring a website optimization firm to implement an organic SEO campaign. More than anything, by hiring professionals you are ensuring that someone is always focused on your website rankings and that your name is out there in front of the appropriate audience. There are other avenues to explore as well, including:

Promotion through Ongoing News - Promoting a company through the distribution of ongoing press releases is an effective way to continually keep people informed and the company’s name in front of an online audience. By optimizing the press releases with the inclusion of keywords you can further ensure that your rankings will continue to increase and hold their own over time.

Publishing of Additional Information - One of the great ways to establish credibility online is to position yourself as an expert in a particular subject matter. Consider the ways in which you can promote your expertise in your industry; publish a variety of articles and information in which your audience may be interested. Keep the information coming and consider the many potential sites where you can post that information - look for your audience in expected - and unexpected locations.

Keeping Things Fresh - Remember that ultimately the reason that people stay on your site is because they find the products and information that they are looking for; give them what they came for and you’ll keep them on your site. Offer information, updated products, fresh content, and more reasons to visit.

One of the rules of public relations that we hear time and time again is that even bad news is good news. In other words, no matter what context you get your name out there, it’s still getting your name out there. That may be true to a certain extent; larger corporations can afford to have people talking about them even if it’s not in the most positive light, but for the rest of us we would much rather have our company connected with good things. If we’re going to get people’s attention we sure hope it’s in a positive manner. This is why companies of all kinds - and especially as they promote their online presence - strive to generate a buzz around their products and services; something that can be done through online marketing as well as it can be done through traditional public relations practices.

Online marketing, just like traditional marketing, is all about generating that buzz. Online, however, success is manifested through qualified website traffic. If you get people talking about you - specifically your intended audience - you will inevitably increase website traffic and grow your overall business. So how do you create a buzz around your website and get the attention of your intended audience?

Well-Coordinated SEO - Search engine optimization handled professionally through a website optimization firm can do a lot to get the name of a company out there in front of an audience that not only is interested but is in the market for the products and services that the site offers. Organic SEO is undertaken through the choosing of appropriate keywords that will likely be used in a search; as well as through strategic linking and a variety of other SEO practices. An added benefit of using a website optimization firm is that they will continue to manage the campaign so that website traffic is maintained and that changes and additions to the campaign can be handled on the spot.

More in the next post…

Really making a splash online means being able to generate website traffic effectively. What most website owners who are successful and increasing their website traffic realize is that this traffic does not all come from one place. A multi-pronged approach, therefore, is the best way to approach online marketing in order to cull website traffic from a variety of locations. Some of the ways in which websites - for all businesses, in all industries - are driving website traffic - is by:

Working with a website optimization firm to put a search engine optimization campaign in place. Organic SEO practices include the integration of keywords into website content, the launch and management of a strategic linking campaign, and changes made to the website itself to make it more search engine friendly. A well choreographed and managed SEO campaign can powerfully impact website traffic.

Getting news out there. Press releases - especially press releases that have been optimized with your keywords - can garner traffic from a variety of locations. In fact, releasing ongoing press releases helps to keep the name of your business out there, your company in front of editors, and help maintain a steady stream of website traffic. Make sure the news is interesting and that it will get the attention of editors and readers.

Publish content in other locations. Having optimized content on your site is important - and well regarded by the big search engines who are responsible for ranking your site and ultimately delivering you with website traffic - but its also important to spread the wealth when it comes to website traffic. Publish articles and other information on relevant, non-competing sites throughout the web. Not only will you be getting the word out about your business and sharing information that will identify you as an expert, you can integrate keywords that will link readers back to your site.

Marketing for traditional businesses tends to follow a relatively set path in most cases, although the mediums have certainly changed as technology has grown by leaps and bounds. Online marketing, however, follows a much less direct path in many cases; there is much to consider and there are many variables. You are essentially building a marketing plan on a foundation that tends to shift considerably according to the latest trends. So how do you know how to approach online marketing in a way that allows you to grow targeted web traffic? There is still a relatively systematic approach in the beginning that - above all - involves working with professionals that can give you the guidance and momentum to set goals and achieve them. Working with an online marketing company gives companies the ability to see their whole marketing picture and make decisions accordingly. In their quest to deliver targeted web traffic, an SEO services company will offer:

Intense keyword research. There is no better way to increase rankings in a search engine optimization (SEO) program than to use the most appropriate keywords; the keywords that will drive targeted web traffic to a site. An online marketing company will research keywords to determine what will work best in terms of competitiveness and what people are using to guide them in their search for these particular products and services.

The elbow grease of an organic SEO campaign. Elevating search engine rankings takes time and ongoing management. Website optimization is a process that must be driven - a journey. Professional online marketing companies have the time, ability, and resources to stay engaged in the process and make adjustments as necessary on the road to success.

A look at the complete picture. There are many different facets that go into a successful online campaign - including work on the website, integration of keyword rich content, linking strategy, and more. When all components are addressed in tandem, a campaign has the best chance of success.

When it comes to any business it’s important to have a solid foundation in place before you do any of the work to grow the business. Otherwise, anything that you do will sink in the end. For many people, the idea of building a solid online foundation begins and ends with creating a dynamic website. While a great looking - and obviously functional - website is important, setting the foundation for solid online marketing for that site is just as significant for its long time survival and success. How do you set your sites on growth without making absolutely sure that your audience can find you? Matching a website with its audience online is about generating targeted web traffic; something that a website optimization firm can help put into place through the choosing of keywords, integration of keyword rich content and the orchestration of a strategic linking plan.

What is important to remember is that this is the foundation of your online marketing campaign; something that - if you do right - will catapult you to success by making sure that you are able to find your audience and that they can find you. An organic SEO campaign will afford you:

A focused look at keywords that will help to drive traffic appropriately. You want to utilize the keywords that are used most often by those who are participating in a search for your particular goods and services - and to integrate those keywords into your content to not only get the attention of the search engines but draw the attention of your audience.

Solid management strategies that will keep you on track through a campaign that could include many twists and turns. There is nothing predictable about the Internet and those who find success do so because they are able to adjust fast and keep on moving.

In the last post we talked about how traditional marketing and advertising is not only about getting the attention of the intended audience, it is about establishing and sometimes changing perception. You want those who could potentially be customers to have a positive image of you in their mind and you set forth your plan in an effort to grow brand loyalty. The same goes for online marketing where the competition is clear and the fight to get to the top of the search engine rankings wages on a daily basis. Perception - in the mind of a consumer - is reality; and should they type in a keyword phrase for something that you claim to be an expert in doing and they find you on page four, five, or twenty on the search engine rankings your credibility is going to be diminished in their eyes. Ranking is important; there’s no question.

As we said earlier the best way to manage an online campaign so that you are reaching your audience through targeted (and well researched keywords) is by working with a professional and experienced web site optimization firm that can strategy the best campaign and take you through the paces. There needs to be a certain amount of flexibility inherent in such a campaign as things change day to day online; the best online marketing campaigns are able to adjust and move on towards their quest to attract qualified web site traffic.

A reputable web site optimization firm will help you put together a search engine optimization plan that they will not only implement but manage on a day to day basis. This ongoing hands-on management can be the difference between mediocre results and true success in gaining a foothold in a particular industry and certainly in the online market.

When you embark upon a traditional advertising and marketing campaign your motivation is to gain the attention of your intended audience through the strategies that you put into place. Ultimately, however, what you really mean to do through this work is to generate a perception about your brand - lay the foundation for those who have no pre-conceived ideas about your brand and change the perception of those who may have negative feelings toward it. How you do this is entirely within the scope of creative strategizing and execution and while this lends itself to traditional advertising and marketing it most certainly lends itself equally well to online work.

Selling yourself and changing perception online can be tricky. There are few places where consumers - and misaligned wrongdoers - can weigh in so completely and so instantly on your product and service. Almost every day web sites and the companies behind them are being judged by a jury of their online peers and it can be a difficult battle to face. The best resources that anyone has for being successful online is their ability to adjust their search engine rankings. You want to be as close to the top of the rankings as possible so that you can immediately and positively attract the attention of your audience. Of course such rankings increase web traffic as a matter of course, but if you strategize appropriately and execute your plan with equal parts determination and flexibility you can maximize your opportunities to not only get more web site traffic but attract the traffic that will have a higher conversion rate and earn you business.

Managing such an online campaign is best done through the work of a web site optimization firm that can lend their expertise to the process. More in the next post…