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Sunday, September 26, 2010

Google Instant

Sunday, September 26, 2010





Most people spend their weeks sitting in meetings or working on their computers. In fact, this is how I usually spend my time but this week was different thanks to Google Instant.  Many of the SEO clients I work with through Upward SEO wanted to know what the impact of Google Instant was on both SEO and PPC.

Whenever Google announces a change like Google Instant, people react.  What do the changes mean for your business?  If you're in Internet marketing, how does Google Instant change what you do and how you do it?  Most people out there believe this is a significant change in how people search and the impact of search results.  My belief is the opposite.  I don't think this change means much, if anything - for now.

Changing search behavior takes time, even if search engines are dictating a new search process.  It will be months before we can measure or truly evaluate the impact of a change like this.  Not to mention that Google Suggest has been around for almost two years!  Google suggest is the process of suggesting related search terms as you type.  And truthfully, the only change with Google Instant is that in addition to Google suggested terms, organic results are refreshing in real time.

But guess what?  Search engine optimization best practices haven't changed.  There's been no change to the Google algorithm here.  That's good news for us SEOs who are working to improve organic rankings.  For now search engine optimization is business as usual. 

What about PPC?  Many people are wondering what impact Google Instant has on pay-per-click marketing.  It's really hard to say at this point but Google has already said that one thing will definitely change and that is the number of impressions for keyword searches.  In fact, if someone pauses for just 3 seconds while typing, PPC ads that are rendered will be tagged with an impression.  Also, there will be a greater emphasis on local results.

This may influence online marketing metrics such as impression rates, conversion percentages and so on.  It will take some time for PPC marketers to recalibrate their baseline metrics to determine effectiveness of campaigns.  In the short term this will have an effect of comparing apples to oranges but in the long term will not have any significant impact other than the opportunity for more clicks.

Regardless of which area you are focused on in Search, know that changes will continue to happen.  Just two weeks prior to the launch of Google Instant, Google announced they were relaxing the number of site listings that could occupy a single page for a given search term (previously limited to 2).  Yahoo! announced that they were utilizing the Bing search algorithm to produce search results on their site.  

This is nothing new.  Search engines will continue to evolve and change but one thing stays constant.  Searching for information online, local or national, is part of how we live.  Keep on searching!

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Saturday, September 18, 2010

Marketing Automation The Right Way!

Saturday, September 18, 2010




Marketing automation is a phrase that most small and medium sized businesses don’t use all that often.  When thinking about automating your marketing functions, many things come to mind.  What functions can I automate?  What is the value of marketing automation?  What does it cost?  Where do I get started?

Having been in marketing leadership roles for over a decade and now running my own successful business, I know the value that marketing automation can bring.  At the same time, I understand the challenges and concerns with the concept of automation. 

Marketing automation is focused on lead generation with targeted marketing programs to create awareness and interest in a company's products and services.  As individuals enter a lead funnel, automation helps to nurture leads throughout the purchase decision process.

Automation of marketing is commonly used in consumer businesses that have long sales cycles as well as by companies selling to other businesses.  The great part about automating lead generation and management functions is that you can simultaneously manage multiple marketing threads with little overhead.  Said another way, Marketing Automation includes multiple areas of marketing and brings together email marketing technology with a structured sales process, usually through a CRM program.

Effective marketing automation uses tools throughout your lead management process that assist you in identifying, qualifying, and distributing warm leads to your respective sales teams.  These tools may include collateral, advertising, customer communications, and so on.  When combined properly, leads can be scored and routed appropriately, prioritizing and optimizing your marketing initiatives.

The great news about marketing automation programs are that you can use as little or as much as you need to manage your programs.  Plugins for online shopping carts like 1shopping cart, allow you to add a specific feature for affiliate marketing for example.  You can also add features to your web sites or blogs such as an auto responder.  This can help move prospects through your purchase process automatically.

More sophisticated automation exists as well.  I recently read a new e-Guide to marketing automation solution that showcases the power of full automation. This advanced functionality allows users to develop and monitor tightly focused lead generation and nurturing campaigns.  Once you know more about your prospects and their needs you can automate the delivery of relevant content within a sequence of messaging.

Not only does the advanced automation more effectively manage the sales cycle, it adds to your level of understanding of prospects, the purchase process for new prospects, and help you discover ways to shorten the sales process.  Advanced automation is ideal when working with a large number of customer segments that may behave differently from one another.

Whether you are new to marketing automation or a seasoned veteran, one thing is sure.  Automating pieces of the marketing and sales process can generate higher returns, improved market knowledge, and validation of marketing messages, processes, and outcomes. 

For access to a free e-Guide on marketing automation, click here.

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Sunday, September 12, 2010

How To Find Marketing Resources With Social Media

Sunday, September 12, 2010




I recently had the opportunity to expand my Internet marketing business and needed help with some basic programming tasks. Just like most marketing activities (copy, design, etc.), finding good people to help you succeed is always key. Due to the scope of this project, I needed to find a number of resources and find them quickly.

To my amazement, I found qualified people in just a few short days using popular social media tools for networking and background checking. Using social media, I was able to find individuals who had the experience and know-how to support my project and the growing needs of my business. I even reached out to current employees, freelancers, and industry colleagues to find individuals with the specific skills I needed.

Using oDesk, eLance, and LinkedIn, I started the search for qualified resources. As we all know, the quality of your design is directly reflected in the quality of your designers. The quality of your direct marketing campaigns - the quality and experience of your DM resources. The more work you do up front to choose the right people to support your business, the more successful you can become.

If you haven't already done so, register for popular social media accounts (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) and build your network of industry specific contacts. When you have a need, it's easy to reach out to your network with the details of what you need and ask for guidance. If you don't have a network of your own, join a popular "group" available in most social networks. By leveraging the experience of like minded individuals, you can quickly scale your reach and access to qualified candidates.

In addition to leveraging an existing network, you can post your open position on most social media sites as well. The recent project I referred to above required web site design and development on a php platform. I needed a very specific skill set from an experienced programmer. By posting my position with complete details, I only received inquiries from qualified individuals.

In addition to submissions from potential vendors with basic information, I asked for examples of work. In just a short time I had a handful of very qualified individuals willing and interested in doing the job. I also had everything I needed to make the right selection for the task.

I have since hired the individual I needed to complete this job and have been very pleased with the results. By leveraging my existing network and others in my chosen field through social media, I was able to locate a qualified individual for the job. By posting the specific position information, I was able to generate qualified inquiries that resulted in the right selection.

The next time you're looking for help, use social media to find what (who) you're looking for. It's easier than you might think. Use your network and post your position inside social media.

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Sunday, September 05, 2010

Changes to Search: Online Marketing Update

Sunday, September 05, 2010





This past week was a big one for anyone interested in selling products or services online. Even retail businesses with a brick and mortar store need to be aware of what's happening with the major search engines - Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.

If you haven't already heard, Yahoo! is now displaying Bing search results. What does that mean? Essentially, it means a large shift in how you optimize your web sites, landing pages, and online marketing. Instead of having to focus on 3 primary properties, you now only have to focus on two.

The consolidation of Yahoo and Bing, from a search perspective, also means that web sites that used to rank well on Bing, but not Yahoo, will see a sudden uptick in search placement and corresponding traffic. There isn't a lot of information out there about Bing optimization, but Bing does provide a primer on SEO. I encourage you to read the information and apply it to what you're doing online.

The other change that was recently announced was that Google, which previously would only allow a single web site to show two listings on page one for a given search term, is now relaxing their policy. In other words, if you have a number of pages related to a given search term (web pages) that are better "optimized", you could have numerous listings on page one of search results.

This means that niche and themed web sites can garner a larger share of traffic in a given area because they are commanding multiple spots on a single page of search results. If you thought that promoting your business with a single web page was an option, thing again. Google is now rewarding breadth and depth of web site content.

These are just some of the recently announced changes by large search engines. Whether you are casually involved with SEO or do search engine optimization for a living, staying on top of changes that impact your online marketing is critical. Subscribe to online newsletters and resources and share what you know with others (feel free to bookmark or send this post to colleagues).

More than 50% of individuals seeking to buy a product or service start their research online. Don't ignore the power of organic and paid listings to increase the exposure of your business.


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