seo? sem? social? what will work for you?
Which should you choose? And from whom?
Well...being honest we'll say it could be all of the above. But by simply choosing digital marketing program(s) will not guarantee results. Nor will it happen with just any partner (and there are 1000s to choose from). You need the right coordinated strategy, the right partner, and most importantly the right management of the program after you get started. We've seen countless hours and thousands of dollars go to waste due to inefficient or inattentive campaign management. We know you are busy, but this is not a 'set it and forget it' medium. It requires ongoing, detail-oriented and collaborative teamwork along the way in order to be successful. We've been hands on in hundreds of SEO, SEM and Social/Content Marketing accounts for B2B businesses already and have seen and understood a lot of both the good and bad. We thing we can help you, too.
Next question...should I manage this myself, with some consultative assistance or outsource?
It all comes down to time and money.
- How much time do you have to continually educate on what's needed in these channels?
- How much time do you have to dedicate to hands-on management on a WEEKLY basis?
- How much of a budget will you be dedicating to a paid search effort?
- How much of that paid search budget do you want use for ads vs agency fees?
- How important is ROI and how would you measure it?
So, how do we help?
Yes, we can provide SEO, SEM and Social Marketing services (and we're pretty good at it!) but that does not always mean we're always the best tactical partner for you. We understand every need is different and there are cases where other firms are better equipped to handle the tactical execution of these programs...but someone still needs to strategically manage them. How much spare time do you have?
That's where we can help. Without having a horse in the race we can make sure your programs are aligned with your business's needs, the vendors are performing at their highest levels, and you are also participating in needed ways that add to the overall success. This type of fractional marketing approach provides you with peace of mind. You have a seasoned OBJECTIVE professional advocating for your best interest, watching out for your investments and ensuring you get the results you want.
SEO - What do I need to know?
Search Engine Optimization is a process that needs a commitment and not just a solution. Google evaluates over 200 elements when deciding who will be #1,2,3...10 ranked and last year alone made over 3200 changes to that algorithm. They ran over 200,000 experiments on the search landscape (how things are arranged on the first page) last year and kept 2400 changes. Couple that with the ever-changing search behavior of people and the ever-changing nature of the website you're competing against...this is a never-ending battle and there are no legitimate short-term fixes. Their needs to be a well though out, comprehensive S, M, Long-term strategy that start with your goals, then content, execution, evaluation, adjustment and further execution. You will need a dedicated resource to be successful at SEO...will that be you? A new hire? Or perhaps an OBJECTIVE and trusted consultant?
Paid Search (SEM) - What do I need to know?
The first thing you should know is that Google and Bing WILL SPEND whatever budget you give them - which kind of explains in part how they're a 150B+ dollar company. It's also likely that if you have a paid search vendor they'll spend your full budget as well. It may be spent on the right people and searches but far too often very large percentages of your budget are lost on irrelevant and non-converting search queries for either non-related items or on people not far enough down the decision path to become an opportunity or customer. How much of YOUR budget is getting wasted?
Managing a campaign with 100's of keywords and ads that go before 10,000+ searches monthly requires attentive care and a thorough understanding of your business & the ever-changing environment and dynamics that are always there. With just a few incremental improvements your efficiencies and outcomes can change dramatically. With our experience with overseeing 100's of B2B AdWords campaigns to-date we feel we have the insight to be sure you get, and stay, on track to reaching your goals.
Social & Content Marketing - What do I need to know?
No, we don't think we'll be making your peristaltic pump the next viral sensation, meme, or dance move. But we do think by targeting strategically defined audiences with specific, tailored, informative, authoritative and rich content we can influence their decision-making processes to bend in your direction. We have seen where targeting specific personas by industry vertical and job title can open doors you've always been looking for. We know how content about company culture can strengthen retention and hiring efforts. We also know that by crafting specific content on your website that helps solves problems and answer questions will lead to opportunities that end up using your products and services. This, too, is a long term strategy that requires planning, scheduling, content creation and ongoing management & review. We can help here, too.