SEO Tactics in Marketing Strategies
Integrating SEO tactics into pre-existing marketing strategies isn't difficult to do. But producing consistently good results over time seems more difficult for many businesses than it really ought to be.
Effective SEO is an extension of basic marketing fundamentals. Part of the disconnect may lie in the fact that SEO is new enough that marketing classes don't even address it. There is no SEO 101 class to teach the fundamentals. And tech savvy SEO professionals are part of a new breed of competent operators who may be more likely to pursue online education options while acquiring SEO competence through experience.
The Importance of Good Ideas
Ideas matter. Marketing has emphasized "Content is King" to the extent that it's become a stale cliché. Trumpeting the importance of good content does nothing if you can't rise above cliché and move into producing really good content on a consistent basis.
Good content is the underlying bedrock that supports every other SEO tactic at your disposal. If you lack good content it doesn't matter how effective your subsequent tactics are. Link integration and social media strategies are necessary but good content is key.
What Is Good Content?
If your emphasis on good content primarily deals with well-written information that doesn't contain grammatical felonies and proper semicolon insertion, you're only halfway there. Truly great content—the kind that results in big social share numbers—always contains elements of thought leadership.
Not every piece of content will be earthshakingly revolutionary, but you can't continue to rehash the same tired and worn out ideas. Good content needs to offer fresh perspectives or offer a paradigm shift. Analysis matters. Remember, content should be written for readers and you have no monopoly on a reader's time.
Anyone can regurgitate information about the latest iPad app. Readers want to know more than that. They want to know what the significance is. How might that iPad app shake things up? You can give them straight information—Diaspora is a new open source social media site.
Or, you can give them some perspective about its potential to change the social media landscape. What are the implications of an open source social media site like Diaspora for potential business applications? What will its growing popularity mean for Facebook and Google+?
Social Media Matters
Amplifying the impact of good content with social media is important for maximizing the SEO value. And marketing has gotten fairly good at the social media element. But social media isn't a magic bullet. It can't make up for shoddy content. Marketing folks sometimes miss the point of social media integration altogether. It may be useful to think about social media as a force projector.
If you have great content to begin with and then maximize its effectiveness with a calculated campaign of tweets, Facebook and Google+ posts, you're on the right track. Artificially generated buzz can work well. But if you put your social media muscle behind really good content, you may be surprised at the naturally occurring organic buzz that begins to happen. If you couple good content with effective social media integration, you'll produce consistently good results over the long term. And that's what matters mos
Integrating SEO tactics into pre-existing marketing strategies isn't difficult to do. But producing consistently good results over time seems more difficult for many businesses than it really ought to be. Effective SEO is an extension of basic marketing fundamentals. Part of the disconnect may lie in the fact that SEO is new enough that marketing classes don't even address it. There is no SEO 101 class to teach the fundamentals. And tech savvy SEO professionals are part of a new breed of competent operators who may be more likely to pursue online education options while acquiring SEO competence through experience.
The Importance of Good Ideas
Ideas matter. Marketing has emphasized "Content is King" to the extent that it's become a stale cliché. Trumpeting the importance of good content does nothing if you can't rise above cliché and move into producing really good content on a consistent basis. Good content is the underlying bedrock that supports every other SEO tactic at your disposal. If you lack good content it doesn't matter how effective your subsequent tactics are. Link integration and social media strategies are necessary but good content is key.
What Is Good Content?
If your emphasis on good content primarily deals with well-written information that doesn't contain grammatical felonies and proper semicolon insertion, you're only halfway there. Truly great content—the kind that results in big social share numbers—always contains elements of thought leadership. Not every piece of content will be earthshakingly revolutionary, but you can't continue to rehash the same tired and worn out ideas. Good content needs to offer fresh perspectives or offer a paradigm shift. Analysis matters. Remember, content should be written for readers and you have no monopoly on a reader's time.
Anyone can regurgitate information about the latest iPad app. Readers want to know more than that. They want to know what the significance is. How might that iPad app shake things up? You can give them straight information—Diaspora is a new open source social media site. Or, you can give them some perspective about its potential to change the social media landscape.
What are the implications of an open source social media site like Diaspora for potential business applications? What will its growing popularity mean for Facebook and Google+?
Social Media Matters
Amplifying the impact of good content with social media is important for maximizing the SEO value. And marketing has gotten fairly good at the social media element. But social media isn't a magic bullet. It can't make up for shoddy content. Marketing folks sometimes miss the point of social media integration altogether. It may be useful to think about social media as a force projector.
If you have great content to begin with and then maximize its effectiveness with a calculated campaign of tweets, Facebook and Google+ posts, you're on the right track. Artificially generated buzz can work well. But if you put your social media muscle behind really good content, you may be surprised at the naturally occurring organic buzz that begins to happen. If you couple good content with effective social media integration, you'll produce consistently good results over the long term. And that's what matters most.
About the Author:
Joseph Baker has worked in the business world for over 15 years, specifically in management. He has led development and management teams, and implemented budget reductions both professionally and as an independent contractor. In addition, he has led strategic planning and systems of implementation for nine organizations, both public and private, and worked extensively with small businesses. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Marketing from the IU - Kelley School of Business and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management.
