Get More from Search - Trends in Search & Social Media

Why do you read a newspaper? Read a magazine? Watch television? Listen to the radio? The answer to all of these questions is content. That’s right…content. If advertisements were the only things offered in the newspapers or magazines you read, television stations you watch and radio stations you listen to, or if the articles, programs and music were always the same, would you continue to use these media devices? The answer is no. Since this is the case, wouldn’t the same thing apply to your website? To improve the optimization of your website you need to provide fresh, new content on a consistent basis.

Content brings to a website what articles bring to a newspaper and magazine. Without it newspapers and magazines would be empty and stale. This also applies to websites. When robust content is added to your website it will help to improve your page ranking and site visitations. Another of the benefits is that you won’t get one-time only site visitors but rather, people who will come back on a consistent basis to read and interact with the new content that has been created.

It’s great that content will dramatically help your visitor acquisitions and retention rates, but what happens if you’re fresh out of ideas and resources? That’s the perfect time to identify online copywriters and content contributors with tried and tested written skills. You’ll need people with industry knowledge, a willingness to learn or some sort of following (i.e. bloggers, columnists or industry experts) because the aim is that they develop compelling content about what you do and how it makes your customers lives better.

Once you realize the benefits of improving the content on your website and are actually able to initiate it, then you can send people to your website in a few different ways. There are different services that are offered on the Internet that can assist you in getting your information out to the general public. One of the ones you can use is www.digg.com, a blog site, which allows you to post articles on their website with a link back to your site. If you really need some inbound links and inexpensive coverage, www.payperpost.com is a fee based system used to hire authors to write articles about your website. www.sitepronews.com offers a slew of actionable information on how to get more traffic to your site the right way, and for the long-term.

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Advertising, whether it is for a brick-and-mortar store or an online website, can be one of the highest expenses for a company. This is true whether the company is advertising online or in traditional media. You need to think about a couple of different factors before you decide on the path you want your company to take and determine if it will fit into your budget. You need to have a well thought out plan that has been researched and your company has determined that it is the best course of action for the company.

Let’s take a look at online advertising and review some smart steps to take before your company jumps into the vast opportunity of online advertising.

One of the factors you need to decide on is: will your company create the advertising plan in-house or are you are going to outsource it? If your company already has an advertising department in-house, then you need to determine if they will be able to fulfill your online needs, or whether a new recruit with online experience would more efficiently accomplish your goals.

You might think that advertising is advertising, and it is to some extent, but the way you advertise in traditional media does not typically translate to online. For instance, if one of your traditional methods is local newspaper advertising, and you insert a discount coupon for the first 100 customers, that will not work online because your audience is suddenly global. Even online local newspaper advertisements are going to a larger audience which should be considered when you offer limited or local discounts.

If you’re going to outsource, you’ll want to consider several aspects before you decide on the scale of your project and the size and specialty of the company you will contract with.

Do you need a full-service agency that can handle paid and natural search optimization, vertical search, rich media and viral campaigns or a specialty firm focused on one discipline?  Budget may limit your choices somewhat.

Once you’ve determined the type of firm, interview several companies and once you present your first-stage goals and ideas, ask them how they’d strategize your online advertising campaign. Ask for referrals and talk to their customers with similar budgets. Query the agencies for their perspective and you’ll likely learn a lot in the interview process.

Look for flexibility and a firm that wants their customers to learn along the way. It is also important to remember that there will always be adjustments in your advertising campaign. You’ll need to be flexible too. The online marketplace is growing and morphing rapidly and everyone has to catch up or switch gears at some point. 

When you’re ready to make your decision, keep in mind that budget and shiny new methods are very important, but it’s always wise to align yourself with an agency that captures your vision and shares similar philosophies.  Steer clear of those that operate in a vacuum, expecting you to trust the methods as long as the outcome is profitable. The Internet is one place where word of mouth – both good and bad – spread faster than any other medium.

When you start looking for an online advertising company, there are some websites you can go to that will assist you in asking the questions that will help your business succeed. Some of these are: www.marketingprofs.com (free and inexpensive articles, case studies and seminars for online marketers), www.marketingexperiments.com (for learning what really works), and www.responsys.com (full marketing and email services lifecycle marketing).

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Is the touch and feel element of shopping in person really worth the hassle? More consumers responded with their wallets and an implied ”not always” by pouring 24% more dollars into online shopping in 2006 compared to the previous year. Interestingly, it would appear that consumers are not only increasingly satisifed with the online shopping experience, they also trust the shipping giants to deliver orders on time, despite tight deadlines, according to a new report by comScore. 

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