Earlier this week, Net-Results was a participant and sponsor at the BMA Colorado PARTEE on the Green. Pun-errific name notwithstanding, the golf was a blast at the picturesque Arrowhead Golf Club, nestled in the foothills of the Rockies. With a wide variety of golfing abilities and experience, everyone witnessed plenty of memorable shots, although a few might make the memory-bank for the wrong reason. As one member of our foursome looked on at an exceptionally graceless shot, she mused that online marketing is a lot like golf – while practice might make perfect, it helps to have the right foundation from the beginning.
Think about it – her statement makes a lot of sense. Even though many people hit the links regularly, with the intention of hitting ball after ball until they “get their swing right,” they may be reinforcing bad habits, inefficient techniques or worse! Ultimately, after months or years of trying to improve their skills based on the do-it-yourself-golf model, many people will become frustrated with their lack of progress and quit. Translate this scenario to online marketing – not pretty, is it?
At Net-Results, we want you to unleash both your inner rock star marketer and fantastic golfer. To that end, we’ve outlined a few components of a typical online marketing campaign and suggestions for when it’s time to visit the neighborhood pro…
1. Website Redesign. While most of us are smart enough to know we need a pro to design our website, many people insist that their website isn’t ‘working’ due to poor design. Before embarking on that 3rd redesign in 12 months, ask yourself, “What do you want your website to do?” and, “How are you quantifying success?” Based on those answers, you might find the look and feel of your website isn’t the problem, but rather, your messaging or calls-to-action are vague or unclear.
2. Search Engine Optimization. We all want to rank number one on Google for that ultra-juicy, ego-stroking, best ever search phrase, right? While it makes complete sense to focus on those high priority search terms, remember the more competitive the phrases, the more difficult it is to rank for them. If you place all of your effort on 3-4 phrases, you might be missing some tremendous value in long tail keywords. Be sure to do your homework and pick a mix of both high-value keywords along with some lower hanging, less competitive ones.
3. Email Marketing. In the good old days of 1998, you could pretty much send an email out to a list of marginal quality and anticipate double-digit open, click-thru rates and perhaps conversions. Back then, email was relatively new and inboxes were gloriously uncluttered. Sadly enough, those days are long gone and your email marketing strategy needs to reflect such changes. Marketing automation software will allow you to send smarter, trigger-based email campaigns that demonstrate improved response rates, but just like any other marketing initiative, it must be part of a well-rounded strategy.
4. Pay Per Click. Much like bullet point #2, in paid advertising, we all want that top spot on Google, Yahoo Search, etc. Let’s be realistic though, because that top spot can cost a boatload of dough. Moreover, PPC requires serious attention – it’s not like a “set it and forget it” Ron Popeil rotisserie oven. What worked well one day may be a bust in two months. With diligent campaign monitoring, you may find that the third position converts just as well as the first. Or if you concatenate high-value search terms with geographical areas, your bids might be much less expensive but still provide plenty of conversions.
5. Statistics and Metrics. Ever heard the question, “Why doesn’t my online marketing work?” I like to respond, “Because it’s lazy.” (No, not really!) That question is first rooted in defining the word, “work.” Understanding both the objectives of your marketing strategy and how you’ll measure success are critical. While social media outreach could be measured by the number of followers, mentions or retweets, PPC might only be measured by total conversions. Let me repeat, defining the objectives and then utilizing analytics/statistics to measure and track campaigns is a critical step. After all, how can you share your successes if you don’t really know what a success is?
Online marketing encompasses so much more than monitoring and optimizing these 5 parts, but much like learning how to golf, you need to pick a starting point and decide how much you want to tackle on your own and what parts need the guidance and specialized services of a pro.
How’s your golf swing and online marketing looking this summer – crisp, long drives or shanking off the fairway? Please comment below or send us a tweet.
