The Right Click

As I work with clients, I realise more and more that social media is just the latest in a long trail of fascinating tools available to us online.

Because of this, I think it is important to think about (and use) social media in an appropriate, well-thought out context, in partnership with other online marketing tools such as SEO (search engine optimisation) and email marketing.

Today on the internet, you have many warring camps. There are those who are convinced that the only thing that counts is search engine optimisation (i.e. where you rank in Google). Social media fanatics claim this is just old school thinking and that social media is the only thing that counts. Email marketers claim that email (despite the very real problem of spam) is still the most powerful tool available to you while others are equally convinced that email is as obsolete as the dodo bird.

In my mind, everyone is right and everyone is wrong. Each of these tools have great merits (as well as disadvantages). But it is putting them together appropriately that you can really develop a powerhouse online program that brings real results and considerable return on investment.

To show you how I believe you can use SEO, email marketing and social media together to create a dynamic programnme, I have put together a list of seven steps you might want to consider following when tackling your online program:

1. The first step is to identify (or confirm) your brand’s unique positioning. While this seems like an obvious thing to do, you would be surprised how difficult this can be for companies of all sizes. By being extremely clear about your brand’s positioning (i.e. who you are and exactly what kind of customer you are seeking to target), you can begin to optimize your online presence through keywords.

2. Once you have identified your USP, you are now ready to identify a strong list of keywords and keyword phrases that your prospect will use to find your products or services. As we all know, Google has trumped basically every other method in terms of search. Simply put, if you want people to find you, you absolutely need to be ranked in the top 3 spots for specific keywords on Google. Choose a list of keywords that are as specific to what you are doing as possible. General terms like ‘dog training’ are notoriously competitive and impossible to rank for, making it hard for you to stand out in the marketplace. “Expert in training dogs not to bark in Dubai” is more specific and will give you a much better chance of success.

3. The third step is to create a new site or optimize your existing site. To optimize your site you need to make sure that it integrates the keywords you have chosen both in the ‘tags’ (in the HTML code) as well as your copy. You will also absolutely want to have a blog added to your site (people are now beginning to use the term blog site). Blogs are great (and Google loves them) because it means that you are constantly add fresh content to your site.

4. The fourth step is to complete your SEO efforts by developing back links to your site and making sure your site is registered with all the search engines as well as local business directories.

5. Now that you have set up and optimized your online presence, you can now turn to the magic of social media to bring traffic to your site. To do this, you will need to create excellent original content (articles, blog posts, videos, and podcasts) and share that information throughout the Social Web (Face book, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube). But make sure that the community and conversations you are creating around your brand don’t just float. Every conversation and ever piece of content you create should ever so gently send your new friends/followers back to your blog site. Your blog site is at the heart of your online program-make sure your prospects arrive there.

6. Step 6 is to set up an opt-in box on your blog site. What is an opt-in box? It is a little box where you ask your visitor for their name and email. Nowadays, people normally expect to get something in return for giving you their name and email. You can give away a video, audio or a simple PDF filled with tips. Just be sure that the free content is professional and relates specifically to a problem your prospect has that you can help them solve. Why is an opt-in box so important? Without an opt-in box, the visitors to your site simply vanish into thin air and are lost to you forever. With an opt-in box, you begin to create a loyal group of followers and customers to whom you can continue a relationship.

7. The seventh and final step is using email to continue your conversation with your ever-growing list. You can send a weekly newsletter (commonly known as an e-zine) or you can just use your email auto responder to send frequent automatic messages to your list. In any event, the messages you send should be a blend of selling and sharing content.

The above simple 7 step programme is a blend of SEO, social media and email marketing. Miss a piece and you will miss out on better business results. So, be sure to re-evaluate your current programme and make sure you integrate the magic of all these tools.

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