I Know My Website's Here Somewhere

A friend forwarded me a great article that I have to share, as lately I've been adopting this strategy more and more.

The issue of how to strike a good balance between traditional, time honored marketing methods versus shiny toys like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an ongoing debate and topic of discussion for many of us in the biz, as we struggle to position ourselves to do the best job possible for our clients in making their voice count, ensuring great ROI as well as making sure their visibility is front and center. In short, doing our jobs to best promote their business in front of the widest audience, ethically, affordably and well.

Like anything else, SEO if implemented professionally, should be a component, a crucial component for sure, but still, a component of a broader, integrated marketing strategy. Anyone that tells you that SEO in and of itself is the "magic pill" that will turn their business profits around is either not telling you the truth or implementing some pretty unsavory SEO tactics in oder to get you high rankings in the search engines. Buyer Beware, and remember the old addage: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Make sure your marketing plan contains at least 3 of the following components and that they are well integrated in order to obtain a good bang for your buck:

• A well designed, unique, search engine friendly website
• Inclusion in as many general, industry specific and geo targeted directories
• Inclusion in all the major search engines, including Google, Yahoo and Bing
• A warm lead generated opt-in , professional email campaign (no spamming)
• Social Media, Social Media, Social Media
• A blog or newsletter campaign
• Targeted Pay-Per-Click advertising
• Aggressive email (opt-in only!) capture strategy
• Occasional specials, incentives, discounts offerings
• An analytical tool to gauge just what is effective and what can be discarded

Most important, however you choose to spend your marketing money,  is to make sure that your campaign is well branded and being delivered consistently and in a timely fashion. People need to get used to seeing your presence in order to expect your presence.

SEO alone does not a marketing plan make. My goal, as always, is yours: business walking through the door, orders flowing in, phones-a-ringing, trackable increases in dollars, and happy, smiley, business owners.

Suzen Pettit, a longtime Brookfield resident, is principal at Omaginarium and Omagine Health, an online marketing firm specializing in growing small businesses and medical practices by creating search engine optimized websites, internet marketing, social media marketing, SEO and email marketing. Contact Suzen at 203 733 8578 or email her at Suzen@omaginarium.com.