When Fall is just around the
corner and anyone mentions the big game, most people immediately think of the
Super Bowl. And why not? With a viewing audience of a hundred ten
million for a game that commands nearly four million dollars for a 30-second TV
ad, this is one game that’s hard to beat.
Well, at least it is on TV. When
it comes to that other big game, the online marketing game, we’re talking about
a whole other arena.
With a worldwide audience of
nearly three billion, Internet marketing is in a league of its own. Unlike pro football, this is one game where literally every business owner on the planet is forced to play. The problem is that most businesses are still
sitting on the bench when it comes to online visibility. Statistics show that 95% of businesses in the
US have little or no presence on page one of the major search engines. This is primarily due to the fact that this
is one game where the rules constantly change.
Time to Get Off the Bench and Into the Game
Most businesses have a
website. In the past this was all you
needed to get off the bench and into the
game. That’s because before 2005, the
Internet used a website-centric architecture.
What this means in plain English was that back then all you needed was a
properly optimized website to get into the game. This was in the time before such things as
blogs, social networks and online video.
Once these online elements became commonplace on the Internet, the rules
of the game were changed forever. So
much so, that by 2014, your website only contributes 25% to your overall
ranking. The other 75% consists of
activity related to your blogs, social nets, podcasts and videos.
Sad to say but the days of
set-it-and-forget-it online marketing are over. If you want to succeed online, you need not
only to embrace the off-site elements of your web presence. You need to feed them. More importantly, before you spend a lot of time and money
playing the game of online marketing you need to start off by taking a look at
your current strategy. More precisely,
you need to ask yourself the following questions:
1. How many page one positions does your site currently
have and under which keywords?
2. How much traffic are you now generating?
3. How many sales per month are a direct result of your
website?
If your answer to these
questions is either none or “I don’t Know,” then you need to head back to the
locker room and rethink your strategy. Because
if your current game plan is not scoring, the only solution is to make some
changes.
If the name of the game is to
score, then the first thing that every business owner needs to do is define
what is meant by scoring. I mean, are
you trying to generate leads, sell your products and services, or simply brand
your business. If you can’t define your
online goal, how are you going to be able to achieve it?
The Starting Lineup
 |
| The Patriots defense rushes the Eagles offense during Super Bowl XXXIX. The Pats D had 4 sacks costing the Eagles 33 yards. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Once you determine what you
are looking to achieve on the playing field, then you need take a look at both
your offense and defense. Where most
people consider their website to be the quarterback, in today’s online arena it
is really only an eligible receiver ready to move the content you create.
You really need to look at your
blog as the quarterback, since it is responsible for passing on timely
information regarding your business.
Face it, once you create or refresh a website how often do you change
it? Once every year or so? I you want prospects and clients to stay current
with your business weekly blogs are the best way to move the ball down the
field. Of course, there are a number of
other positions that are vital to your offense.
We regard our social networks
as our offensive line. They give us the
ability to run interference so that our receivers can get in position to catch
the pass before the quarterback gets sacked.
Like any good offensive line, these players need to workout daily in
order to keep in shape. They need to
stay healthy throughout the long season.
And they need to get off the bench and into the game.
That brings us to special
teams, which is how we regard videos and podcasts. It used to be that the Internet was text
only. Today that isn’t the case. Back in
the late nineties people who found your business online would spend quite a lot
of time clicking around your site to check you out. Today you have less than two minutes to
score. Add to this the fact that people
are five times as likely to watch a video or listen to a podcast than read text
and you have to ask yourself if going multimedia isn’t a winning strategy you
need to adopt.
Your Offense is only as Good as Your Defense
When it comes to winning,
defense is every bit as offensive, right.
Think about what would happen to t
 |
| Shea Smith, the former quarterback of the Air Force Falcons, looks to pass during the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl. Español: Shea Smith, el ex mariscal de campo de los halcones de las Fuerzas Aéreas, se pase el fútbol durante el Armed Forces Bowl de 2007. Français : Le Quarterback Shea Smith juste avant de faire une passe. Suomi: Pelinrakentaja Shea Smith valmistautuu syöttämään. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
he quarterback if the ball was hiked
to him and there weren’t any linemen to keep the other team’s defense at
bay. That would be either a very long
day or a very short day for that QB.
Before a consumer or another
business owner decided to do business with you, they need to check you
out. While your website, your blogs, your
videos and social posts tell them a little bit about what you do, what it
doesn’t tell them is what your customers think of you.
The main reason that
prospects are reluctant to give you their contact information or make an
initial purchase doesn’t have as much to do with price as it has to do with
trust. The Internet is known to be a den
of scammers and spammers. You read about
it every day. Today things like
reputation management, online reviews and video testimonials are vital to
giving a prospect the confidence to make an initial purchase or sign up for an
offer.
That means they want to read
reviews and they want to hear what your customers have to say before they do
business with you. I you aren’t
cultivating positive reviews and posting credible video testimonials then don’t
complain if they decide to do business with someone that does.
Worst of all is the fact that
if you do not have a mechanism in place that fosters positive reviews then that
only leaves what: Negative Reviews. I don’t care how conscientious you are then
sooner or later you are bound to rub someone the wrong way. When that happens don’t be surprised if the
disgruntled party doesn’t post negative remarks and ratings about your company. That’s just the way the web works today. That’s also why you need to make the effort
to cultivate positive reviews. This way
if you take a hit, you will be able to get back on the field and continue to
play.
Gimme the Ball, Coach!
Last but not least the thing
that separates the dynasties from the also-rans in the NFL is one thing:
Coaching. If you are still trying to put
together a winning team without a coach, or are trying to coach your team by
yourself, let me give you some food for thought. Working the web to win is not a game
to be
taken lightly. The success or failure of
your business could well hinge on your company’s web presence. Get it wrong and your website could languish
in the backfield of this money game.
This also holds true for anyone you hire to manage your web
presence.
Unless you have the manpower
and intestinal fortitude to lead your team onto the field week in and
 |
| U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander, U.S. Central Command, gets ready to toss the coin at Super Bowl XLIII, Feb 1, 2009, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
week out
you are going to have to hire a coach.
While there are many highly reputable
online marketing firms out there, there are also a number of firms that can do
more harm to your business than a wily competitor. That’s due to the fact that there are still
some people who make their money by trying to cheat the search engines in order
to beat the search engines. While black
hat tactics can jump you to page one in a hurry, once discovered these tactics
can cause your website to be banished from the playing field altogether.
Therefore it is important
that you check out the credentials of anyone who offers to help you promote
your web presence online. Among other
questions, you need to ask the following:
1. How many years have you been promoting businesses
online?
2. Can I speak to some of your current clients?
3. What are your fees and what will I receive should we
choose to hire you?
4. How long is the contract?
5. Do you offer any guarantees?
6. What happens if you fail to deliver?
7. Who do I call if I have any questions or concerns?
8. Have any of your clients ever been de-listed by the
search engines?
Last but not least you should
search online to see if their firm has any positive or negative reviews. (Having no reviews is almost as big of a red
flag as having a bunch of negative reviews.)
The last thing you want to do is trust the future of your team with
anyone who has not been able to deliver a winning season or who has been
penalized by the league. Because when it comes to playing the game of online
marketing, you’re only as good as your last season.
Carl Weiss is president of Working the Web to Win, a
digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. You can
listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4pm Central on BlogTalkRadio.
No comments:
Post a Comment