Marketing your business online is a necessity these days, but with so many marketing options and terminology, how do you even know where to begin?
SEO, SEM and SMM are three popular and effective digital marketing options for businesses wishing to establish an online presence. Are you hoping for more customers to find your business? Understanding and implementing these strategies in your digital marketing campaign can improve your rank in search engines and increase leads to your website and on your social media pages.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the science of optimizing your website and its content with keywords related to your business in order to rank organically in search engines. If there is a hierarchy of the various marketing strategies, SEO is the king of the pack.
As mentioned above, SEO utilizes the keywords and keyphrases a customer would use to search for your business. If you have an HVAC business that services Austin, Texas. A possible keyphrase would be ‘HVAC repair near me’. Ignore the lack of punctuation there. Most search engine users do not punctuate their keyphrases, so that is the most probable use of the keyphrase.
A well-written, properly-optimized blog post or webpage can get you consistent visits to your website for many years. If you provide value for visitors, they will take a look at the other content your website contains.
Ranking factors include many things, and Google is always changing the weight of each. Some factors are high-quality content, well-structured pages, mobile responsiveness and of course, a great website that doesn’t have broken links or other errors.
Organic SEO is an ongoing process and it may take some time to see results. Anywhere from 3-6 months is normal, with 6 months being more likely, but this time and effort is an investment that will continue to pay.
SEM
Search Engine Marketing or SEM is a common and effective marketing strategy that is used to increase a website’s page rank in search engines, similar to SEO. With SEM, paid ads are used instead of organic methods.
The position of a webpage in search engine results pages (SERPs) determines whether or not it will get clicks and visits. Using an ad for search engine marketing places your website at the top of the SERPs, guaranteeing clicks to your website targeted with the search query.
SEM almost exclusively refers to paid search advertising or PPC (pay per click). As more businesses go online, it is important to stand out from the crowd and you can do this with PPC ads. The volume of online search for products and services is increasing and so are the number of websites hoping to rank for these search terms. Paying for your site to rank at the top of the page instantly increases your site’s chances of being clicked and you only pay when someone clicks.
Businesses are understandably keeping their money close to their chests. SEM allows effective ad spend because you only pay for clicks that lead to visitors to your site. Because people who search for a product or service and who ultimately click on a website are in a ‘buy-ready’ state, you can also count on not just visits but sales and solid leads.
The algorithms for search engines are intentionally complicated. SEM allows you to skip the complications and rank your website at the top of the page regardless of whether it is a new website or an old one. It is the fastest way to get visits to your website.
SMM
SMM or social media marketing is the use of social platforms to communicate with your audience and reach new audiences to build brand awareness, increase sales and website traffic. The major social media platforms are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, and Snapchat. Proper use of these platforms can enhance your customers’ experience and build trust with your audience.
Social media serves more purpose than simply posting to your business page. Each platform comes with its own guidelines and popular demographic, making it essential that you understand how they work and create content that will allow you to successfully engage with your audience.
Developing a concise social media marketing strategy with details on demographics, the best content to post, the best time of day, and the day to post are some of the things a good marketing strategy for social media should include. It should also include reporting and analytics. With this information, businesses can analyze what is working and make changes if necessary.
Paid SMM
Paid social media marketing allows businesses to create detailed audiences to show their ads. It is an easy way to reach more people who want your products and services.
Before you begin an organic or paid social media marketing strategy, it is important to think of the ultimate goal you want to achieve:
- Increase website visits
- Increase website conversion
- Build brand awareness
- Increase communication and engagement with your audience
The various digital marketing channels have their own opportunities to engage and do the required tasks to achieve your marketing goals. Digital media tools make it easy to carry out these tasks and increase the efficiency of your social media marketing.
There are over 2 billion active monthly users on Facebook alone. Imagine the other digital channels that allow you to run ad campaigns. What would it mean for your business if only a small fraction of those people saw your ads?
Create content that works well on each online marketing platform, select the right targeting data and interact with your audience regularly. SMM has the power to transform your business’ reach in a short space of time. Study the various platforms and take advantage of the opportunities they provide.
evlos digital has mastered digital marketing and has helped clients in various niches dominate their markets with organic SEO, SEM and SMM. Our campaigns have led to increased website visits with high conversion rates, increased leads, sales and ad reach across all platforms. We continuously study the digital channels because we make it our duty to help our clients find and maintain success.
If you want to dominate your industry, contact us for a free 30-minute consultation. Your business will thank you.