Use Brand Building and SEO in Tandem
Written by maychaell on 8:57 AMWhile smaller companies will always struggle to justify a large marketing budget, it is possible to make what is available work twice as hard by doubling up on objectives and results. Never more so than in the complimentary areas of brand building and search engine optimisation.
Being a start-up is no excuse for poor marketing. With the social media explosion and proliferation of online opportunities, it's both easy and inexpensive to take your marketing viral and use search engine optimisation to steal your rivals' thunder.
So what if you can't afford a full page ad in the Times? Does it matter that you won't ever see your brand splashed wantonly across the monthly glossies? Online marketing via creative SEO is actually a much more powerful tool. After all, what percentage of your target market buys every edition of the print media? If they're reading on the Tube or listening to competitor ads on the radio while stuck in traffic, are these people whose eyes and ears you are paying for truly in a position to actually dial your number or log on to place an order at that second anyway?
Compare that scenario with this - you get a positive review on a third party site (think Amazon, Kelkoo or Yelp), that prompts clients past and present to comment. A potential purchaser happens across the discussion while researching their upcoming buy and they log on to your site fully briefed by their peers on your brand integrity. Surely this is a much more productive way of wooing your client base?
With upwards of 200-million users registered with at least one social networking site, this grassroots approach can be used to drive targeted traffic and build online brand buzz. Using these bookmarking sites, forums, blogs, press distribution channels and the like strays into search engine optimisation territory. That's what is so fabulous about online brand building. Not only can it be done on a fraction of the budget but the upshot is increased search engine placement.
The two main considerations for SEO are on-page content and off page referrals (link backs). Coincidently, both of these play a significant role in online brand building. Keyword rich press releases and articles get across important promotional messages, reinforcing core brand values and aiding brand penetration. They are also an essential element of any modern optimisation campaign. Distributed online via pr channels, RSS feeds and e-zines they generate valuable links, helping to increase visibility by pushing the site through search engine result pages.
With a good press release or article, the average company has a veritable arsenal of SEO and brand building opportunities. There's also a huge scope to get creative and beat the big budgets at their own game. A lack of money to spend on advertising does not drain creativity. In fact, the best digital marketing initiatives have been fuelled by a penny pinching borne of necessity.
After adding the content to the web site in question, the PR item can be used as a starting point for creative blogging and bookmarking activities. These actions create the links needed for optimisation success while building a grass roots community and facilitating client interaction with the brand. A quirky piece will start a flurry of bookmarking and online commentary, driving quality traffic and raising profile. And, with this traffic, links and profile follow - as does a better position in search results.
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