Best Practices for Search Engine Marketing

 

Search Engine Marketing Strategy

Lately it seems that phrases like "search engine marketing" and "search strategy" are being used so liberally in sales, conversations, news and blogs that it has become increasingly difficult to discern a point-of-view without first qualifying the person’s context in which the utterance was spoken or written.  Just don’t read or listen -- challenge to find out if the person really knows what he or she is talking or writing about -- because it seems that many too many people in this business are selling blue smoke and mirrors.

Understand that salesmen, saleswomen, media planners, business marketers, marketing strategists, social media marketers, PPC professionals, and SEO professionals commonly apply "SEM" and "search strategy" to their own point, while often meaning something more specific within the search or marketing landscape.  As a result, I see more neophytes sounding like professionals when they have no idea of the big picture and what they are truly speaking about. 

I mention this because I speak to dealerships throughout the country and just want to bring this topic to the forefront so that dealer management are aware and ask the correct questions.  It may sound like trivia, but the bottom line for enterprise marketers is that using this kind of advice will boost sales and increase profits.  

What is surprising is that some enterprise marketers and IT professionals are actually buying into misinformation without conducting the necessary due diligence.

If you've been reading the blogs for the last few months, then you are aware of the renewed sense that SEM is truly in transition right now; lines are quickly blurring into many different areas of marketing and business strategy. And you are aware of the difference between strategy and tactics.

Constructing a holistic search strategy requires expertise and knowledge across a variety of search channels, particularly in an enterprise situation.  A holistic search approach should be a consideration for every enterprise marketer, as it is imperative to look at search-marketing strategy starting with all of its components, and to deduce the right mix to meet the objective, whether it's paid, natural or any other combination of search elements.

With all of the possibilities in creating a well-rounded and holistic search strategy, keep in mind that the core of "search engine marketing" contains the following major components:

·         Natural search

·         Paid search

·         Contextual / content targeting

·         Paid inclusion

Within these classifications, one may have a myriad sub-strategies, tactics and nuances.  A search engine marketer has to deal with many different questions when setting strategy. While many of the answers are immediately obvious, based on a given situation, holistic search experience speaks to which new questions must be asked and answered.

For some small businesses, search alone, and even SEO or PPC alone, is the business strategy. For larger businesses and enterprises, it's more often a part of the strategy, and while often tactical in approach, there are exceptions when search is a foundation of an enterprise business strategy.

As the lines continue to blur, search strategy is increasingly impacting business strategy at the enterprise level. Because of the extreme diverse applications of SEM to different situations, it is important to know where a person is coming from when they talk about their respective SEM experience -- particularly if you are thinking about applying their advice to your business.

So the next time you encounter the phrase "search-engine marketing strategy, or search strategy discussed in conversation or in writing, try and determine whether the context is about one particular area of search, or if it is truly considering a holistic approach. Think critically about the person or writer's particular bias (even mine). You just might gain a better perspective on how to develop a successful search strategy that fits your objectives well.