• The world moves round in a circular motion…..right?

    Posted on July 15th, 2009 mferguson 56 comments

    RIGHT! Motion stays in motion.

    So you’re looking to dip your toe into social media? Or maybe you need a pay-per-click lead generation campaign? Or maybe you care about your natural page rankings? So you look for a company that specializes in exactly what you’re looking for. Instead of looking at these as ala carte, it’s not only more economical but a better strategic move to integrate a full circle online program that is all encompassing.

    Think about this. You want to implement a search engine optimization campaign to increase your website’s page rank. In order to truly do this, you want to consider article and press release directory submissions. Well, if you’re going to create articles and press releases, might as well spread those messages through you social media campaigns - a one-two punch. And while your social media and SEO campaigns are gaining traction, let’s drive traffic immediately to your site(s).

    Everything we do, every ounce of effort has impact on your entire marketing strategy - or at least it should. You should be thinking like this when looking for a marketing firm and when executing a marketing strategy. Even if you truly are looking for a piece of the pie, ask how that marketing firm intends to integrate their efforts into your existing marketing initiatives.

    Full circle marketing is the new black! Continuity is key to your message, efficiency and ROI! Motion stays in motion.

    Let’s here from you out there! What have your experiences been? I know there are some SUPER smart subscribers to this blog. Share your knowledge!

     

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  • Pay-per-click ROI

    Posted on April 21st, 2009 mferguson 77 comments

    So I’m still on my rant about the correct way to run/manage a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign and I’m finding that the majority of businesses that have a campaign running (either run internally or through a firm) not only don’t understand how the campaign should work but they don’t know what good looks like.

    If you view a PPC campaign as a way to just driving traffic (aka: clicks) to your website, you’re probably spending money you don’t need to! If you’re happy with "just driving traffic to your website," then you’ll be satisfied with the big media moguls (Verizon, Idearc, Yellow Book, ATT, etc) out there offering this service and claiming to run an effective campaign for you.

    I will say, that the big media moguls running these campaign do charge less in management fees but don’t get too excited. Even though you’ve set a monthly click budget with them, and they’re staying within it, I guarantee they’re not optimizing your campaign to maximize your budget.

    What I mean by that is that they’re not tracking "conversions" - which are actual leads and go beyond just tracking clicks. They’re also not analyzing your data in such as way to determine which keywords are not only driving clicks but are actually converting into legitimate leads versus which ones are just costing you money in clicks.

    I am classifying most PPC campaigns as DEFCON Alpha because these campaign basics are not being employed and PPC is getting a bad rap as a result. There are the nay-sayers out there - that PPC just costs you money for something that should be free. But let me tell you emphatically. I have over 15 years in strategic marketing experience and this could be the most effective and efficient form of marketing a company runs IF IT’S RUN RIGHT!  (I welcome comments from SEO’ers though)

    Review your campaigns. Challenge the agency running it or revisit how you’re running it and remember I’m always available for questions. You can reach me at meg@vhmarketing.com

    This is Meg Ferguson from Vision House Marketing, LLC saying "Have an efficient and effective day!"

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