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

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!

Don’t Forget About Your Website. Make it Work!

I circulated a survey last week to my friends, colleagues, and clients asking their uses for social media. With all the hype about social media (and well deserved hype might I add), I wanted to gauge whether people were shifting their behaviors with regards to online fact finding. While most of the responses were no surprise, one question brought the most interesting results. When asked "Where do you go online to find out more about a company?," 100% of the respondents said "their website."

Okay, so these results didn’t split the atom and certainly don’t reflect the views of more than about 100 people but I found it most interesting. I fear that companies are starting to invest disproportionate amounts of time and money diving into the social networking world and neglecting their mainstay - their website. Don’t get me wrong, social networking is here to stay and should be a part of your marketing strategy but your website is still very important and it is still the "front door" to your business. It has to be maintained, updated, studied for visitor trends, and reflective at all times of your company’s products and/or services. But most of all, it has to work!

So what does that mean? A website that "works" means it compels people enough to take some sort of action whether it be they pick up the phone and call or fill out your contact us form or request a quote or sign up for your e-newsletter and/or coupons. A website that works is not static. It is not purely informative with pleasing colors and graphics. A website does not have to sell (unless you’re selling product directly from the site). A website is dynamic. It is engaging. It answers the question "why would I do business with this company as opposed to their competitor?" It provides just enough information to the visitor to prompt the visitor to act!

Listen, you’ve invested a lot of time and money not only into your site but into driving traffic to your site via all of your marketing efforts. Make sure your website "works!" It’s still the first place a potential customer/client will go to find out about you.

Only after you’ve created a website that works should you consider using tags, social networking bookmarks and ratings, blogs, and other forms of social networking along side your website. Hire a vendor that understands how all of these forms of marketing work together and you can’t lose!

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Until next week, this is Meg Ferguson from Vision House Marketing saying have an effective and efficient day!