Ever since I gave the 7 Steps webinar at the Vermont Chamber of Commerce on this topic I’ve had several people thank me and ask for the blog post I promised. Quite frankly I’ve been struggling with how best to present the information. For example, there are tons of resources that could be used and I’ve been stymied with choosing the best ones to include. So rather than hold this up anymore I decided – with the help of Steve Ames – to break this up into bite size chunks. Over the next few weeks I’ll release the rest of the posts that go along with this series – chock full of great resources to help you learn how to increase your bottom line!
Please note
Before you implement any of the following ideas you should do your homework. Discuss the options with your webmaster or website developer before you jump in. To maximize the effectiveness (and possibly prevent shooting yourself in the foot) you should develop a plan that identifies the tools and techniques that work best for your organization. The value of each needs to be weighed against the effort it takes to plan and execute them. And then there’s that ROI thing which needs to be included!
I also want to point out there are many different theories on how to market goods and services on the web. These posts come from my own personal experiences working with clients over the past 12+ years. They are not gospel – they’re just my way of approaching the conundrum.
Enough already! Onto the 7 Steps to Online Success in 2009: Go Beyond Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to Increase Your Bottom Line!
Basics
First I think it’s wise to make sure we use the same definition for the following terms.
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization is the manipulation of the elements that make up a web page for the purpose of earning a better position in the search engine indexes.
Marketing
Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. from American Marketing Association
Brand
A brand is the thoughts and feelings you associate with a product, service, person or entity. When I say Disney your mind immediately reacts with thoughts and feelings you associate with the name Disney. They may be images of the Magic Kingdom, old photographs of Walt Disney, or the long lines at Disney World. All of these associations compiled together create the brand image you have for Disney.
The 7 Steps
Here are the 7 Steps in short form. I’ll follow up with more explanation as we go.
- Be visible
- Create desire
- Eliminate question marks
- Be Reliable
- Make it quick and accurate
- Manage your reputation
- Provide superior customer service
In the coming week or so I’ll post the details for the 7 Steps. I invite your thoughts and comments. In the next few days I’ll post “7 Steps to Online Success – Be Visible.”
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