Search is continuously changing and adapting as the Internet becomes a more participatory medium. For this reason, we must remember that we do not learn to become search engine optimisation experts just by reading about it; but by actually doing it. Lisa Baron of We Build Pages wrote an article on this very topic, which inspired the writing of this blog.

Baron outlines that often times, we become so reliant on our industry blogs that “we’re often guilty of paralysing you and trapping you under a mound of information too large for you to ever act on.” It’s ironic that I’m now writing an article that you’re reading about not learning search engine optimisation from reading. But the key is to remember that expertise comes with practice. Reading large amounts about all of the factors that make up a successful SEO campaign alone will not equate to the knowledge held by the experts.

Interactive Return values the knowledge gathered from reading industry news and blogs, but we make it a priority to put our findings into action and test and retest the suggestions outlined by blogs and industry articles.

With the recent news of the Google Personalisation tools that were released last week, it is even more essential that we do both because the landscape of a searcher’s natural listings may be completely altered. Examples of news like this prove that we must read about industry changes that may affect the way we work with clients and optimise campaigns, in addition to actually determining when to put those learnings into practice.

Lisa Baron makes an interesting point in saying that while she has read several blogs regularly and attended several courses and conferences, “no has taught [her] to be an SEO.” Like the SEO experts here at Interactive Return, we learn by putting our SEO education into action. Understanding the importance of testing and implementing the SEO best practices we read about on the web will significantly help to satisfy your clients’ needs and contribute to your personal confidence as an SEO expert.

Emer Lawn, Online Marketing Executive, Interactive Return

A number of studies have shown the advantages of combining search and display marketing.  These studies point to the following advantages of integrating search marketing and display marketing.

• Target key touch points in the purchase funnel
• Use search marketing to test display campaigns
• Drive searches from display ads
• Increase brand recall
• Optimise, before during and after the campaign
• Increase the pay per click campaign click through
• Drive engagement on your website
• Achieve higher conversion rates

Although Interactive Return has specialised in search engine marketing since 1999, it has successfully managed and designed display campaigns over the years. Our recent acquisition by Publicis Groupe Media means that we are now partnered with Captivate Digital. Captivate Digital’s core competencies lie in the areas of Display marketing. During my presentation in London, I used the O2 Ireland online marketing campaign for which Interactive Return and Captivate Digital manage the search and display marketing campaigns.

Earlier this week I attended a Microsoft event in the Westbury hotel in Dublin. Ciaran McConaghy from Atlas (now owned by Micro Soft) covered engagement mapping and integrating search and display and providing research on the value of combining both channels.  I thought it was really funny that I was invited over to the UK to speak about this and only a few days later the same topic was addressed at home for the first time.  Ciaran provided a great analogy for the importance of engagement mapping.

“If you are watching a rugby match in Landsdowne road and the place is covered in Guinness posters. At half time you head down to the bar and you see a Guinness ad playing on a TV.  You then approach the bar and see Guinness branding on the taps. Finally, the barman greets you in his Guinness shirt and you purchase a Guinness. As a marketing manager, would you apportion all of the credit of the sale of the pint of Guinness to the shirt? Probably not!”

In offline marketing the tendency is to consider all of the elements that make up the marketing mix. However, online we tend to focus on the last step in the purchase funnel. This serves to underline the importance of measuring the effect of all of the steps in the buying process which may well include search elements and display elements.

PS thanks Mel Carson for your positive feedback on my presentation.

First, consider the benefits. SocialMediaTrader wrote on this topic, specific to the benefits for small businesses. In addition to developing a deeper relationship with your customer, the practical benefits may include:

• More conversions online. There will be deeper engagement than other traditional online or offline methods, with the people that are more likely to spread the message about your brand.
• Quick turnaround. Gather huge amounts of traffic very quickly, whether you’ve been bookmarked or posted on a major site or you are easily found in the Google search engine results pages (SERPs).
• Low costs.  A well-built social media marketing strategy can replace part of your traditional advertising efforts, at a fraction of the cost. However, do remember that your time should be considered a valuable cost.
• Impact on Search Engine Rankings. You can get a lot of backlinks that will benefit your rankings. Additionally, you have the opportunity to take up more “real estate” on the SERPs.
• Compatible with traditional marketing. Social media marketing does not have to run on its own. I would suggest that is run hand-in-hand with your other marketing efforts. This will extend the value of both your traditional channels and social media.
• Influencing power. The purchase decision process is largely shaped by influencers, and social media gives you the voice to influence your consumers by partaking in the conversations they may be having about your brand or your sector on social networks.
• Build a company’s authority in an industry. Similar to the power to influence, active participation within social networks will have people looking to you for authority opinion. This will put you in control of not only your brand, but of the conversations within your industry.
• Sidestepping “ad blindness.” As I mentioned already, social media marketing will provide a solution for the growing trend of people who are becoming blind to traditional advertising. If done properly, you appear less like an advertiser, and more like a real person that wants to provide a solution to a consumer’s problem.

Now, if many of you already know the power of the social networks like Facebook, Bebo, YouTube, or LinkedIn, then your next question is how do I do it? Well, the answer will depend on your brand and your objectives. This is why a successful Social Media marketing campaign will have defined clear objectives and a strategy that can be carried out across social media platforms.

Some other tips that may help when creating a social media presence online:

• Be clear about how the consumer can find you. Put links to your website or appropriate landing page. Outline the people they are connecting with, and include a phone number where they might reach those people.
• Make it about THEM. One of the most important things I’ve learned is that the social networking community doesn’t want to know who you are, unless you have something to offer. That’s why Dan Dimit at Site Reference says, “Don’t make it about YOU, make it about the solutions to THEIR problems.”
• Use the right Keywords. Setting objectives for the type of keywords you want to be found for may help you decide how to form your content. For example, Interactive Return wants this blog to be found for terms like “social media marketing” or “social media Ireland.” You can build this in as a key performance indicator of how many people are actually able to find you.
• Be part of the community. Whatever you do, remember that it’s a two-way communication channel, and that “spray and pray” is not a social media strategy that will work for anyone.
• Converge your social media activity together. Enid Burns at ClickZ outlines how blogs are more influential in creating actual conversions that social sites; but if you are linking your blog to your social networks, you are extending the value of both social channels.

The power of the social networks will only become clear when you have actively participated in them and see for yourself. But there are certain things that may indicate that the shift to online marketing is not going to stop. An article from Reuters outlines how a British “think-tank” says that “bosses should not stop their staff from social networking sites because they could actually benefit their firms.” While businesses want to know how to build relationships with consumers, the article points out that social networking can also help us build relationships with industry colleagues. This will take you one step closer to becoming an industry authority, as well as gaining valuable network contacts. While many businesses fear their ability to monitor the activity of their employees, smart businesses know that “social” networking cannot be separated from “professional” networking within today’s social media.

One could go on and on outlining the benefits and tips for a strategic social media marketing plan; but perhaps the most important thing to remember is that the value of a social network equates to the amount of time and brainpower you can devote in order to develop deeper relationships with your customers and colleagues. But if executed properly, your Big social media ideas can certainly beat those Big traditional budgets.

Emer Lawn, Online Marketing Executive, Interactive Return

Sponsored by Rain Communications, the professional services website that has made the best use of technology in order to deliver the most user-friendly and valuable resources to its industry will be the category winner. InteractiveReturn.com is devoted to keeping the industry up to speed with its YouTube channel, SEO tools, Whitepapers, and even this Blog to mention just a few initiatives. That said, we are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Best Professional Services website category. The competition within the category is quite strong this year; and so may the best of us win!

We are looking forward to presenting the winner of the Best Social Networking & Community Website, the category Interactive Return has sponsored this year.

Award season is in full swing, as the buzz stirring from the Net Visionary Awards will surely get people hyped up for the Golden Spiders. The winners will be announced at the event on the 20th of November, hosted by Des Bishop. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Search for “sarah palin” on Google, and you can be sure to find videos in the results, some of which Sarah would most likely want to forget.  The same can be said for John McCain, Barack Obama, or any of the earlier candidates in the presidential race. An article in the Irish Independent outlined this topic earlier in the month, and noted how “the World Wide Web has transformed how candidates speak to voters, revolutionised fundraising and ended the domination of traditional media.” Voters have been given a voice, and are engaging with the presidential election more than ever.

Likewise, presidential candidates have been given a different voice, based on how they are interacting on the internet.  It’s not news that Barack Obama has built his image on a powerful marketing strategy, but the engagement between voters and the election goes far beyond he or McCain’s marketing efforts alone. Ryan Lizza from the New York Times also wrote about the “YouTube election,” outlining how politicians will need to become aware that their every move (or mistake) may be documented and shared with the World Wide Web on YouTube. He asks, “Will YouTube democratise politics or destroy it?”  I’d be confident in saying that the YouTube community is a democracy, where users have just as much of a voice as the presidential candidates themselves.

That said, it will be important for businesses to remember that as much power you have over your brand, your customers have the same amount. For this reason, if you haven’t considered using YouTube as a tool to promote yourself or your online content, you really should give it some thought. Robin Good of “RobinGood TV” outlines some great tips for using YouTube as a promotional tool. Creating your own YouTube channel gives you the ability to arrange your own videos and others’ content in a single location, link back to your website URL, and bring together your recommendations for valuable content all in one place.

Barack Obama and John McCain have done this by creating their own channels, which are actively followed by the public. Similarly, the YouTube election’s home is at YouChoose, and user-generated videos from the public are featured on the page for all to see. The videos come from the top down, from political parties and candidates; but also go from the bottom up, with ordinary voters and political activists around the world, posting their own content. The key to being found among the mix of videos is not set in stone, Robin Good also pointed out. But he says that your best chance for creating a highly-viewed video is to make sure your running time is around the five minute mark or less. Additionally, tag and categorise your videos so that the right people will find your video.

Additionally, we musn’t forget that YouTube is a social community, and like any of the others, you have to participate in it if you want to develop a following. Make your own playlists of related industry videos or interest. Leave video responses on other videos and Join or Create YouTube groups in order to make connections with other YouTube members.

My fellow marketers and I at Interactive Return are actively engaging with the YouTube community, with our channel, Online Marketing Ireland. While we’re not raising millions of donations for ourselves like the presidential candidates, we are contributing to the community that so many of us engage with each and every day.  For the same reason, we encourage our clients to consider the value of YouTube as a marketing tool to engage with their customers at a deeper level.

Andrew Rasiej of the Personal Democracy Forum put it best when he told the Independent, “YouTube should be declared the winner in this election because it has single-handedly become the primary platform for political discourse.”

Emer Lawn, Online Marketing Executive, Interactive Return

Interactive Return (of Publicis Groupe Media) promotes the integration of online advertising efforts with traditional channels, in order to extend the value of our clients’ marketing investments. As the Internet Advertising Bureau in the UK has concluded, integration is about ensuring that every individual consumer’s touchpoint works not only in isolation, but also builds on a message.

The IAB in partnership with Thinkbox.tv carried out a study outlining how TV and Online are Better Together. The study noted that 66% of people are more likely to notice an ad online if they’ve had exposure to it on TV; and 59% are more likely to notice a television ad if they’ve had exposure to it online. It is clear that the channels compliment each other. But the important thing to remember is that your marketing strategy for each should remain different, but build on one integrated message. The study used Cadbury Crème Egg as a Case for this. One of the survey participants said that “The Crème egg ads work really well together, as they have the same basic idea of the eggs having a short life.” The online and TV ads are different; but they are recognised as part of the same campaign; which is working to influence customers’ positive relationships with the Cadbury brand.

Similarly, Bill Gerba at WireSpring Blog discusses how striving for successful integration has caused many headaches for marketers. He notes that “integration can be redefined by the user’s perception of an integrated idea, not on its visual consistency.” Basically, he says a TV ad can make you laugh…an online ad can make you laugh; but that doesn’t mean that each ad was formed from the same method.

As online marketers in Ireland, we must target our audience using all media outlets; noting that TV and online are being used interchangably. On one hand, TV ads are still perceived as providers of information (74% of the IAB UK Survey reported). On the other, online performs well at persuading people to try a brand or product, or to influence people to look for more critical information at a later part of the purchase decision. Targeting audiences on TV, as well as online will allow a brand to connect with a potential customer along all steps of the purchase decision process.

Interactive Return’s search engine marketers are keen to increase the returns made from a search campaign by combining online and offline synergies. The IAB/Thinkbox Study proved that 66% of people investigate something from an ad in a search engine. Our keyword lists must anticipate the outcome of buzz from our television ads; just as much as Television ads will not succeed without the support of the Web.

Harry Gold at ClickZ does a fine job of painting the picture of our integrated future, where our remote control becomes more and more like our mouse every day. Companies are trying to enhance the user experience by allowing people to personalise their media in the home. Imagine watching a TV commercial where you can pause and click on an ad, buy a product, and then return to your programming. While a new dimension will be added to the :15, :30, or :60 second spot, understanding online and TV as separate entities that work better together is the key to integrated marketing success.

Emer Lawn, Online Marketing Executive, Interactive Return

Google Analytics is a tool that allows for the detailed analysis of a visitor’s activity on a website. Interactive Return’s Google Analytics services now include: complete setup of the tool, trouble-shooting any issues that may arise with Google Analytics, providing detailed insight gathered from analytic data and reports, integrating the reports with Search Marketing reports; and offering clients a way to measure their cross-channel campaigns, using the same set of metrics. The result of these services is the ability to successfully and continuously improve the performance of all online business efforts from an individual campaign to a website.

While many Irish companies are utilising the free tool, Interactive Return is equipped to utilise the full power of Google Analytics for its clients. We believe Analytics data is the most effective way to optimise campaigns for our clients, from start to finish. The only thing is, you may have trouble turning the data into action; and that’s where Interactive Return comes in.

Just as Google AdWords has become an increasingly large part of Irish companies’ online marketing mix, interest in Google Analytics is growing within Ireland. Google’s Insights for Search outlines that the search volume on the keyword term “google analytics” for the past twelve months in Ireland was the tenth highest country in the world. Other related searches that grew by as much as 430% in the last twelve months in Ireland were “google analytics login” and “google webmaster tools” and “google analytics code.” Interactive Return becoming the second Google Analytics Authorised Consultant in Ireland will prove beneficial for the further growth of companies who are utilising the tool.

Emer Lawn, Online Marketing Executive, Interactive Return

A couple of search gurus over at Search Engine Watch have taken on this topic and evaluated what it will mean for the future of search. Eric Kaufman outlines the historical trends of online spend, based on minor financial crises of the past. He predicts that the online marketing spend will be safe and that it will continue to see growth, since so many online marketing channels are proven efficient. Following previous problems in US financial history, paid search has been the least affected channel, most of the time. Big companies think in terms of lowering their cost, but focusing on more targeted customers which means eliminating expensive traditional advertising, and looking online; where people are actively searching for your service or product.

It seems the same will be true this time around. Paid search will be safe, in terms of growth and increase in spends, but you must remember that your paid search performance may not be safe.  Kaufman outlines the fact that more people utilising paid search will mean more competitors, less total search volume, less keywords being searched on (only more affordable things), and more competition for a smaller pool of people who haven’t reduced their spending on your product or service. Additionally, small businesses may find that they can’t compete with bigger businesses that will be entering search with bigger budgets.

While Kaufman outlines the historical positive outlook one may have for the future of search, fellow Search Engine Watcher Kevn Ryan stresses how we must not count on search to be recession-proof. In terms of traditional marketing money migrating to more accountable means like search, online is safe; but it is not to say that it is not still vulnerable.

Ryan wisely suggests that we “don’t spend less, spend smart” and he is right in saying that using this motto will help us prepare for the recession when the online and search markets begin to see the effects. Similarly, Alan Rimm-Kaufman writes on the times, telling us to “stay calm” while we ride out the recession.

Rimm-Kaufman suggests how we should respond, with regard to our online campaigns. He tells us to have clear economic targets, pay attention to what is being bid for keywords, shift traditional ad spend to stronger channels, and protect your bottom line first, to name just a few.

While these words of wisdom come to us from bloggers in the United States, the online advertisers in Ireland, like Interactive Return, should in no way ignore what the financial crisis means for us. There is no question that online spend will see growth at a faster rate than we expected; but Interactive Return will be paying close attention to what more fish in the search sea means for the performance of our campaigns.

Increase Online Conversions

When determining the success of a site or the success of a brand because of a website, it seems there are many people overlooking what really matters: Conversions. It is easy for the majority of people to concentrate on increasing site traffic; but forget to follow up with what happens once they enter the site.  People may visit your site and become familiar with your brand; but if you’re not considering search engine optimisation tactics in order to increase conversions, then what are you are doing is cutting your customer’s lifecycle short, and are most likely steering them away from your site in the long run.

Interactive Return has always made site conversions, or getting your visitors to perform a desired action, central to their online business strategies for their clients.  While tracking conversions and increasing your conversion rate can often be the careful balance between art and science, doing so will inevitably increase your company’s bottom line. Mitch Bettis of Practical eCommerce writes on this very idea of turning your visitors into customers.  He wants people to continue to make driving traffic to the site a key goal; but ultimately, he points out that you want the answer to be “yes” when someone asks “Did the customer do what you wanted him or her to do?” If the answer is no more times than you’d like, then there are things you can be doing to change this.

First off, the website is an employee, make it work for you. Traditional branding can be extremely expensive and often times wasteful; but branding using SEO is affordable and cost-effective, especially when you enlist the experts.  Bullseyefind.com outlines this very comparison between traditional branding and search engine optimisation and says that SEO will win for your brand online, every time.  They say that an affordable SEO optimisation firm can help you with improved web site structure, website content, and linking strategies; which continue to increase website traffic, but also allow you to concentrate on conversion rates.

Additionally, there are some key areas of website content that can be used to yield a greater conversion rate.  Omaro Ailoch outlined some tips for doing this. He suggests that your website is easy to use and navigate.  You should perform usability testing on your site; and try to understand your potential customer, so that you may be able to determine what will lead them to the final step for a conversion, and make it intuitive for the visitor. For example, when someone is requesting a quote on a website, how easy does your site make it? Utilising Google Analytics or the Website Optimiser Tool may also help you to discover how well your site is performing; and garner insight for how you may improve it.

Ailoch also stresses the importance of being honest.  Always give your customers the right information, up front.  If something is out of stock, tell them early, or tell them what the shipping costs will be, so that you don’t lose a customer at the very end. Similarly, if someone has come onto your site looking for a quote, are you being honest from the beginning or doing something that might steer the customer away in the end? You must build trust with your visitors to get them to complete the desired action. Also, don’t use too many words. If you can say those 1,000 words in 100, remember that for the average user attention span of 3 to 12 seconds, less is more.

Also important to remember is pushing your USP, unique selling proposition, and the Call to Action.  Try to remain unique, depending the position the visitor is in along the buying process.

While all these tips are great ways to set you on the right track to turning all those visitors into customers, remember that you must remain dedicated to understanding your customer at a deeper level. The most effective site owners will spend time learning what their customer’s needs are. Understanding the buying cycle will lead to higher conversions for a happier site, brand, and company with a whole lot of happy customers.

The topic has been discussed in great detail by Lee Odden at TopRank’s Online Marketing Blog. He wants us to consider how Search and Social media are connected: “are they two peas in a pod? Complimentary? Or two very distinct channels?” And he’s right in saying that the answer varies, depending on the situation.

While the impact social media has on search depends case-by-case, it is important to revise the way we optimise our search campaigns; because as Odden has pointed out, searchers’ expectations have changed. People are not just searching to find an answer, but searching to find something they can interact with. Online Marketers at Interactive Return have made it a priority to consider interactivity across their online marketing campaigns.  We’ve found it essential to engage the user, even from the time they are given search results (natural or sponsored).

Odden says “The growth and popularity of socially enabling web applications (social bookmarks, news, networking, messaging, publishing & media sharing) drive consumer expectations for social interaction with search even more.” Search marketers must become more “social” beings, if they are not already making attempts to do so.  Searchers will not respond to direct marketing messages that are too formal, and will now expect to get what they need from someone who sounds more like them. It’s likely that you’ve heard this tip in a social media marketing discussion, but don’t let the tip stop there.  Be a “social search marketer.”

So how will these considerations affect your search efforts? Well, seriously consider the “social” aspect of your landing pages, your PPC ads, the usability of your site, the interactivity of your image ad campaigns and the reality of someone searching for your keywords; and chances are, you will found that you could definitely update the way you think about the search process. Consider what is important in social communities, and use that insight to update your content, ads, and so on.

While we have clearly outlined the changing search process, it’s important to remember our target audience and for Interactive Return, that usually means people in Ireland. So, while Odden’s points about the affect of social media are important for us to remember, so is the fact that he writes from the United States. His thoughts can be used as predictions about things to look out for as the online marketing space continues to grow in Ireland; but while its happening, there’s no hard in trying to be a bit more of a “social search marketer.”