Search engine marketing (SEM) has evolved to become the most reliable strategy for reaching your target audience and driving conversions on the Internet. It compels your market to visit your website, it boosts your company’s exposure within your space and it positions your product as the solution to their problems. As a result, your sales go up, your revenue and profit swell, your ROI rises and your business enjoys stronger branding and customer loyalty in the process.
Many of your competitors are already using SEM in an attempt to capture a larger portion of your market. There has never been a better time to protect and expand your territory. I will explain why search engine marketing should be a critical piece of your online marketing strategy. I will also show why there is value in hiring an SEM expert versus forging a path yourself. Will also describe how SEM PR and SEM social media tactics converge with SEO and PPC to produce a groundswell of momentum.
Why Search Engine Marketing Is Critical
Search engine marketing blends SEO, pay-per-click advertising and social media strategies to give your company a higher level of visibility within the search engines’ listings. However, visibility without sales defeats the purpose. And therein lies the true value of SEM.
Your marketing efforts must generate conversions in order to justify the investment. Conversions might include a prospect buying your product, signing up for your newsletter or becoming your affiliate. It might include subscribing to a continuity program that generates monthly revenue. Search engine marketing not only allows your company to approach your audience, but it engages the conversation that is already occurring in their mind. It compels action, which lifts your conversion rate.
Is Hiring A Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Expert Necessary?
Every tactic that is leveraged within a comprehensive search engine marketing deployment can be learned. The problem is, doing so is incredibly time-consuming. The algorithms that govern the search engine’s organic rankings change constantly. The major PPC platforms endure a seemingly endless string of upheavals. Social media sites are still in their infancy. As they mature, so will the tactics required to leverage them. Developing proficiency in each area of search engine marketing takes an enormous amount of time.
An SEM expert will design a search engine optimization campaign that pushes your website to the top rankings for your chosen keywords. They can also launch a pay-per-click, PPC, advertising campaign that further improves your exposure. Social media marketing tactics can be integrated to dovetail with the rest of your search engine marketing deployment. Even though you could launch these strategies yourself, do you have the time to learn and apply them?
SEM PR: Melding Search Engine Marketing With Public Relations
SEM PR has its roots in search engine optimization. Years ago, online public relations was managed largely through the creation and distribution of online press releases. This is still effective today. These press releases gain traction in the search engines’ organic listings. That builds your company’s brand while helping to push negative publicity off the first page of results.
Today, online public relations has been incorporated within a broader search engine marketing context that includes PPC, SEO and online reputation management (ORM). For example, a press release can be distributed online in order to gain traction within the natural listings. Then, a PPC campaign can be launched to direct your audience to the press release on your website. Links can be placed throughout the page to other positive coverage. The more points of exposure, the less likely negative press will penetrate the top rankings in the search engines. This is a core element of ORM and by extension, search engine marketing.
Leveraging SEM Social Media Optimization For A Competitive Edge
Social media sites began to enjoy ranking authority in the major search engines a few years ago. That authority has only increased over time, making social media an important cog in search engine marketing. This is the reason SEM social media optimization has become critical for companies that need to reach niche markets.
By establishing a presence on the top social media sites, a search engine marketing agency can develop multiple entry points in the organic listings. That increases your audience’s exposure. It also prevents bad press from infiltrating the top listings for your keywords. These advantages converge to deliver a competitive edge for your company.
The Value Of Hiring A Professional SEO Marketing Consultant
Time is the most valuable commodity of all. Once it expires, it cannot be retrieved. This is why a growing number of companies, including your competitors, are opting to hire a professional SEO marketing consultant. They realize that search engine marketing strategies are complex. The learning curve is steep. What’s more, deploying PPC, SMO and SEO tactics poorly can do more harm than good. Precision in execution is critical.