MediaVision Blog : Search Engine Marketing

A search marketing campaign draws a number of strings together to get the search puppet dancing. SEO, PPC, Design, PR, IT – all sectors of the search company work together to market a website online, and increase its traffic. Without the in-synch movement of each string, the puppet’s arms and legs flounder, and it will fall.

First, SEM campaigners must have a common goal, which in this case, is search visibility. The folks in the marketing department need to be aware of the logistical issues of inserting flash-heavy animation or sparse copy to a website that needs to be navigable and useful in design. The puppet master knows the limitations and strengths of the puppet’s limbs. So too should the compartments of a successful search company be in synch with each other, even if it means compromise.

Second, the specific dance has to be clearly chosen: offline marketers can’t produce a message that contradicts the online message. Similarly, you can’t mix a waltz with a cha cha. Follow the search journey that a visitor will follow, whether it be from printed flyer to Google home page to website. How do you arrange steps together in a useful, attractive and recognisable rhythm? Plan the steps ahead of time, and optimise your journey.

Third, both the search and PR teams need to be in synch. Optimise the same terms that you place in the press releases. Keep the tone constant. Communicate between teams. And this leads to the fourth point: just like a beautiful dance can be broken down to a unique sequence of steps, so can an SEM campaign rely on a number of well-chosen keywords. Every arm and leg, or in this case PPC and SEO campaign, needs to focus on the best key words for the product.

SEM is a complicated endeavour. So too is dancing (for some). But to those who understand co-ordination, communication, compromise and calculation, SEM is a means to visibility and success. Care to dance?