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Dear {FIRST_NAME|Valued Customer},
 The other day our fortune cookie read “If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” Given the amount of snow, the freezing temperatures, and the cloudy days, NetSearch Direct staffers are wholeheartedly hoping this was an omen of warmer temperatures to come.
Since this fateful fortune cookie we’ve been keeping our minds turned to spring and to all its promises of renewal and new beginnings. We’ve already started planning our 2010 seminar calendar with the first seminar to be held on March 18th. The topic will be Local Business Directory Listings and the hour-long presentation will include the latest in developments in one of the newest, and rapidly growing, pieces of search engine marketing. This year we’re adding something extra to our seminars – free personalized marketing materials and a one-hour consultation with a NetSearch Direct SEM Specialist.
This is one seminar you don’t want to miss!
Our newsletter this month focuses on Netiquette and Search Engine Marketing. Like all businesses, there is a right way and wrong way to doing things on the ‘net. And doing things the wrong way carries hefty penalties like banishment from search engines. With over 85% of all customers finding business via search engines, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got your bases covered. Read on to find out more.
Stay warm, NetSearch fans!
[N]etiquette: The Little Book of Rules for PPC
Pay-per-click marketing is the application of a science combined with the art of experience. Our in-house experts combine years of experience with endless research and strategic development. We would love to proudly stand atop the nearest soapbox and entertain anyone within earshot about various rules for PPC until our legs gave out from under us. However, since we’re here, we’ll be brief and instead offer you the abridged version.
Tip #1: Do Your Research.
PPC marketing is driven by keywords. This means that you’ll be investing your advertising dollars into selecting the right words and phrases that potential customers will be entering into search engine search bars in order to find you. Without the right keywords to fuel your ads, your customers will never see them. What to do? Begin brainstorming and write down every phrase and key word that comes to your mind. Next, perform keyword research to find out the latest trends in search phrases for your particular business category, and their individuals costs. There are many tools online to help you with this research, many of them free. With these you’ll have the right tools to help you build an effective keyword list – the ones that your potential customers are actually using.
Tip #2: Know Your Way Around. (And if you don’t know your way around, ask.)
What we’re talking about here is the practice of setting up a PPC campaign. It is fundamental to the success of your pay-per-click advertising that each campaign is set up the right way, the first time. Improper setup, incorrect geographical targets, awkward ad groups, and poorly written words are a recipe for advertising disaster! Don’t get caught in the mix. Missteps along the critical setup and build out process can cost you misplaced advertising dollars, low quality scores, low position rankings, and even worse – valuable potential customer eyeballs. PPC campaign setup tutorials exist, books abound, and the support you need to get your most perplexing questions answered is available.
[N]etiquette: Ethics and Your SEO Campaigns
Okay, we admit that the SEO rules could fill up way more space than this newsletter offers. Search engine optimization is such a vast practice that encompasses many tactics and at times can seem like the wild, wild west. What we’re offering here is the crash course in the proper care and feeding of search engine optimization campaigns. These tips will have you playing nice in and out of the Google Sandbox.
Tip #1: Play nice and play fair. No black hat tactics!
If this means that you wait upwards of 90 days for rankings to really begin pulling solid first page SERP spots vs a quick-fix SEO tactic promising you instant first spot placement – take our advice and wait it out. Black hat tactics carry heavy consequences with search engines and can get your website forever banned. Be on the lookout for any suspicious sounding search engine optimization promises; if it sounds too good to be true, chances are it probably already is. Play nice and stick to the rules for the best rankings in the shortest time possible. This is one social circle that does not tolerate any trickery.
Tip #2: Let your web designer know who’s boss.
All too often we see web designers create entire websites in Flash, add extra flair or fancy code pieces that do little to help boost search engine results page rankings at all. While we’re a fan of pretty webpages, we’re a bigger fan of getting you customers and turning those customers into leads. Double check all web design work to make sure links are in working order, redirection plans are in place, and establish your goals for search engine optimization first.
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[N]etiquette: Social Media P’s and Q’s
You may be ready to jump into the Twitter stream, blogosphere, Facebook pond, or pursue any of the other given social media trend sites in existence. Before you go, be sure to check your strategy for the following list of socially approved behaviors. Failure to do so could have your brand shunned from the in crowd, and like all social circles (the ones in real life) – faux pas’ are hard to recover from.
Tip #1: Remember your mission: Stay true to yourself.
All too often companies embrace social media marketing and suddenly you’re looking around at other competitors or other companies offering similar services and this may prompt you to expand your core philosophy. This is a great move if you’re ready, but a disastrous one if you’re simply trying to “keep up with the Joneses”. We’ve also seen well-heeled companies with decades of stellar reputations approach social media with an all-to-hip message that reads: false and forced. Remember who you are. Be firm in your company’s services and values. Stick to what has made you successful.
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