Search engine optimization techniques can be applied systematically and scientifically. There is a specific set of activites you can perform that will almost guarantee that you can at least achieve some visibility - that people will see your web site in the search engines. But to take things to the next level, you should couple your SEO campaign with the element of BUZZ.
Buzz means that your story is so interesting to people in your market niche that they can't stop talking about you. In his book BuzzMarketing, Mark Hughes discusses six buttons of buzz - six things that push people's buttons - around which you can build a marketing concept of buzz. They are:
The tabooThe unusualThe outrageousThe hilariousThe remarkableThe secrets
These are basically hooks to use as marketing concepts. An example of outrageous buzz marketing is Robert Allan's old stunt of being dropped in the middle of a city with only a few hundred bucks in his pocket yet end the weekend owning hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate. I can't speak for the long-term value of the investments he made, but it was a brilliant marketing move because it got people talking. Allan proved that it was possible to purchase a large amount of real estate with almost no money down, and has sold many millions of dollars worth of books and training courses as a result.
The secrets angle is one that might work well for a professional services business. There are things you know how to do, or information you have, that most people don't know. Or that most people don't know that they know. If you don't know something that others don't, find something. Or merge pieces of information together into something new. It might take some work, but it's worth it. An ad with a title like "5 Secrets of Millionaire Real Estate Investors" compels people interested in real estate to read more. Combine that kind of compelling marketing hook with aggressive search engine optimization, and you've got a sure-fire targeted traffic generator.
Just as important as having a strong marketing hook is creating the impression that you are the absolute authority in your area of expertise. Write articles. Write books. Publish a blog. Get your name out there. If you use the secrets angle discussed above, back it up. Do your research.
When creating your marketing hook, pick one of the six buttons of buzz and use it as the foundation for an attention-getting marketing angle. You don't have to create something completely new. You just have to repackage it in a new way. Following are examples of ways (in the form of titles) to present information in a more exciting way:
- 5 Secrets of...
- 10 Things You're Not Supposed to Know About...
- We Will Tripple Your Money Back If You Don't...If We Don't...
- Introducing the Biggest News in [Some Industry] in 15 Years...
- The Shocking Results of 2 Years of Research Into [Something Related to Your Industry]...
Now build web pages on your site optimized for your top keywords and that use your marketing hook. The pages should have a compelling offer. And they should definitely try to get the visitor's email address.
Here is a real good formula for online marketing success:
Strong Marketing Hook + Authoritative Impression + Search Engine Optimization = Strong Targeted Natural Traffic
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Jerry Work is a principal with Work Media, a Nashville-based Internet marketing firm that helps companies create and implement aggressive, multi-pronged Internet marketing plans using search engine optimization, pay-per-click marketing, newsletter/blogs and other aggressive traffic-building techniques. For help implementing an aggressive Internet marketing plan, contact Work Media at www.workmedia.net or 1-888-299-4837.
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