While some marketers will stress the differences between PPC, SEO, and Social Media Marketing, it is important to develop a holistic approach to online marketing. When applied correctly, these disciplines complement and aid each other in achieving the ultimate result - increased conversions.
This may seem counterintuitive; after all, social media is for brand exposure and PPC is for sales, right? Wrong. Brand exposure is just one benefit of social media, just as direct conversion is only one benefit of a sound PPC campaign. For example, as we’ll discuss later, social media can also drive viral popularity for brands, events, and more, and engage consumers in a feedback loop for your brand or company that can drive immediate sales results very cost effectively.
So how do we use PPC, SEO, and Social Media to form a successful integrated campaign? First, let’s look at the strengths of each strategy.
PPC
PPC, or paid search, utilizes paid platforms in the search engines to appear for specified search terms with carefully planned text ads. Fine-grained controls allow you to carefully monitor performance and adjust your strategy accordingly. And, if your budget allows, you can show up for any keyword – the sky’s the limit!
Due to its immediate nature, one of the most popular uses of PPC is to drive traffic to the website (for sales, sign-ups, etc). But PPC can also be used for branding purposes; it exposes searchers to your brand during their search - whether they click on your ad or not!
SEO
Search Engine Optimization is the strategy of optimizing a website to appear in search engines for related keywords. This involves on page factors such as content and meta data, as well as off page factors such as the backlink structure to the website.
For a long-term strategy, SEO is definitely the strongest option. A well-planned and executed Search Engine Optimization strategy may take time to implement, but should increase slowly over time, and continue to grow with maintenance.
Social Media Marketing
Social Media is how people link themselves to friends and acquaintances online. They create and share content that they find interesting, and express their opinions on everything under the sun.
Due to the complex nature of Social Media, Social Media Marketing doesn’t fall easily into a singular role. While it provides branding exposure, it’s also a feedback mechanism – giving you an invaluable chance to interface with your consumers and receive honest opinions and recommendations. If you provide engaging content, it can result in a viral spread of your brand. Social media allows you to put a face on your brand, personalize your company and interact with your fans.
Social Media is easily one of the most powerful tools in your online marketing arsenal. However, it must be used with respect – consumers on Social Media website do not want to be interrupted with marketing. The approach to use here is an honest, transparent appeal with a dose of personality. Provide value to the people you are interacting with, and you will build loyalty and virality. When you develop an actual connection with your fans, they will begin to promote you naturally.
A Coordinated Approach
A coordinated campaign utilizes these three strategies for their strengths, but also recognizes the support they lend to each other. For example, if you’re starting a new company, or just beginning to look at online marketing, PPC can lend a hand while your SEO program gets ramped up. Once you’ve got a significant amount of organic traffic visiting your website, you can switch to a reinforcement strategy to emphasize branding, support your business during down cycles, or focus on highly competitive keywords that the website may not be able to rank for.
If you decide that you’re not quite ready to let go of paid search, you can rest easy knowing that paid and organic listings that appear together can cause an increase in click-throughs. From the Orion Panel at SES New York recap by Bruce Clay, findings again state that using organic and paid strategies can result in higher brand awareness and a decrease in competitor brand awareness.
An engaging Social Media presence can not only increase brand loyalty, but also drive consumers to post your content – which can result in a greater and more positive back link structure. An added bonus is the potential positive addition to reputation management. With coordinated efforts, a few posts or tweets about an event can turn into a viral spread of information as regular followers spread the news about your event.
With this coordinated approach, you can achieve a natural growth pattern that will sustain your business over time, with fine-tuned controls that allow you to truly manage your exposure to the market.
