Kokoda Youth Foundation – A message from history with a modern twist
This article originally appeared in the Q3 2015 issue of Optimise Magazine. You can read the entire e-magazine here.
It is easy to get wrapped up and lost in a world of ‘revenue’, ‘growth’, ‘key performance indicators’ and ‘return on investment’. We are constantly encouraged to look forward, to grow and to be ‘more in the moment’. Modern society is increasingly obsessed with the perception of ‘self’, technology, being connected, and consumerism. We always want more. However, it can also be argued that as a society we have never felt more disconnected, disengaged and vulnerable than in our current time. How is it that we can be making advances in so many areas which are designed to bring us closer together and yet, our sense of self and community feels under constant threat?
The Predicament with Apps
Why Search Will Never Become Obsolete
I heard something on the train the other day regarding how apps will soon make the internet and search engines obsolete, as you will be able to download an app for basically anything you need. I jumped up, indignant, and slapped the person’s smug face, hard, while screaming, “You take that back this instant”!
The Pros of AdWords & SEO – A Match Made in Heaven!
Everywhere you look when researching the benefits of AdWords and SEO, you’ll see articles about the apparent fierce rivalry between the two online marketing methods. Those articles would have you believe some kind of online version of State of Origin had moved into the digital realm of marketing, but it is simply not the case! In fact, it couldn’t be further from the truth, because the truth is AdWords and SEO truly are a match made in marketing heaven! When used together, your digital marketing can increase the level of traffic your business’s website experiences, as well as increasing your visibility online. AdWords and SEO aren’t a couple you’ll want to break-up anytime soon, and we’ll explain why.
AdWords can be used to test different keywords and strategies. You can decide how much you want to spend and it won’t cost you any more than that. If the campaign isn’t bringing in results then you can change direction or completely overhaul it. These are options because AdWords is fast and flexible. If you were to launch into an SEO campaign without using AdWords to test things out first then you wouldn’t be able to simply change direction if it you found it not to be working. It will have taken months of investment just to determine you’ve gone off in the wrong direction. But if you’ve done the testing with AdWords and know what the right direction is then why wouldn’t you launch into an SEO campaign to capitalise on the largest portion of search traffic out there? SEO works 24/7 365 days a year, it’s the salesperson that’s even working at Christmas time when all the others are at home surrounded by tinsel and flashing lights.
On top of this, your AdWords will cease to show once your budget has been exhausted. Organic listings also aid your business as being seen as a recognised authority within your industry (specific search term). But then again, organic listings only work as an exact match for the keywords you are working and, you’re limited in how many keywords you can work on at any one time. AdWords on the other hand is flexible, fluid and reactive, so you can make changes in real-time and still have your ad show for a combination of keywords. Each has its positives and negatives, so to make the most of both, a synchronised plan of action is needed.
The obvious disadvantage to SEO is how long it takes to see a viable return on your investment. SEO = time! You might ask why you should pay for a keyword when it is organically ranking well. Put simply, you want to ensure that you maximise the amount of space you are taking up on the first page of Google search result – think of it as prime online real estate. As mentioned briefly before, it also allows you to experiment with your keywords. Having AdWords supports your organic text.
The negative with AdWords though is it’s not ‘free’ like organic search, however if you know what you’re doing or have your account professionally managed by an AdWords professional, you will avoid having to find your way in the dark and manage your online advertising without any guidance, otherwise known as paying the AdWords ‘stupidity tax’, and increase your ROI.
Also one of the areas where SEO fails and AdWords picks up is with AdWords you can also target your ads on YouTube, the second biggest search engine in the world, where more than one billion unique users visit each month. You can remarket your ads to people who have been to your site then left, irrespective of if they came via organic or paid. You can also choose when and where your AdWords appear.
If you’re running Google AdWords and SEO, you also have access to double the amount of data. What does this mean? You’re better equipped to scrutinise and analyse how your keywords and your ads are performing, therefore enabling you to make better, informed decisions about your marketing efforts.
Plus, with word-of-mouth reviews having now moved to be a common online review system, customers are able to communicate with each other about their experiences. Unfortunately you may at some stage stumble upon a negative review about your business. How do Google AdWords and SEO help with this? Control. It all comes back to your initial AdWords and SEO efforts and, if these channels have been managed properly, you can regain control with the fostered positive content you’ve worked hard to get out there.
So while it is true that AdWords and SEO are definitely two separate digital marketing methods, it is best to look at them as opposite sides of the same coin. It is possible to get them working in support of each other, and why shouldn’t your online marketing take an integrated approach? If you get them working together harmoniously, you’ll soon see the fruits of your efforts. So why don’t you join us and learn to take advantage of this marketing match made in heaven and register for our ‘AdWords & SEO, the Best Marketing Partnership in Business’ Optimise Webinar on Wednesday 26th August at 10:30 am AEST. We hope you can make it, but if you can’t you can always give our Digital Strategy team a call on 1300 859 600 or visit our website.
Facebook Messenger for Business
Facebook is at it again! Ceremoniously coveting our eyes to itself via Facebook Messenger. When Facebook originally launched, it sneakily siphoned masses of traffic away from social sites Bebo, HI5 and MySpace, leading to their online demise. Now with the Messenger App and website, it’s starting to impinge on the SMS function that we all collectively use over 350 billion times a month and 15% of these are advertisements, as cited from GrabStats.com.
Digital Influence and the Flagstaff Group
When I go to my local markets on a Saturday morning, I buy my fruit and vegetables from a market stall run by a gentleman and his friend’s special needs son. I stop and have a brief chat with them while they put my goods through the point of sale. I ask them how busy have they been this morning, and what is growing well in season at the moment. They’re always so happy to see me and I am so pleased that I can give them my business. Not only am I aware that I am helping a small and local business, but after getting to know the stall holder, I have become aware that I am having an indirect impact on the employment of a young man with special needs who otherwise could likely not be employed in the open market.