Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?
February 7, 2012 at 8:44 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments
Tags: business development, SEM, SEO, social media
Got your attention, huh? Do ya think I’m sexy?
Well, what’s sexy right now is SEM and SEO and all manner of social media involvement.
I’m not a luddite; I use and love them all. But folks…really…remember that PEOPLE execute and close business and with all this attention (and budget) being thrown at “getting to the top of Google” there isn’t anyone left with basic and fundamental sales competencies. (Don’t get me started on getting to the top of Google—that’s another story entirely.)
But back to the point that I am trying to make here. All of this search engine and content marketing stuff is awesome. Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not discounting the critical importance of paying attention to this seemingly ephemeral world of SEO but what I am saying is that you also better be paying strict attention to what happens in the “real” world.
People buy from people and unless you run an internet-based, click only business you need to get your arms around:
- Presentation effectiveness
- Sales processes and procedures
- Great hires in the sales arena
- Sales competencies (fundamental to your success!!!)
- Touch point management
And the list goes on.
We’re all working with tighter budgets these days so be smart. Before you buy into a SEO/SEM program that will pretty much wipe out the rest of your business development and marketing budget consider how and if you will be able to capitalize and monetize the visibility and potential leads that (might) be coming your way. Apportion your budget wisely and you will get an even greater ROI from a totally integrated sales and marketing program
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I could not agree more! The big fallacy of specialized internet marketing packages is that if everyone’s using these tools, you’re still basically invisible!
Web-based marketing is a necessary tool these days, yes, but not a replacement for building trusted relationships and backing up the promise of your web site, blog, newsletter, etc. with consistent top-quality service or products in the real world.
Good blog, Adrian.
Juliet
That said, LinkedIn, in particular, is my best and first “meeting place.” Also, the big article hubs — both psychology and biz storytelling — are bringing thousands of hits to my blogs and web site, resulting in some new newsletter subscribers and — voila! — the beginning of relationship.
Comment by Juliet Bruce— February 7, 2012 #
Yes and Yes!
I know the importance and have my team working on these points as much as makes sense (budget included) and I focus on presentations and blogging and clients.
Lot’s of “no thank you’s” to the marketers.
Adrian, I love your catchy titles and references to music!
Comment by Eileen Lichtenstein— February 7, 2012 #
Adrian – You are so right. Unfortunately many people are focusing only on social media (SoMe) and forget about traditional marketing. SoMe “gurus” do not really understand marketing and ignore the other vehicles that should be used to get your message to your audience.
SoMe is a tactic and should be included with other tactics as part of a comprehensive marketing plan.
Comment by Steven Pofcher (@spofcher)— February 7, 2012 #
Hi Adrian, Yes, great points!
I’m an SEO, Social Media (and repair online reputations), and its important to remember that these are only tools–you still must interact with a client, make a sale, shake a hand. SEO opens the door, the rest is up to you. I make a point to tell my clients that there is not magic solution. Thanks for the post.
Comment by steve giovinco— February 7, 2012 #
Curious what would happen if you had great relationship skills but no leads to follow up on? A balanced campaign is the only way to success, and bridging the gap between marketing and sales is essential.
Comment by Jerry Allocca— February 7, 2012 #
I had a prominent plastic surgery client who paid (18K) for SEO and initially wanted to use Keywords: “Abdominoplasty, Blepharoplasty, Otoplasty, Rhytidectomy” thinking that his audience was aware of these terms nowadays. After much ‘to do’, I convinced him to aim for “New York Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgery Manhattan, NYC Plastic Surgery, etc…” In 4 months we got him from page 52 in Google to the first page, 3rd – 6th listing.
What’s the problem?
For starters, the problem became that his staff
1) wasn’t trained to handle the new influx of calls (logistic).
2) didn’t keep up the bi-weekly blog entries which was the power generator (Google).
3) wasn’t well versed to conduct a healthy Social Media campaign (writing).
4) had No plan for call conversion (charming invitation).
Adrian’s point: Get your house in order first before buying the furniture. : ))
Breuk
Comment by Neurochemicist— February 7, 2012 #
Good blog and great comments as well. This also goes for any type of marketing program. The example I often us is having bill boards at a train station for a very nearby coffee shop. A great sign – nice colors and message. BUT when you walk to this shop, it is dirty, the help unfriendly and the overall product unappealing.
This applies to seo, sem. email. direct mail, newspaper ads and so on….
Each link in the sales funnel must compliment each other. A well designed SEM/SEO strategy linked to a highly usable and intuitive web site, following by a strong (and very visible) call to action… followed by the person that accepts the lead and conducts the follow up conversation.
Comment by stephen harris— February 8, 2012 #
Adrian, The clever way that you bring across information never ceases to amaze me. You can make even the most mundane topics seem scintillating. I completely agree with your point; there is absolutely no substitute for human beings relating to each other face to face, or even dare I say, in a regular phone conversation. You can’t beat it.
I bring across similar points to my clients during workshops and one to one sessions…When it comes to internet dating: Rapidly move from the email to the phone to the date, no substitutions! Getting stuck in the internet interaction phase will bring you a pen pal, not a live partner.
Comment by Heidi Bernstein-Krantz— February 8, 2012 #