War of Titans: Search Engine Optimization Vs. Social Media Marketing – Which One Is Better?
War of Titans: Search Engine Optimization Vs. Social Media Marketing – Which One Is Better?
Although there are literally hundreds of ways to promote a business online, these two are the main ones, which makes our new clients ask us this question all the time, "What is better, SEO or SMM?" I am sure that most of you want to know the answer too, but first let me explain the difference between both.
What I love about SEO is that in most cases people find you when they are ready to buy what you have to sell. If you have a computer repair shop in Baltimore, MD, how would you like to be found by people that search for "computer repair shop in Baltimore"? Think about it. Their computer breaks, they need it fixed, they perform an online search and they find you. How likely to get their business are you? "Very" I'd say, assuming that your website is decent and you give them good reasons to choose you over the other computer repair shops in Baltimore.
The only disadvantage that SEO has and I can think of is that it takes time. Unless the keywords you want to rank for are ridiculously easy, it will take you anywhere from a few months to a few years. Doing proper keyword research is the most important part of SEO. Otherwise, you will be working really hard to rank for keywords that are almost impossible or that don't have enough searches to make the whole process worthwhile.
Now, let's talk about SMM. The idea behind SMM is to network. Although it's a new concept, it works just like the old face-to-face networking. The same rules apply. You need to be generous, help others, and avoid self-promotion. Build trust first. Think about it. In real life you don't approach a group of strangers and the first thing you say is "my products are the best and my prices are awesome". If you don't do it in real life, don't do it in SMM.
SMM takes time, too. You don't build great relationships and trust overnight. The worst mistake you can make in SMM is to give it a shot for a month or two and if it doesn't make you money, you drop it. It's important that you start in SMM with realistic expectations. It might take you anywhere from 6 months to a couple of years to make it worthwhile. Remember that you are there to build relationships. When those people need your services –or their friends do, they will give you a call. But don't be pushy.
SMM is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't get into it and spend six hours a day hoping to start making money from your efforts right away. Invest 15 minutes a day to build your network. Create a Facebook group, a LinkedIn group, open a Twitter account, start a blog, post to it a few times a week, contact two or three people a day and ask them how you can help them, and publish your articles on several sites related to your industry. I can guarantee that if you provide useful content and spend 15 minutes a day in SMM, in a year you will have a network of an amazing quality.
I know what you are thinking. "So? Which one is better? SEO or SMM?" My opinion is that, in most cases, SEO is by far the best way to promote a business online. We have over 60 clients and we have plenty of evidence to support my statement. There's nothing like being first on Google for the keywords people use to search for your kind of business. SMM is great for consultants and people that profit from the specialized knowledge they have. It is also great for B2B companies. If you own a B2C company, you might want to look into Facebook and MySpace instead of LinkedIn and the like.
Although nothing beats SEO, don't forget my advice. "Work on building your network 15 minutes a day."
War of Titans Search Engine Optimization Vs Social Media Marketing Which One Is Better - To learn more about this author, visit Zeke Camusio's Website.
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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to doing a number of things to rank high on the search engines for the search terms that people are using to find the kind of services and products that you offer. Social Media Marketing (SMM) is a way for businesses to network with potential clients and build a positive reputation and position themselves as experts in their fields.
Although there are literally hundreds of ways to promote a business online, these two are the main ones, which makes our new clients ask us this question all the time, "What is better, SEO or SMM?" I am sure that most of you want to know the answer too, but first let me explain the difference between both.
What I love about SEO is that in most cases people find you when they are ready to buy what you have to sell. If you have a computer repair shop in Baltimore, MD, how would you like to be found by people that search for "computer repair shop in Baltimore"? Think about it. Their computer breaks, they need it fixed, they perform an online search and they find you. How likely to get their business are you? "Very" I'd say, assuming that your website is decent and you give them good reasons to choose you over the other computer repair shops in Baltimore.
The only disadvantage that SEO has and I can think of is that it takes time. Unless the keywords you want to rank for are ridiculously easy, it will take you anywhere from a few months to a few years. Doing proper keyword research is the most important part of SEO. Otherwise, you will be working really hard to rank for keywords that are almost impossible or that don't have enough searches to make the whole process worthwhile.
Now, let's talk about SMM. The idea behind SMM is to network. Although it's a new concept, it works just like the old face-to-face networking. The same rules apply. You need to be generous, help others, and avoid self-promotion. Build trust first. Think about it. In real life you don't approach a group of strangers and the first thing you say is "my products are the best and my prices are awesome". If you don't do it in real life, don't do it in SMM.
SMM takes time, too. You don't build great relationships and trust overnight. The worst mistake you can make in SMM is to give it a shot for a month or two and if it doesn't make you money, you drop it. It's important that you start in SMM with realistic expectations. It might take you anywhere from 6 months to a couple of years to make it worthwhile. Remember that you are there to build relationships. When those people need your services –or their friends do, they will give you a call. But don't be pushy.
SMM is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't get into it and spend six hours a day hoping to start making money from your efforts right away. Invest 15 minutes a day to build your network. Create a Facebook group, a LinkedIn group, open a Twitter account, start a blog, post to it a few times a week, contact two or three people a day and ask them how you can help them, and publish your articles on several sites related to your industry. I can guarantee that if you provide useful content and spend 15 minutes a day in SMM, in a year you will have a network of an amazing quality.
I know what you are thinking. "So? Which one is better? SEO or SMM?" My opinion is that, in most cases, SEO is by far the best way to promote a business online. We have over 60 clients and we have plenty of evidence to support my statement. There's nothing like being first on Google for the keywords people use to search for your kind of business. SMM is great for consultants and people that profit from the specialized knowledge they have. It is also great for B2B companies. If you own a B2C company, you might want to look into Facebook and MySpace instead of LinkedIn and the like.
Although nothing beats SEO, don't forget my advice. "Work on building your network 15 minutes a day."
War of Titans Search Engine Optimization Vs Social Media Marketing Which One Is Better - To learn more about this author, visit Zeke Camusio's Website.
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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