Keywords a Bridge to an Integrated Marketing Plan

May 2nd, 2011 |

Credit www.sxc.hu

Before the Internet, marketing was viewed by many as advertising by those who engaged in services and products. Yet, the purpose of marketing is to:

Attract attention
Build the relationship

The goal of marketing is also two-fold

Make a friend
Be asked back for that first time appointment or to be asked in

With the advent of the Internet, the marketing landscape has dramatically changed. From banner advertisements to Adwords to websites to blogs to mobile devices to social media, no longer is there just one or two ways to market your solutions (products or services). Now savvy small business owners to sales professionals to even C Suite executives must consider a more totally integrated marketing approach.

A study by Optify demonstrated the importance of securing a high position within Google’s search results. Those sites at the top of page one achieve an average click through rate of 36.4%. The other positions rank as follows:

#2 = 12.5%
#3 = 9.5%
#4 = 7.9%
#5 = 6.1%
#6 = 4.1%
#7 = 3.8%
#8 = 3.0%
#9 = 2.2%

What is interesting to note is on page two of a Google search, position number one gets more clicks than the lower positions on page one.

Ranking is determined through searches using keywords. By understanding keywords both the more popular ones as well as the long tail ones, this knowledge can become the bridge to developing an integrated marketing plan.

For example, during the last four years I have focused on this keyword “increase sales.” Through an integrated marketing plan, I have included this phrase in:

75% of the articles I have written
80-90% of the blog postings
100% of all speeches on sales and marketing
100% of all workshops on sales and marketing
Printed brochures

For the last year or so, I have been on page one of Google regarding this keyword of increase sales whether it is in or not in quotes. Sales Training Coaching Tip: Quotes restrict the search to sites that list the words ( in this case increase sales) in exact order.

The position varies depending upon the day of the week as well as the geographical location. However, the end result is what matters and that result comes from having an integrated marketing plan that unites the following marketing actions:

Blogging on this sales blog
Writing articles for Internet distribution such as Evan Carmichael, Sales Gravy and Ezine Articles
Posting weekly business column for the Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana
Speaking
Facilitating workshops and seminars
Networking

An integrated marketing approach is extremely critical when launching a new product or service. By investing the time to discover the short and long tail keywords allows any business to put together a plan to organically (without paid advertising) achieve a page one position on the Internet. Additionally, these keywords become part of the overall marketing message.

Consistency in your message is critical in marketing. Being recognized by certain words or phrases helps with your overall branding and allows you to truly Be the Red Jacket in a sea of gray suits.