Being the Leader in Post Recession
With the new budget year approaching, managers are researching how to utilize SEO and PPC for 2010. Many will be thinking in terms of improvement or survival while a few smart ones will be focusing on leadership in their niche.
First movers see the snowball effect working for them. Once it's rolling they only need to align their effort with aspects of the forward momentum. In the fragmented world of the web, people are looking for leaders who champion their beliefs and values. They become ardent supporters and their involvement should be encouraged. |
Is there an advantage to being first mover in a market? History tells us definitively that first movers can get in and own a market and they usually achieve this by planning early at a point when the market is beginning to improve. A lot has happened in the realm of search including Google's index. Change represents opportunity for those who assess where search is headed.
Video is one of those big changes. The new Google Caffeine Algorithm is favoring Video in its universal search results. Video is popular particularly with those with mobile phones. As an example, the SEO news portal Web Pro News is into video heavily and is now considered the top SEO news resource ahead of old favorites such as Search Engine Watch and Search Engine Journal. Their coverage of web marketing through various experts makes their web site a compelling, informative, and fun destination. They are building on a first mover advantage that will be very hard for others to compete against.
Your company should also be planning your first market mover leadership. In search, it could give your company direct traffic leadership and brand leadership as well. Google was a first mover when they created better and more search results. Delta Hotels was a first mover when used SEO strategy to gain dominance in organic and local search results. Zappos built their leadership by being the premier online shoe store. First movers see the snowball effect working for them. Once it's rolling you only need to make sure your site is aligned with all aspects of the forward momentum. There is no limit to that forward momentum and leadership. There are always creative new ways to build presence and recognition.
Most businesses are still in a paralysis mode with respect to search engine marketing. It is primarily a lack of confidence that SEO or PPC can deliver a strong ROI. Statistics show SEO is providing a very high return on investment, however the field is becoming ultracompetitive. It may be that the only way to leverage search marketing now, is to become a leader, thus rising above the noise. If you're a marketing manager, you know all about rising above the noise.
Most strategies used today are aimless, designed to get visits, but conversion rates and bounce rates are astonishingly high. People want to follow a leader and learn from leaders. By being first mover, you're on the path to that leadership which will pay off big when people don't need a search engine to find your site. Anyway you cut it, SEO is critical to establishing leadership online and building a strong ROI from web marketing. |
First Mover Advantage SEO
First movers gain an advantage from leveraging changes in the field, yet which changes are powerful and lasting enough to focus on? Certainly social media is a growing force in search yet it's bottom line impact is hard to quantify. Approaching social marketing on a small scale is not likely to create the right benefit. Social media usage is fleeting and congested and search engines tend to discount social media pages influence on rankings. SEO and PPC can be very lasting, yet without the right unique value proposition, visitors come and go.
The key to first mover advantage is in capturing a new array of keyword phrases, having inbound links established earlier which appeals to search engines, and capturing exposure on a hot new topic. Your company needs to be tied to the new issues and trends and there are creative ways of arranging that association. Google Zeitgeist and Google Trends are good starting points for hot topics.
It's beyond buzz marketing and building a complete chain of value. More tentacles out on search engine results, the web and social media sites generates more traffic. These visitors can be encouraged to see your site as a leader in its field. That's the only way web site owners will link to your site or talk about it in a way that generates strong interest and support.
Brainstorm on any are of your business where you can be seen as an expert or leading source. Of course it should be brand friendly and generate a positive image. Your blog or Twitter posts may erode your brand focus and undermine the niche expertise or leadership you need. Your PPC campaign and email campaign might also allude to your buzz/engagement marketing strategy too. Why waste all those expensive clicks?
Add a dash of excitement and you'll get participation and lots of support. In search engines, that translates to ranking success. |
