Author: April Hall
SEO Copywriter
Okay, so if you don’t have a middle age girl, you probably haven’t heard the ridiculously popular Miley Cyrus song “7 Things”. I admit that even though it has come on our Disney XM Station over and over, I never really stopped to listen to it in full. Well, yesterday I finally did, and I was kinda appalled, to tell you the truth! For one thing, we don’t use the word “hate” in our house; for another, why in the world is a girl so young singing so forlornly about a lost love? Call me old-fashioned, but I think high school girls should just chill out a bit… If you want to see what I’m talking about, check out the video on You Tube (at your own peril, since you will waste 3 minutes of your life that you won’t get back!).
After I listened to the song, I realized that I had subconsciously been counting off these “7 Things” as the song went along. I even realized that I had been willing to listen to the whole blasted thing for the simple reason of wanting to hear all seven! What a genius idea! Keep the audience’s attention by letting them know that there is a finite list full of information; a concise, neatly ordered list that is easily digestible…. Brilliant! I’m not sure if this was the line of thinking that the writer of “7 Things” followed (particularly if that writer is the young Cyrus), but it is definitely a tack that SEO marketers should take.
Think about it: if you promise your readers that your SEO content is a numbered list, you can almost guarantee that they will at least skim through each item to discover if there is some information of interest contained within. A numbered list is almost better than even a bulleted list, because it has a clear beginning and end; making it readable for even the most attention-deprived viewers.
5 Things to keep in mind with numbered lists (See how I did that?):
- Make your intro statement short and to the point; a true staple of SEO marketing.
- Make your intro statements follow the same format.
- Make your intro statements relevant and eye-catching.
- Make your supporting information as concise as possible.
- Make your numbered lists the “meat” between your information sandwich. (The “bread” would be your introduction thoughts and your conclusions about why the list is important.)
So,thanks, Miley Cyrus! You kept the attention of an adult professional for the full 3 minutes! Although I couldn’t care less about your list, I couldn’t bring myself to turn it off before hearing all seven… Sad ? Perhaps. Relevant to the craft of internet marketing? Absolutely.
Author: April Hall
Copywriter
Turn on the news, and you’ll soon learn that the American economy is struggling mightily. Home values are plummeting, unemployment is skyrocketing, energy prices are through the roof and the government is building a deficit faster than clocks can keep up with it. Is it any wonder that businesses are struggling to keep their profits up and are having to cut operating expenses in order to simply stay afloat? When the economy is in such bad shape, what’s an SEO marketing company to do in order to encourage their clients to keep ordering services and trusting their marketing firm to target new clients?
Short of begging clients to stay, there are many steps you SEO marketers can take to demonstrate their value to their account holders who may be wary of continuing to pay these types of advertising expenses. The most important thing you can do to reassure your clients is to provide on time, high quality customer service that they will not be able to find with a bargain basement SEO company. You want your clients to feel as if they may be paying more for your services, but it is well worth it for the quality of the investment return.
Other measures you can take to hold and grow your client base, even when the economy is faltering, include:
- Offering long-standing clients special package deals. Sometimes a business will need to sacrifice a few dollars along the way in order to increase their earnings later on. If you have some clients that have been loyal customers for quite some time, offering them a great deal or a special package may encourage them to tell other businesses about your SEO marketing services.
- Experimenting with new services. You may never have tried to offer your clients blogging services before; but many SEO marketers do offer this services. To keep your customers from looking elsewhere for more extensive marketing services, try to branch out and offer some innovating social media and social networking packages. It might take a bit of training for your employees, but learning new skills is never a waste of time.
- Increase your own advertising budget. Your businesses likely has the same temptation that your clients have: when times are tough, the first reflex is to cut down on operating expenses, which may mean reducing advertising. Resist the urge to drastically reduce your advertising! You have to keep your SEO marketing firm’s name out there in order to reach new clients and improve your brand. Instead of reducing advertising, search for innovative ways to more closely target potential customers.
As our country struggles together to dig our way out of this economic mess, let’s remember that the economy is always going to have ebbs and flows. Improving your business practices can help you create a strong, vibrant SEO firm that is able to withstand these times and come out even stronger when the economy eventually improves.
