Organic Search Engine Optimization In A Slumping Economy

It is no secret that the economy has taken a major hit (to say the least) in the last five years. Globally, businesses have felt the effects of the falling value of the American dollar and have struggled to make up for it in the meantime. For many businesses, the advertising budget was the first area to suffer cutbacks. Hoping instead that their product(s) & service(s) would be enough to create a viral buzz and bring in new customers, many businesses pulled ads and severed ties with their ad agencies. Luckily, certain aspects of organic search engine optimization are manageable without help from an ad agency, but as any industry veteran can attest to, without the know-how of an experienced SEO, you are selling yourself (and your business) short.

Social Media Marketing: The Answer To Your Prayers?

Let’s get back to this notion of “word of mouth.” When advertising budgets became (for the most part, anyhow) tighter a few years ago, and companies began to panic a bit about how to cost-effectively brand themselves, most businesses poured themselves into social media. Sitting back while wishing and hoping that traditional “word of mouth” would bolster their brands (and profit margins) wasn’t cutting the mustard, so naturally, in-house advertisers began looking for a better way put the word-of-mouth concept into action. Enter social media marketing, otherwise known as digital word-of-mouth marketing on steroids.

Website Marketing Via Social Media Sites

When businesses realized how effective social media can be for website marketing, the more aggressively they use social media – and the statistics from popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. prove this. The success of social media is based on its ability to engage with and converse with customers. The customers speak directly to you, and (if you’re using social media properly) you respond within a matter of minutes after engagement is initiated. Feedback is instant, and this is one of the most tremendous advantages social media offers. The caveat here, though, is that you absolutely must spend as much time engaging with your customers as they engage with you. So, while social media might not necessarily cost you a penny, it may cost you some time…time well spent, if you ask us.