WEBnext™ Online Marketing Process

Life or death. Make or break. Money well spent or thrown away. SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is a critical part of your online presence, but what is it, really?

SEM encompasses both organic and paid search. It is more than keywords and analytics. It includes an arsenal of tactics that are part of your total digital branding message — and a profitable online experience. At Delia Associates, we call it WEBnext™, a comprehensive web deployment process that helps you:

1. Be Found - Of course you want people to see you when they search. Here, keywords and key phrases are king, because that's what search engines look for. An SEO professional worth his or her salt will ferret out the most productive search terms that will be incorporated into well-written, relevant content; as well as captions, titles and meta tags.
2. Be Seen - After you've been found, you want to be seen. Like great content, great design is a must. Information architecture is really the art of usability - meaning that your visitors should be able to find what they need quickly, easily and consistently. Building links, incorporating online PR and adding pay-per-click (PPC) ads, banners and directories will really boost your visibility.
3. Reach Out - E-mail marketing is a natural way to bolster your website's performance. List development, maintenance and segmentation streamline the process. Use e-newsletters and e-mail to promote, promote, promote and the traffic will come your way.
4. Converse - Tell your story. Engage your audience. Social media is your web's best friend. It's more than "like me" on Facebook; it's about building a fan base for your brand. Link to LinkedIn and tweet away on Twitter. Blogs are another way to get a following. Not only will customers enjoy reading a well-written and informative blog, they'll tell their friends and colleagues, who will tell their friends and colleagues...
5. Convert - Now that they've found you, seen who you are and have heard your story, it's time for action. Good SEM gets action. Downloads. Inquiries. Referrals. Sign-ups. And (dare we say it) sales. Conversion is a result of all the diligence that has been put into targeting your audience, building your site, and making sure that it's optimized and easy to use. Last, but most importantly, have a solid, compelling call to action. Repeat. A compelling call to action.
6. Analyze - Be introspective. Take a look at your website from your customers' point-of-view. And by all means, use those site performance indicators (SPIs) to gather insights into how well your site is doing. Monthly reporting, conversion analysis and lead tracking are all helpful analytical tools. By setting goals (and revisiting them), you will be able to make adjustments as needed. Which bring us to...
7. Improve - There's always something that can be made better, faster or more effective. Does content need to be tweaked or updated? Can Flash add some spark to a page? Would a new landing page improve usability or is there a demo or discussion that just begs for a video? Unlike printed or broadcast material, the Web is a dynamic medium that responds to change and can be adjusted to evolving needs.