Keyword Density
Published June 10, 2013 | 
Safe Keyword Density 2013
Correct keyword density is critical to your website’s on-page optimization.
Unless your website is optimized on-page, all the work you’re doing off the website (building links, marketing content, executing a social media campaign) will be seriously undermined.
Will offsite SEO still have a positive effect even without proper on-page optimization? Sure. But that’s like taking a bike with two flat tires to the Tour de France: you’ll get half as far for twice the effort … and there’s no way you’ll be able to keep up with the competition.
So what’s a safe keyword density in 2013? Unfortunately, thanks to Google’s Penguin update that launched last spring there’s no hard and fast answer to that question. We can’t tell you “Shoot for 3% keyword density and you’re good” because Google is playing keyword density info close to its vest.
What we can do is share with you two tips on building a keyword theme to ensure you never have to worry about keyword density now or after future Google algorithm updates.
Tip #1: Don’t try to rank for a word; rank for an idea.
In a post-Penguin world, trying to hone in on a single “silver bullet” keyword is far less effective than building a keyword theme around a highly-focused key idea.
For example, let’s say your topic is home gardening. Good luck ranking for the competitive keyword phrase “when to plant a garden”, but you might have more success with “planting a winter garden” – and even greater success if you drill down to a highly-focused idea like “winter vegetable gardening in California”.
Think about your target audience and the exact information you’re trying to share with them and then strip away anything that doesn’t pertain directly to that information. What remains is your key idea and you can rank for it by carefully building a keyword theme around it.
Need a little help focusing in on a key idea?
Übersuggest is a powerful (free!) keyword suggestion tool that uses Google Suggest and other suggest services to help you narrow broad topics down to viable, focused key ideas.
Tip #2: Build a keyword theme around your key idea.
In the past, if you were writing a 500 word article or blog post you might have tried to fit your primary keyword into the content 12 to 15 times. Take an approach like that now and Google will most likely flag your article as spam.
A more effective strategy today is structuring your content around a number of relevant, focused keywords – utilize a keyword theme, in other words.
Once you’ve honed in on a key idea, building a keyword theme around it is as simple as heading over to the Google AdWords Keyword Tool and doing some basic research.
Typing the above example “winter vegetable gardening in California” into Google AdWords Keyword Tool’s search bar and searching for “Keyword ideas” brings back a list of hundreds of potential candidates for my keyword theme. For a 500 word article I might choose the 12 or 15 that are most relevant to my key idea to include in my content.
By building an article around a keyword theme rather than a single keyword you’ll not only improve the relevance of your content and make it more reader-friendly, but you’ll also never have to worry about Google penalizing you because of keyword density.
Three Things Every Marketer Should Know About SEO Traffic
Published June 3, 2013 | 
Search engine optimization has been around for a while now. But there are still some marketers who don’t fully understand it or how to use it. They think it’s all about getting to the top of the Google search results and driving traffic to their site.
Okay, I’ll buy that…to an extent. I’d take a top position with Google over a position on page one. But have you noticed that the sites which were once ranking at the top of the search results for the term “SEO Services” have changed dramatically over the past few years?
Even some of the SEO firms haven’t figured out how to keep up with the changes in the Google algorithms. SEO is still a mystery, and an expensive one if you don’t get it solved quickly.
Having seen dozens of our customer’s sites rise to page one, I’d like to shed some light on how to get better rankings and traffic AND make sure your traffic converts. But I’d also like to show you how to create the financial stability necessary for growing a great company…
Tip #1: SEO is Primarily a Lead Generation Strategy
SEO is a great strategy for generating leads, but not so great for getting direct sales. For converting SEO traffic, you need an email marketing campaign. According to an article on MarketingSherpa.com, 43% of marketers say that SEO is their primary source of traffic.
However, less than 30% of those 42% claimed that SEO brought them their highest conversions. They claimed that most of their conversions had come on the email follow up.
This is a perfect example of how the internet has changed people’s buying behaviors and how SEO traffic comes from people who are in the earlier stages of the buying cycle. Some marketers seem to think that consumers wake up in the morning with a sudden thought like this:
“Hey, I think I’d like to buy ___ today.”
If they do wake up thinking this, it’s only because they’ve been thinking about it for a while. If they’ve been thinking about it, you can bet they’ve researched it. And if they’ve researched it, they’ve probably found a few websites which gave them valuable information on their search. Some of those sites might have even collected the customer’s email and will be following up.
Who do you think that customer is likely to choose when it comes time for them to buy the product or the service?
Right, they’ll go to the company who has established trust by sending the customer useful information. Meanwhile, the websites that went for a sale right away will be a distant memory, at best. So even if you get to the top of the search engines by building a cutthroat “one call close” website, most of your visitors won’t hang around.
They’ll go where they can get the information they want. This is why so many “sniper sites” and direct sales sites got knocked down in the search results during the last few Google updates. As Google has given more attention to bounce rates, time on site and user engagement signals, sites which provide users with good content have devoured the top search positions.
So remember that your SEO traffic is primarily interested in good information. You need to give them what they want, gather leads and work on earning the sale on the follow up. If you do this, you’ll get high rankings and plenty of follow up conversions. If you don’t, you probably won’t get much of either.
What if My Business is Different?
I hear this ^ all the time.
Some marketers assume that email follow up and content marketing doesn’t make sense for them because their visitors “either buy right away or don’t come back.” That’s simply not true. The reason customers are either “buying right away or leaving,” is because you haven’t created a follow up process using email and content marketing.
If you keep trying to get your visitors to buy right away, while they’re still in search mode, you’ll only convert a few. Most of them, you’ll never see again. But those visitors who “don’t come back,” would still be reachable if you had a way to reach them.
That’s why you need to collect emails and follow up with your visitors using an automated email marketing campaign. If possible, you need to use phone follow up too. And in case you think your business doesn’t lend itself to content marketing and email marketing, check out Miller Welds (www.millerwelds.com).
They have a powerful, personality-driven content marketing strategy that you’d never expect from a welding company. According to “Get Content, Get Customers,” a book by Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett, Miller Welds drove double digit revenue growth using this content marketing strategy.
So no matter what business you’re in, you now have no excuse. Customers are buying from companies who position themselves as a trusted source of information instead of just a provider of products and services. That’s how you build a great business in the information age.
A good follow up strategy can also work wonders for your social media traffic…
Tip #2: The “Dark Matter” of SEO & Social Media Traffic
Social Media traffic is definitely impacting SEO. But here’s something that will bend your inner thinking all out of whack…
Most of the social media traffic online isn’t coming from sites like Facebook, Twitter, Reddit or LinkedIn. It comes from what Mike Montano calls “digital word of mouth marketing.” For example, did you know that up to 70% of the social media traffic is coming from what The Atlantic calls “dark social” links?
The social networks you know and love (Facebook, Twitter and Reddit) only account for 30% of the traffic being delivered to the average website. The other 70% is coming from links shared via email or instant messaging. Those visits get lumped into the “direct” traffic category in analytics programs BTW, which is why most of us don’t pay attention to them.
But according to Studies by Earnest Agency, a mind-boggling 80% of B2B buyers are more likely to share content via email and instant messaging than via social media sites. Only 53% of B2B buyers prefer LinkedIn, 39% Twitter and 18% Facebook. That’s right, email is number one for B2B.
All those direct hits you see to your website, those are either coming from people typing in your URL or clicking on a link which was sent to them via email or instant message. This is why you need an “email this” button at the bottom of your blogs, not just a tweet button, a like button and a Facebook share button. You also need content that’s worthy of being shared….do you have that?
If not, it’s time to get busy because the future is barreling towards us quickly…and it’s all about word of mouth marketing. Word of mouth marketing has always been the most powerful, trusted kind of marketing. But the internet has made it even more powerful and more trustworthy. In the years to come, word of mouth marketing will take over the world of SEO and social media.
After all, most people go to the internet to do two things:
- Search for valuable information
- Connect with people
Considering this, can you see why digital word of mouth marketing is so important? Repeat visits have a dramatic impact on your search results. They show the search engines that your website is a trusted source of information. The more you encourage your readers to share your content via email or instant message, the more repeat visits you’ll get and the more trustworthy you’ll appear.
So don’t invest everything into Facebook and Twitter. Email and instant message sharing and “word of mouse”, can be much more important, especially if you’re in the B2B niche.
What About Building a Reputation on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn?
The statistics do show that building a strong presence on a social media site like Facebook is still a good SEO strategy. According to MarketingProfs, companies which have over 1,000 likes on Facebook will get 185% more traffic than those who only have a handful of likes. Businesses which have 51 to 100 Twitter followers are also shown to attract 106% more traffic than those who have only 25 followers or less.
So build your social media reputation using the big name sites, but never forget that the internet marketplace is socially driven. Remember also that you need content that’s worthy of being shared; content that positions you as a trusted source of information and a thought leader.
Here’s a good way to approach your online marketing…
Imagine what would come of your company if EVERY search engine disappeared tomorrow and the online marketplace became driven strictly by word of mouth marketing. Even if this never happens, approaching your online marketing with this mindset will get you thinking less about rankings and traffic and thinking more about building a reputation...
…a reputation that attract a steady stream of traffic through word of mouth marketing, regardless of where you are in the search results. If you build this kind of reputation, the repeat visits and traffic from “dark social links” will help you create something that can absolutely explode your business…social equity….
Tip #3: Stop Worrying About SEO Traffic & Start Building Equity
If you want to build a financial stable business, and if you hope to grow it someday, you need to treat SEO is a strategy for building equity, not just getting traffic and making sales. If you’ve been in business more than a year, you already know that search engine traffic can dry up in a flash.
Many marketers learned this the hard way during the Google updates of 2011 and 2012. Their sites were dumped them to the bottom of the search results, their traffic slowed down to a trickle and their sales evaporated almost overnight.
Scary thought, but that’s why smart marketers focus not just on traffic and sales, they focus on creating equity. I know, equity sounds like a nerd term only your accountant knows anything about. What does it have to do with driving traffic and marking sales today?
Nothing really, but that’s assuming you’re thinking short term. If you start building equity today, you’ll eventually be rewarded with traffic which don’t dry up and with higher conversion rates. Just picture where your business right now, then multiply your traffic and sales by two…that’s where you’d be right now if you’d started building equity last year.
How is this possible?
How Social Equity Drives Higher Profits & Growth
Imagine this…
Your company website becomes a source of trusted information for your customers. You build up a solid base of verifiable customer reviews, a buzzing social community (such as a forum) or a blog or newsletter that’s jam packed with useful information which people read on a consistent basis. You might even build a few web-based applications which your visitors use on a consistent basis.
All these are examples of using the internet to build equity because ALL of these things can be leveraged to earn future leads and business without relying on SEO traffic. Think of it like buying a brick and mortar business, let’s say, a lawn care business. You pay $30k dollars and all you get is a business name and a truck full of used tools….but is that really all you get?
No. Not if the business already has a loyal base of customers. If they do, you’re also buying the trust which that company has established with that base of customers. Trust is a form of “social equity,” which has real economic power. It’s the same thing on the internet.
If people trust your website as a source of valuable information, a social hub or a place where they can use practical web-based applications, you’ve got more than just a stream of traffic.
You’ve got social equity.
Social equity is more resilient than search engine rankings. Your rankings can drop literally overnight. But it takes longer to lose the social equity which has been earned through a great reputation. Equity is a powerful principle for creating the financial stability your business needs. It’s the foundation upon which you can realistically start growing your company and the repeat visits will help your search engine rankings.
The question is…are you willing to stop thinking only about today and start planning for the future by building social equity? If you are, I’ll guarantee that you’ll have a more financial stable business by this time next year…and imagine where you’ll be in 5 years…or 10.
But if you sacrifice that long term success and focus only on what’s urgent, you’ll probably kick yourself this time next year when you’re stuck in the same place you are now…or worse.
Are you starting to see how building a reputation is the secret master to key to creating long term financial stability and growth? If so, call MSI right now at the number on this site. We won’t promise instant results because you and I both know that’s not how things work in the modern marketplace.
But if you want a company that’s built to thrive in any economy, and in spite of what Google does with their updates or in spite of whether Facebook is taken over by the next big thing in social media, we need to talk.
Remember, if you start building equity right now, you’ll thank yourself by this time next year. Or, you can stay stuck trying to scratch a living off of the traffic that you’re getting today. Which do you think will help you build the kind of business you set out to build in the first place?
Call MSI now, and let’s talk change the future of your business.
Research Shows that Retailers and Charities Have Most Success With Direct Mail
Published May 31, 2013 | I looked up some interesting statistics this weekend about how people are responding to direct mail marketing. You’ll want to read this if you’re planning on using direct mail marketing for new client acquisition or finding sponsors for your non-for-profit…
Priority of Direct Mail for Consumers
These numbers show which types of direct mail messages consumers give the most attention to. I’ll show you why these are important in just a moment.
- 53% gives most attention to direct mail coming from the government
- 51% gives most attention to direct mail coming from merchants or retailers
- 43% gives most attention to direct mail coming from charitable organizations or political senders looking for donations.
- 33% gives most attention to direct mail coming from financial service providers
Likelihood of Response to Types of Direct Mail
These numbers show how likely consumers are to respond to the types of direct mail:
- 16% responds to direct mail coming from merchants or retailers
- 9% responds to direct mail coming from charitable organizations or political senders looking for donations.
- 6% responds to direct mail coming from service providers
- 4% responds to direct mail about financial services
Now, pay attention to the types of direct mail people respond to the most. Do you see a common theme? It’s trust. Trust is the most important factor in the financial services industry and for deciding which charities to donate money to.
If you’re in either one of these industries…or any industry where trust is the most important factor, you should pay attention to these numbers. If you want to earn the trust of your prospects and customers, you need a solid direct mail marketing strategy.
Direct Mail and the Trust Factor
Did you know that direct mail is considered by consumers to be the most trustworthy type of communication? It beats email marketing and social media marketing by a long shot. This is not just my opinion either. Studies have been conducted to find out what consumers consider to be the most trustworthy form of communication, and direct mail is winning.
Plus, studies show that 54% of people are more likely to pay attention to paper statements as opposed to email statements. This is a wakeup call if you’re planning on dumping all your money into SEO, social media and email marketing.
Trust is the currency of the new economy, and it’s the key to earning more new customers and increasing profits.
Want to establish yourself as a trusted brand and stand head and shoulders above your competitors? Give your customers what they want and trust and what you know they’ll respond to.
Posted in Direct Mail Marketing | 
direct mail marketing, marketing strategist, MSI | 
Leave a commentDirect Mail Goes Hand in Hand With Charity
Published May 26, 2013 | 
Did you know that direct mail marketing brings in about 78% of the donations for non-for-profits? Marketreach.co.uk reported that nearly 50% of adults have donated money to charitable causes in response to direct mailers they’d received. These are important statistics if you’re running a non-for-profit organization.
Do you have a direct mail marketing campaign for gathering donations and finding new sponsors? If not, it might be because you’re depending too much on Email or Social media marketing. The money “saved” from using “free” methods such as SEO, email or social media could cost you a lot of money in missed opportunity.
Why is Direct Mail so Important for Non-for-Profits?
The primary product of non-for-profits is trust. Sponsors want to know that they can trust where their money is going when they give to a non-for-profit organization. It’s commonly known that anywhere from 75% to 85% of the donations going to non-for-profits don’t even go towards the cause. They go towards supporting the organization.
Some non-for-profits require as much as 95% of their donation money just to run the organization. This makes people very skeptical about giving their money to a non-for-profit foundation. How much more skeptical will they be if they only hear from the organization by means of email or ads on social media sites?
Direct mail solves this problem by demonstrating that your organization isn’t just a fly by night cause. Over the past few years, marketing studies from groups like Epsilon Research Channel and Direct Marketing News reveal that direct mail marketing has a much higher perceived trust in the minds of consumers.
Direct marketing response rates are also significantly higher than email response rates, and the difference is growing every year. Social media, incidentally, was considered, by consumers, too be one of the least trustworthy marketing channels. This is NOT to say that social media is a bad way to promote your non-for-profit. The point is that if you’re not using direct mail because of the “cost,” you don’t understand the way non-for-profit organizations really work.
How to Use Direct Mail AND Social Media to Get More Donations
While direct mail is a great way to connect with new sponsors and send thank you cards for donations received, it’s also important to use social media and email. Social media sites can be a great place to connect with existing donors and send them updates on how their donations are being invested. It’s also a great place to share reviews from your existing sponsors.
But one of the biggest challenges of non-for-profits is thinking like a business. Many of these foundations look for ways to save money, which is a good idea. But when it comes to marketing, cutting costs can be a a bad idea. There are no costs in good marketing. There are only investments. If you’re only using online marketing because it’s free, you’re paying a much higher price in lost opportunities.
According to alleecreative.com, 98% of adults will bring in the mail the same day it was delivered, and 77% of them will sort it the same day. Email doesn’t fair so well. Most of it gets deleted without being opened. So if you want to connect with more new sponsors and build a trustworthy non-for-profit organization, direct mail marketing is your missing link.
Posted in Direct Mail Marketing | direct mail marketing, marketing strategist, MSI | Leave a commentPROOF! Direct Mail Marketing is More Trustworthy than Online Marketing
Published May 23, 2013 | 
Did you know that consumers consider direct mail marketing to be more trustworthy than online marketing?
While most marketers are jazzed up about email marketing, social media, SEO and PPC marketing, many of them are neglecting the “old school” methods like direct mail and telemarketing. But the data continues to prove that the “trust factor” of direct mail marketing creates higher conversion rates than online marketing.
When direct mail is done right, the higher conversion rates more than make up for the extra money invested into printing and mailing. Here are a few results from some studies that prove this…
(Note: I found some of the following statistics while reading Dan Kennedy’s new Book “No BS Trust-Based Marketing.”)
Consumers Say Direct Mail Marketing is More Trustworthy
In 2011, the Epsilon Research Channel Preference Study revealed that direct mail is still the top choice of US and Canadian consumers. The preference also covered the age bracket between 18 and 34, breaking the myth that the younger generation is more likely to respond to online marketing.
26% of these consumers considered direct mail to be the MOST trustworthy type of media. Half of them said they pay MORE attention to direct mail than they do to email and 60% of them claimed to enjoy seeing what was in their daily mail. How many people do you know who enjoy checking their email?
Only 6% of the consumers considered social media to be trustworthy (which ought to challenge the way you do social media). 21% of them found Newspapers to be the most trustworthy form of media. But 18% considered direct mail to the most trustworthy. That’s triple the amount of people who found social media trustworthy.
Another study by Direct Marketing News revealed that 98% of consumers retrieve their mail on the day of delivery and 71% of them sort and read it the same day. Meanwhile, the open rates for emails have been in steady decline over the past few years. On top of this, direct mail brings in nearly 80% of the donations for non-for-profits, a field where trust is the primary selling point (source: printisbig.com).
Another report from printisbig.com revealed that direct mail response rates have increased by 14% over the past few years while email response rates are down nearly 60%. As of the end of 2012, direct mail also remained the #1 marketing channels for large businesses, SEO/website marketing came second, while email marketing came in third.
So here’s the question…
Can You Afford NOT to Be Using Direct Mail?
If you want to stay ahead of the competition, you’re going to need direct mail marketing. Companies who rely only on internet marketing are making a common and costly mistake. They’re following the trends instead of following the evidence about what produces results. Of course, SEO, email and social media are still important, but they shouldn’t be your only means of reaching customers.
If they are, you’re in danger of losing market share to the competitor who discovers the high “trust factor” of direct mail marketing. So it’s time to start your first direct mail campaign today. A huge untapped pool of opportunity is waiting on you, and you need to act before your competitors catch on.
Call MSI right now and ask about our direct mail and printing solutions. Remember, trust is the currency of the new economy. If you want to earn more of it, you need to give people what they consider to be truly trustworthy.
Posted in Direct Mail Marketing | direct mail marketing, marketing strategist, MSI | Leave a comment
