How SEO Works in Digital Marketing

This weeks episode on SEO B.S. is going to be unique because I totally have a different view on ‘How SEO Works in Digital Marketing?” For me, I believe SEO is KING within the Company and Marketing department. For one, SEO is going to dabble in many departments within a company; and two, SEO is going to be involved with all aspects within the Marketing Department. But first, before we dive into the topic, let’s review some basics. 

What is SEO & Digital Marketing

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization is how EASILY it is to find your business or brand Organically Online without paid ads.  – Conquering SEO

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital Marketing is the promotion of brands to connect with potential customers using the internet and other forms of digital communication. This includes not only email, social media, and web-based advertising, but also text and multimedia messages as a marketing channel. Essentially, if a marketing campaign involves digital communication, its digital marketing.

So, basically speaking,

Digital Marketing is any form of old school marketing or marketing in general that is online.

What are some Digital Marketing Areas?

1. Web Content
2. Social Media Marketing & Management 
3. Brand Management
4. Web Analytics
5. Mobile Marketing
6. Digital Public Relations
7. Competition Tracking
8. Campaign Management 
9. Email Marketing
10. Retargeting and Re-marketing
11. Content Marketing
12. Paid Media (PPC)
13. Marketing Analytics

 

How SEO Works in Business

From my own experience, I came into SEO in reverse. What I mean by this is that, I first started off as a business guy, an entrepreneur. Back in my Martial Arts competition days, my family owned a successful martial arts studio which gave me experience running a small business and marketing.

After college and moving forward, I have worked within business startups, built business accounts and departments from scratch, and have been involved with Mergers & Acquisitions. Further, I have been a COO, which leads into HR, Legal and sales components but ultimately having the vision for the growth of the company.

At first glance when Digital Marketing came popular and every business wanted to market online, once I dove into it, I thought it was simple. The reason WHY it was simple is because of my background in Old-School Marketing and Sales. What people don’t understand is that the shift into Digital Marketing is the exact SAME psychology of Old-School Marketing, business and Sales. 

In other words, going back to the definition of SEO: 

Search Engine Optimization is how EASILY it is to find your business or brand Organically Online without paid ads.  – Conquering SEO

So, if a SEO Expert is supposedly an EXPERT in Organic Growth for your Company, wouldn’t it make sense that the so-called SEO Expert have a deep foundation in Business, Marketing, and Sales. Further, even have a super-power of a future vision and growth of the company?

SEO and Company Departments

One of the main Company Disasters today is still the old-adage of a 1950’s company culture; meaning that, an employee stays within his area (or what they were hired to do). The employee does not float within the department and especially does not float from department to department. Only in opinion, this is the greatest downfall of SEO within companies and marketing agencies because…

1. They don’t float within the marketing department or even other departments because the simply don’t have the experience to do so.
2. If they do have the experience, the company stops it.

Watch below a great short training video on “What is SEO” and how it relates to your business and business departments.

 

SEO and Digital Marketing

We previously talked about how a SEO expert is going to float from multiple departments and within every aspect within the marketing department. The reason WHY you are going to float is because you are dealing within any area, department or job that relates directly or indirectly to Organic Growth for the company. For example, if I am doing sales copy/copy writing on a website, wouldn’t it make sense that I talk to the top Sales Staff within the Sales Department to find out key customer triggers and product information? Another example that happens regularly, customer service staff are continually rude with walk-in customers. If I notice this, well, this negatively effects Organic Growth and starts a bad reputation. So, either fire the person or better yet, the staff member is usually in the wrong area in the company, so move them.

This same philosophy is going to happen within a Digital Marketing Department. The SEO expert is going to float between all areas: Web Content, Social Media Marketing & Management, Brand Management, Web Analytics, Mobile Marketing, Digital Public Relations, Competition Tracking, Campaign Management, Email Marketing,Retargeting and Re-marketing, Content Marketing, Paid Media (PPC) and Marketing Analytics. 

For example, you have a staff member in charge of paid ads and they set up a Facebook or Google Ad Campaign. The SEO staff member is going to be involved because of know target audiences, keyword focus, and plus sales copy. Further it does not end here. When a customer clicks on the ad, where does the ad take them? Is the landing page Relevant or is it Confusing. Remember a confused mind will always say, “NO!” In other words, if an ad campaign is not working or you are trying to increase CTR or Sales, there are at least several things to review, not just the Ad itself.