SEO optimization is tricky, and time consuming. There are many rules for how to rank high in Google, and many times the rules change.
So how do you find an SEO specialist? Today most website designers are also SEO specialists, so make sure when purchasing your website, you are also comfortable with their SEO capabilities.
Lesson: The common person does not have the time or energy to play the SEO optimization game, nor do they care. Get your website guy to do it, or contract it out.
#3) The VISUAL's company
I realize I lost you many of you on this one, but stay with me. Your Visual company is the people or company you hire to enhance your website through visual elements. Your Visuals company would include your commercial photography, as well as your video. As most of you should already know, consumers are visual!
Yes, I know, I know, many of you think you are photographers because you bought that high-tech camera down at the Big Box store and you can do some really funky stuff on Photo Shop, but I am sorry to tell you, you are not a photographer!
And, if you insist on buying those cheap generic stock images just to fill in the website space, how does the consumer really know you are a real company and not just some random person in a foreign country who threw up a website?
Recently I posted an ad on craigslist for a website designer. I got multiple replies from professionals who had active websites, but these websites were almost all text, splattered with some cheap stock images of office buildings. As I looked closer, I realized their "Contact Us" section had a 1-800 number. And as I looked even closer, I realized there was a possibility this company was not even in the United States, and was most likely in India.
Professional photography can never be replaced by amateur photography or cheap stock images, which can make a company look small or fake.
"I see so many people who try to take the cheap way out when doing their photography," said Sallie LeBlanc, owner of Visual Advantages, LLC, a commercial photo and video production company in Dallas-Fort Worth, www.visualadvantages.com , but they always pay for it in the long run, either by losing customers, or by having to re-shoot later with a real professional."
Your visual company will partner with your website designer to finish your website, and make it stand out from the other thousands of other websites. Professional photography can engage your customer, create a brand, and can even make a small company look huge!
Now let's talk about video. Statistics show that the more engaged your customer becomes in your website, the more likely they are to become a customer. With video, you are not only engaging your customer, but you are teaching them! Many times it is hard to explain a product or service over the internet, but video can bridge the gap between a consumer quickly clicking though your site, and one that is actively learning about you and what you can offer.
Lesson: Consumers are visual. Professional photography and video can make your company's website or social media look stellar, as well as engage your customer. Don't whip out your digital camera or camcorder, or plug up your website with cheap stock images. Leave the visual elements to the professionals, and develop your brand.
4) The Social Media Manager Ahhh, Social Media Manager! A title of a person who did not exist so long ago. A title you may not even recognize.
Social Media Managers are the ones who continually update your website so consumers do not think you went out of business. They write your blogs, tweet for you on twitter, run your Face Book, and stay up to date on your competition. They may also create polls on Face Book, or organize live events. Your Social Media Manager may even take on the role of PR Rep by writing Press Releases, on occasion.
Social Media Managers are the cohesive unit between your live business, your website, and all your social media outlets.
But many people put social media on a back burner, thinking it secondary, and hand it off to an intern or friend with no vested interest in their company.
Recently I was on the Face Book page of a local restaurant who posted that that they had a "buy one, get one free lunch special" coupon on their website . All of the Face Book fans flocked to the website lusting after that free plate of pasta, only to find an expired coupon from a year ago. A restaurant employee later told me their Face Book fan page was being run by a student, in another state.
Lesson: Invest in a Social Media Manager if you do not have the time to tweet on Twitter, post on Face Book, or blog your little heart out. This can be a full-time position for larger companies, or for small business, this could simply mean a small monthly fee for a contractor who is off site but dedicated to promoting your brand.
Also, I would highly recommend finding someone local, who keeps up with current events in your city, rather than farming the job out to a telecommuter. And sometimes your website guy may try to take over this role, but it is better to let him focus on what he does best, the technical side of your website and SEO !
OVERVIEW
Social Media Marketing may be new territory for most businesses, but with the right people in place, you can be an active competitor. Most businesses will never reach their greatest potential until they are actively optimizing their social media.
If you make the time to find the right people to create and manage your website, SEO, visuals, as well as social media communications, it will be time and money well spent.
Once you have these companies and individuals in place, be sure and introduce them to one another. Together they can be a well oiled machine that can drive your business to the next level.
Sallie LeBlanc is a photo shoot producer and photo stylist in Dallas- Fort Worth, TX.
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