Search Engine Optimization –
Something I knew nothing about before this class, the concept is pretty simple. How to get your website to the top of the list when a consumer does a search to find the products or services that you offer, after all, what good is a website if no one can find you. I learned many things these past weeks, such as placement and usage of keywords; (among many other strategies) that will help me in both maintaining websites, and when I am creating marketing plans.
Developing and maintaining a good web site.
I think there are a lot of small businesses out there that truly believe that if they put a web site up – they are done, maybe update an event or promotion once in a while. After taking this class, I do not believe that any website is truly finished. The reality is we only have seconds to capture a potential customer’s attention. As technology advances, we need to adjust and re-evaluate. For instance, who would have though a few years ago that websites would need to be changed to accommodate mobile (smart) phone users? People want interaction, and want to share their experiences with social media, such as Facebook and Twitter – and as marketing professionals it is our job to stay ahead of the game, and make sure our customers can “keep up” with adapting their websites to fit their customer’s needs.
Blogs…
I have found blogs to be a useful tool to gain customers trust, although I am still not convinced that every company that has a website should have one to be in business. The key to blogging is like any customer service tool: Know your audience and make it relevant – at some point I read, “Customers don’t buy an object, they buy an experience. I am like many people are learning to embrace change – even my Mother has taken to using “Google” as a verb! (She asked me to Google her a map). With that embrace, I will be continuing to blog, and I plan on starting one at work during the holiday break.