Have you ever landed on a web page expecting to see one thing, such as 10 Marketing and Internet Terms as well as their definitions, but instead encountered something completely different. Such as: "Would you like to buy my 2004 Honda Civic?"
No seriously, would you like to buy my car? It’s a poorly cared for machine with over 200,000 miles. A hybrid though, so I can’t take less than $5,000.
No? Eh, it was worth a shot.
Most likely, you clicked here looking for answers. Perhaps on Twitter you saw everyone using that pesky “#” symbol but weren’t sure what it meant. With my title, I promised to clarify it as well as nine other internet marketing terms. Instead, I offered you my car.
That was called Link Baiting — the first of our terms. Think of it as digital Bait and Switch. I offered something (10 definitions) and instead tried to get you to buy my car (still for sale by the way). I baited you with my promise, but instead tried to deliver something unrelated.
On phones, we call it pound. In internet marketing, it’s called a Hashtag (“#”). It serves a variety of purposes: easier searches, indexing, a way to summarize your point in a singular word. It’s the unsung hero of Pinterest, recently introduced to Facebook, and integral to Twitter. Use it in all of your social media posts.
#JustNotLikeThisBecauseItsKindofAnnoyingAndHardToRead
Has your CEO ever asked about your SEO? Search Engine Optimization is a fancy way of asking “Is your website maximized for Google searches?” Google continues to improve the way it indexes pages, so your SEO should always be in top form.
My grandpa once asked me if he could have a Blog. I said yes; He then asked me what a blog was! Think of a blog as a 500-word opinion piece from your local newspaper — except it should consist of more than just opinions. Brands use this platform to educate consumers and position themselves as the expert in their industry.
In the medical industry, Viral is a bad thing. In internet marketing, it’s the exact opposite. A viral video, for example, is one whose popularity expanded rapidly via social sharing. If your post has “gone viral” it means everyone is sharing, commenting and engaging with your content — which spreads your message to many more users.
But what does engaging mean? Simply put, Engagement is participation on your content. The more of your platform’s fans who participate on a post translates into a higher Engagement score — and a greater possibility for your post to go Viral.
Just be cautious you don’t turn your social platforms into a “Me, Me!” environment — remember, social media is what your audience cares about, not you. That being said, a Meme is a different thing all together. It’s a viral post that carries forward some kind of cultural significance. Remember the Harlem Shake videos from last year? They are the perfect example of a video meme. Cat photos with a snarky caption? Welcome to photo memes.
Sometimes, all of these new terms can make you feel like your head is up in the clouds. But did you know the Cloud is a very real place? Google, Apple, and Dropbox are based on cloud storage — secure data backed up on remote servers, making it available across all of your devices. Need to strategize with your clients on a marketing plan? Forgo Microsoft Word and instead collaborate via a Google Doc. You can make real time changes from multiple locations with multiple users logged in simultaneously, and your document is available whenever you need it via Google’s cloud system.
Every marketing action should be tailored to your Buyer Persona, designed to promote your Inbound Marketing campaigns. Inbound is a methodology to nurture market qualified leads so you can tailor your message and marketing efforts. When paired with a website powered by a COS (Content Optimized System) you can deliver a highly customized message to leads as they move along the marketing funnel.
Comments