SearchEngineWatch.com:
Big companies with huge budgets certainly make it more difficult for smaller search marketers to compete, but ingenuity and creativity can still provide a compelling competitive advantage regardless of budget constraints.
It was smaller firms that primarily drove the 1st wave of growth for the explosive search engine marketing industry. But today, with Fortune 1000 companies crashing the search marketing party, many small firms are wondering if the Web really is the ‘great equalizer’ they hoped for. What was once a small businesses’ best kept secret has now become part of nearly every marketer’s mix.
Jennifer Laycock, editor-in-chief of Search Engine Guide, pointed out just how difficult it is for marketers at small firms - who typically wear many hats - to stay on top of the constantly changing world of search marketing. Her advice: ‘Don’t chase the algorithm and don’t look for magic formulas.’ Instead, small businesses should rely on marketing common sense. Here are a few of Jennifer’s tips:
1 - Build Web sites that provide good, solid content that is unique and truly useful to your target audience;
2 - Web site optimization efforts and search ad campaigns should replicate the way customers think and act. Focus on the words that customers actually use when they search, even if these aren’t the highest volume keywords in your industry;
3 - Small businesses must track and manage ad campaigns down to the keyword level. Remember, it’s not about buying clicks, it’s about buying customers;
4 - Link building is really not about soliciting loads of links. It’s about forming long-lasting business relationships. Think of a link as a business relationship… a referral.
All this might sound obvious but solid marketing principles like these and an unwavering focus on the customer can deliver a long-term competitive advantage for smaller firms, without breaking the bank. So think outside the box, focus on your competitive advantage and don’t forget that creativity trumps the big wallet.
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