Everyday marketers are faced with battling the algorithms, spammers, and exaggerators. This is no simple task, and if you’ve been involved in marketing for any number of years, you know one thing: There is always someone trying to capitalize on false promises.
You’ll get unsolicited emails promising “I’ll have you on page 1 of Google in 2 weeks” or other incredible results with the magical services of the person sending the email.
Really??!! I have to admit; even black hat techniques can still be impressive. There’s always going to be a way to game the system – the question is how long will those results actually last? And lying is a bit of a necessity for these types of marketers, because no one will buy if they really said, “I’ll have you writing your reconsideration request in no time”.
As we grow throughout our careers, and life in general, we learn many valuable lessons that can be applied, and these are just a few things I felt could be associated with internet marketing.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
If you’re considering an outlet that seems like a scheme to get rankings fast, STOP. These are scammers and spammers will have you wishing you never toyed with the thoughts of fast lane results compared to real internet marketing.
In reality, it’s becoming increasingly harder to rank websites the exact way we want to see them, which forces us to focus on things more ROI, and bottom line numbers.
You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar
While you’re creating your content, keep this in mind. Good content with meaningful information is going to attract more attention and buzz, than your regular run of the mill blog posts. When you publish your large releases make sure you’re including high quality engaging material that people will want to share amongst their friends and kinfolk. A very well put together infographic (you can see some examples here) can do this awesomely.
It’s all in a day’s work
While the actual time frame will take longer than a day, the saying holds true. Hard work and dedication pays off in the end. While balancing short term and long term marketing efforts, you’ll build sustainability and long-term value, and the short term may require reinvestment, the long term will yield a higher ROI.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade
Make sure your always looking for the silver lining with every problem. If you try and fail at something, use the data gathered from the test to generate something. You sent “x” amount of people to your site, and received “0” conversions? Test some new landing pages and design alterations. Talk to a conversion rate optimization expert and see what you could do better. Don’t just give up!
The truth is that every marketing campaign or redesign you create isn’t going to be a huge success. Nobody is perfect, and you’ll have efforts that fail. Make sure that you learn from those failures to help your business and expertise grow. Sometimes, a failed effort is more instructive than a roaring success.
Final Thoughts
These tips are simple, but simple isn’t bad. It’s easy to get caught up in your day-to-day issues and the details, and forget simple lessons. Keep these tips in mind when you’re working and you’ll always stay grounded and ready for success.