Just getting back into things from OMS Santa Clara (Online Marketing Summit) produced by UBM Tech last week. Despite the fact that I could not stay the entire conference I was able to fill my mind with oodles of data I am excited to put to the test and share with my clients. I’ll be blogging interesting tidbits in the weeks to come but here are my top take-aways.
- Content is still king. Call it in-bound marketing; call it content marketing. Whatever you want to call it, writing and distributing informative and useful articles and tips can grow your business.
- Step back and integrate. PPC, SEO and social media are ALL important. Get started on developing each of these techniques if you haven’t already, and don’t try to build your online marketing efforts in silos.
- The traditional idea of having multiple marketing channels still exists. It’s just now you have a whole new set of channels.
- Social media is no passing phase. It will grow exponentially in the next year. Advertising on social media is “un-ignorable.”
- No one really wanted to say much about Google+ but everyone knows to get onboard.
- The social shake out rule of thumb I heard over and over again: Facebook for B to C (business to consumer) and Linked In is B to B (business to business). Twitter is everywhere.
- Google Analytics is a must. (We already knew that, right?)
- PPC and SEO are interrelated. The more you advertise with Google, the more effective your SEO will be. The paid links have weight in the Google algorithm, thus influencing your position. Plus frequently seeing an offer or brand makes it more likely it will be recognized and considered.
- Mobile marketing was referred to as “the elephant in the room” by one of the higher-ups in IBM Marketing. Hmmmm…. (Contemplative silence here).
- Favorite New Buzzword: Touchpoints. Ok, so I am a glutton for all the groovy buzzwords that evolve in the marketing world and this one I heard a lot. Basically it refers to every time a customer interacts with your brand. The key idea being that you can do your homework and learn how many touch points your customers need in order to make a sale.
If you are interested in catching up on some of these topics in online marketing yourself the next Online Marketing Summit will be held in San Diego, California (“Oooooooh… sun!” says the blogger in Seattle) February 11 -13. Check out their marketing topics here.
