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Digital marketing insights from Campfire Digital

Navigating the Internet Marketing Universe

The Internet marketing universe is seemingly endless with new social media “planets” being discovered all the time. Much like the our actual universe, the deeper you go, the more you find. As an untrained, amateur Internet astrologist, it can be overwhelming and intimidating. Below, we will give you a brief overview of the “planets” that make up the Internet universe.

For this illustration, we have put the “planets” in order of the amount of control you have over them.

internet-marketing-universePlanets in the Internet Universe

  1. Your Company Website / Blog.  This is the center of your universe and should be treated that way. You have by far the most control over your website and it should get the most attention.
  2. Social Media. Social media comes in close second behind your website in terms of control. Although you are limited by the constraints of the planet, you have direct access to an endless number of its inhabitants. You just have to find the best way to communicate with them (i.e. speak their language).
    1. Facebook
    2. Twitter
    3. LinkedIn
    4. Google+
    5. YouTube
    6. Pinterest
    7. and many more…
  3. Review Sites / Directories. Most of the content on these sites is determined by their users (a truly democratic society). You have control over your company information, but not the reviews that are shared about you. You are able to respond to reviews and should absolutely do so, whether good or bad. Showing that you are engaged and attentive to your customers’ feedback goes a long way toward generating brand loyalty.
    1. Yelp!
    2. Google
    3. Yahoo!
    4. Angie’s List
    5. and quite a few more…
  4. Local Directories. Having a profile on the local directories is like sending a drone out to a far-away planet. You can’t just send it and then ignore it, but spend the time and money on getting it there and see what you find. 
    1. Google Places
    2. YellowPages.com
    3. Local.com
    4. City Search
    5. Dex Knows
    6. and MANY, MANY more…
  5. Paid Advertising. Although you have a lot of control over the ads you create, how much you spend, who you target, etc, you are still at the mercy of the platform you are using. It’s like buying a billboard on the moon … Oh, and if you stop paying, you vanish. If used correctly, paid advertising can create a good initial boost for your company while you build your organic online following.
    1. Google AdWords
    2. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
    3. Display Ads
  6. SEO (Search Engine Optimization). We put this the farthest from your center because it’s nearly impossible to truly see or understand. Google wants it that way. It’s the dark matter of the Internet universe. There is plenty that we know (or think we know) about SEO, but it is always changing. (For a fun scientific representation of the elements SEO, check out this graphic: http://searchengineland.com/seotable)
    1. On-page (Content, HTML, Architecture)
    2. Off-page (Links, Trust, Social)

Within each of these elements, there is an entire world in and of itself. You may or may not take solace in the fact that you can’t possibly know it all. Just as any good scientist, you just keep learning and applying the information you have gathered.

Our approach is similar. We recommend that you find a few planets that suit you and focus on exploring them thoroughly. Saturn is not for everyone.  Maybe Mars is more your style. Jump in your rocket and go check it out!  We promise it will be exciting, and you never know what you might find!

Internet Marketing Universe