In 2016, businesses will spend $613,000,000,000 for digital-marketing services. $65,000,000,000 of this will be spent on SEO. The vast majority of these revenues will go to agencies / consultancies with less than 5 employees. Most of the spend is done by “small-medium businesses” followed by “small local businesses” followed by “hyperlocal businesses”.  SEO is and continues to be an excellent return on investment. Why? The goal of SEO is to match your brand/product/service with a consumer/buyer at the right time. When is the right time?

The right time is when the “potential consumer” of your class of capabilities (product / service) converts to being an ACTUAL consumer of your class of capabilities. 

SEO does this better than its alternatives in 2016 and beyond BECAUSE of….

1. Google Search Engine?
2. Mobile Smart Devices?
3. Siri?
4. All of the Above?

If you answered “All of the Above”, you are correct. We don’t just TYPE keywords into the Google Search Bar any longer. We ask Siri. We use mobile apps (not the native search engine) to help us discover / research / compare / shop.

When you break down the $65,000,000,000 you see two MAJOR trends in 2016 that will continue toward 2020:

1. Significant erosion in email marketing (80% decline in email list purchases)
2. Significant increase in SOCIAL MEDIA OPTIMIZATION (SMO)

 

SMO is a very confusing term in 2016. If you talk to 6 consultants / agents in my industry, you will get 7 different answers. Here’s mine:

SMO is the act of optimizing social media components across selected social media networks for the purpose of (a) increasing revenues (b) reducing costs and/or (c) improving customer satisfaction.

This is THE overarching definition. The SMO relationship to SEO can be defined in these terms:

SMO is the act of optimizing social media components across selected social media networks for the purpose of increasing sales by matching your brand/product/service with the consumer/buyer at the right time.

As the SMO / SEO entangled relationship evolves over the next 18 months you can expect to witness with your very own eyes changes in your digital social experiences:

1. Your phone / tablet / watch will begin to predict your next move and advise you.
2. Your digital space and your physical space will begin to merge.
3. Your interactions in your digital space will begin to coincide with your physical space.
4. Your buying behavior will be more pronounced with less fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

Something very strange was discovered in the SEO / SMO entangled relationship analysis.

The act of SEO is ONLY a SELLER activity. The act of SMO is BOTH! Buyer and Seller. It is extremely important you grasp that as you optimize your social media components for SEO.

The ACT OF OPTIMIZING SOCIAL MEDIA will include the following work tasks as we move toward 2018:

1. Connecting, Friending, Following, Subscribing with a much higher degree of internal thought and mindfulness.
2. Clicking on the SEARCH icon on Social Media Networks MORE than the POST button.
3. Liking, Favoriting, Commenting, Sharing with a much higher degree of thought and mindfulness.
4. Seeking and USING every “feedback loop” you can get your hands on.
5. Mentioning synergistic business partners.
6. Tagging products.
7. Using Location Based Services and Geo-Based Services strategically.
8. Integrating back-end systems with your social media components.

As a digital native or reluctant digital immigrant, your reality is that you cannot buy or sell in 2018 without some digital social component involved prior,during and or after the sell.

If you need help all you need to do is call me. I always have my phone. My number is +1-843-327-6008 or CONTACT US.