Did you know that today’s edition of the New York Times contains as much information as someone living during the 1600s processed during an entire lifetime? We’re often told we live in the “Information Age”; perhaps we should call it the “Inundation Age” instead.
The combination of technology, data and methods of disseminating information (e.g., social media) has created a world in which we are exposed to more information than we can possibly hope to process, much less comprehend and retain.
All of which, if you operate or market a small business, makes it very difficult to get your message heard above this veritable din of information (dinformation?).
So, what do you do? How, as a small business owner or professional, entrepreneur or marketer do you tell others about your products or services in a way that is efficient and cost-effective? Believe it or not, studies show that SEO and Email marketing continue to deliver the highest return on investment (ROI) on your marketing dollars.
According to a report released in March 2012 by Econsultancy (in association with Adestra), 79% of global company marketers rate search engine optimization (SEO) as either excellent (31%) or good (48%) for ROI. The same survey results show that 70% of respondents rate email marketing ROI either excellent (23%) or good (47%).
The report further shows that more respondents view SEO and email marketing ROI more favorably than they do paid search, affiliate marketing, ROI from social media and mobile marketing.
Next in decreasing popularity are offline direct marketing and online display advertising.
In fact, in a development that may soon alter the landscape of internet marketing, 26% of the survey respondents concluded that online display advertising provides a poor return on investment. Yikes!
So what does this all mean to you? It means this: Rather than engage in the marketing flavor of the month you are well-advised to revisit your efforts in the context of SEO and email marketing ROI. In fact, you might consider making it a priority because, as we say around here: “If you don’t take the time to look at improving your emarketing, when WILL you start?”
