TopRank Internet Marketing News

As software companies inherently work with digitally based products, it can be argued that software companies have an inherent advantage within the digital marketplace.

Of course, the inherent disadvantage of this scenario is a digital space flooded with competition.  Nearly every software company that inhabits space online must constantly be on-guard against potentially hundreds of competitors competing for mindshare.

For the two companies below, both of which have renewed Search Engine Optimization (SEO) programs with TopRank® Online Marketing, this increased competition will be far less of a worry:

Online distribution of optimized press releases is a vital and impactful component of any holistic digital marketing program. As reported by Online Marketing Blog, multiple studies document that consumers and journalists search for and read news releases online, making online press release distribution a tactic that can influence everything from media exposure to website traffic to sales.

PRWeb, named by TopSEOs as the top press release distribution company, is perhaps the first provider that comes to mind when companies choose to supplement their marketing mix with online news release distribution.  When companies distribute releases through PRWeb, they trust that their content will benefit from being posted to a search engine optimal site that possesses a high degree of brand recognition.

Crucial for the success of any business is its ability to generate qualified prospect inquiries.  For B2B companies, oftentimes targeting a select audience and working within longer sales cycles, each and every lead generated can be crucial.

Of course, lead generation must begin with a strategy designed to generate qualified traffic.  For the three B2B businesses below, each of which has just renewed its Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program with TopRank® Online Marketing, this principle is core.  Read on to learn more about these programs:

In a recent post to Online Marketing Blog, TopRank® Online Marketing CEO Lee Odden writes, “Focusing content creation efforts solely to serve Search Engine Optimization (SEO) purposes can be limiting. If the only purpose for creating content is for search engine visibility, the publishing web site may improve search traffic but disappoint when it comes to converting that traffic.”

In the blog marketing and content creation case study below, learn how the TopRank team leveraged this philosophy in the design and creation of a blog for audience response system provider IML. By keeping a bullseye-like focus on prospect and customer needs, TopRank has helped IML create an online resource that exists for the primary purpose of supporting overall business objectives.

Today’s 24-hour news cycle means, more than ever before, journalists and bloggers turn to search engines and social media to quickly find stories and sources.  Despite this, many media placement and article syndication companies guard content behind lengthy log-in processes.  The five minutes it takes a journalist to log-in is, oftentimes, five minutes spent finding a more convenient source.

One company that has evolved to meet the needs of its prospect and client base is NewsUSA.  The social media and Twitter case study below details how TopRank® Online Marketing is helping NewsUSA meet business objectives by freeing up and expanding the availability of media content into channels frequented by customers and prospects.

Examples of strong branding, whether it’s the ‘Uncola’ or the ‘Freshmaker’, light fires in the minds of consumers that are rarely extinguished.  Can the same branding principles used by B2C companies, including personification of a company and persistence of messaging, help B2B businesses achieve their marketing goals?

Below, learn how B2B branding is helping three clients of TopRank® Online Marketing achieve their business objectives:

Ask the Powder Doctor
Powder-Solutions, distributor of an industrial pipe connector used to enhance safety and sanitation in bulk powder processing plans, sought to humanize its image.

As social media helps to boost online awareness for an ever-expanding list of companies, it poses the simultaneous challenge of measurement.  In an interview with eMarketer, Carol Kruse, Vice President of Global Interactive at Coca-Cola, stated, “Before you have ROI, you have to really understand how social media is driving your business.”

For B2B marketing programs, marked by traditionally longer lead times, the social media measurement challenge becomes even more pronounced. In essence, how can a company connect the dots between the online awareness generated by social media marketing and eventual sales?

Digital marketing’s importance in driving the success of a business cannot be overstated.  In a previous post, data from a recent eMarketer survey cited Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and paid search as the most effective tactics for generating conversions, according to senior level marketing executives.

Being found online quickly, whether via organic or paid search results, becomes even more critical for companies with a selective client base.  One such example is Archway, a company that caters its services to the Fortune 1000.

For more than 50 years, Archway has provided Fortune 1000 companies with marketing fulfillment services, including the execution and delivery of Point-of-Purchase (POP) signage and inventory management.  Many notable companies working with Archway have been engaged with the company for several years.

In data cited by Forrester Research, US search marketing spend approached nearly $16 million in 2009. Per the graph below, this number is expected to rise exponentially, nearly doubling in size by 2014:

The reason behind this rapidly increasing budget allocation can be summed up succinctly and powerfully: return on investment. In a survey by eMarketer, 53% of senior level marketing executives across multiple industries point to Search Engine Optimization as the most effective online marketing tactic for generating conversions, while 49% point to paid search.

This week, Microsoft released the B2B social media whitepaper ‘Learn and Earn: A B2B Social Media Whitepaper from Microsoft Advertising.’  In this piece, author Mel Carson recounts the lessons learned and successes achieved from Microsoft’s foray into social media and blogging.

Many of the lessons learned by Microsoft in regards to blogging, such as establishing a strongly defined ROI to measure efforts, are the same guidelines that shape blog marketing best practices in programs offered by TopRank® Online Marketing.  An example of such an integration is the  Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program between TopRank and Microsoft Dynamics solutions provider InterDyn BMI, which features an added emphasis on blog marketing.