It’s A Race…
Online marketing is tough. You can try to outspend, or outplay your competition, however, you have to realize that Google owns 70-80% of all online searches. So you really only have two ways to play the game…Pay Google through AdWords, or deliver such great content that Google has no choice but to index your content and serve it up!
I am a big sports fan…but when Triple Crown winner American Pharoah took the Breeders’ Cup this year, I had to stand up and take notice. The last time that happened was 1998 (a year before I graduated high school). There are only 12 horses that have accomplished this since 1919. It is a rare feat that also takes a special team (horse, jockey as well as training staff). These horses are 2-3 years old and then are sent out to pasture to sire the next generation of Triple Crown Winners who will be worth millions of dollars.
The Trifecta
The trifecta in horse racing is a pari-mutuel bet in which the bettor must predict which horses will finish first, second, and third in exact order.
The trifecta in internet marketing is understanding which activities will finish first, second, and third in exact order. People throw a lot of money at problems, but often don’t get the order correct! You may have parts of the puzzle, and sometimes even all three, however, they need to be in the right order in order to win the trifecta!
The Plan
The trifecta is a three-headed monster. If you neglect one, the other will come home to bite you. Many people throw a lot of money at the problem, only to have limited results. You have to pay attention to all three and give them equal weight to make sure you have a balanced system to ensure the desired results.
- Killer Website – A killer website has certain properties. It must have a very laser-focused goal of providing a very targeted audience a very specific amount of content that answers very specific questions. The biggest problem with most websites is they try to be everything to everyone. If people are confused, they will leave while still looking for their answer. You are better off having three websites for three questions, then trying to guide people through the process of HOW-TO answer those questions.
- Analytics – How do I know this? I manage over 100 analytics accounts for various industry websites. Google Analytics is not perfect, but it provides a benchmark. If you know how people find, enter and exit your website, then you are doing better than most. Where is your traffic coming from? What do they do when they get there? How much time do they spend on your website and what pages are they visiting? Social media provides analytics as well (Facebook Insights, LinkedIn Profile views amongst others).
- Great Content – Sharing other people’s content is a great strategy, but creating original content (like this blog) is a much better idea. Why? Because original content can drive people back to your website and can create relationships, conversations, and interactions that can lead to business. Sharing OPC (other peoples’ content) only draws people away from your messages. Mixing original and OPC can be an awesome strategy, but using solely OPC gives you no Google Love (traffic back to your website leading to better Google rankings for your subject matter). OPC includes, blogs, podcasts, articles, and anything that drives people to find your website instead of other peoples’ websites.
Final Thoughts
Action – Reaction concept
The trifecta is not a theory; it’s a proven strategy. It has helped my business net 150% more profit this year and some clients reach over 200% more profit in as little as two years. You ask “A year or two years? How about right now?” Peep …if I (or anybody else) had a formula to give you 150-200% return on your investment in a month, do you think we would be writing blogs or talking to anybody besides Fortune 100 companies that want that secret sauce? They have more money and people to throw at the problem than you and I do, however, we have to use guerilla tactics to take on competitors.
The real secret sauce is in the formula, and it takes time. We are blessed because we are not mired down in bureaucracy! You have the ability to implement and adopt change faster than larger organizations.
I would love to hear your comments and feedback on this post!
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