SEO Tips From The Very Best

SEO Tips From The Very Best

Tips from the top.

Marketing is an art, not a science, but there are still a number of rules and laws that need to be obeyed. Below are ten commandments from famous marketing disciples and visionaries, whose words still ring true today.

Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance. –Coco Chanel.

Coming from one of the world’s most inspirational women, this is a compelling argument for what the Americans refer to as keeping it simple, stupid. And speaking of KISS.

You have to understand that nothing appeals to everybody. – Gene Simmons.

Rock band Kiss has spawned a uniquely diverse range of band-themed merchandise, from caskets and condoms to sock monkeys and shower curtains. And none of it appeals to everyone or anyone with taste, for that matter. Yet the table lamps and pinball machines have appealed to enough people to make Mr Simmons and his bandmates incredibly wealthy. As long as products or services appeal to some people however, niche, they can be profitable.

Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does. –Steuart Henderson Britt.

While Gene Simmons could probably still build a harem from winking in the dark, most of us would find it a futile endeavour. Having the best website in the world is irrelevant if the SEO isn’t up to scratch, or if a lack of advertising is preventing people from discovering the product or service you’re offering.

Never write an advertisement which you wouldn’t want your family to read. You wouldn’t tell lies to your own wife. Don’t tell them to mine. –David Ogilvy.

While recognising the critical importance of advertising, this quote from the ‘father of advertising’ makes a very valid point about failing to deliver. Word will soon spread through the social media grapevine if a company over-promises and under-delivers. Alternatively

Give them quality. That’s the best kind of advertising. –Milton Hershey.

The confectionery guru’s words could have been uttered yesterday, given the way social media can uplift and denigrate brand reputations. Even a poor buying experience can be transformed into a positive one through effective customer service. The customer is king, as our next quote ably illustrates:

Don’t find customers for your product. Find products for your customers. –Seth Godin.

Any business should exist to solve a problem or offer something designed to make people’s lives better. Creating a product or service and then attempting to drum up custom effectively places the cart before the horse. Instead, try to identify a niche at the outset that can be successfully targeted with an effective, creative or affordable solution.

Don’t tell me how good you make it; tell me how good it makes me when I use it. –Leo Burnett.

This builds on the last point, recognising that consumers are very cynical nowadays. Words like ‘quality’ have been cheapened by misappropriation and sheer overuse, which is why modern advertising often involves depictions of an imperfect lifestyle where a product or service can simply improve or alleviate a situation. Understatement can go a long way

Be specific enough to be believable and universal enough to be relevant. –Ann Handley.

Hyperbole is very much yesterday’s news. The ludicrously overblown advertising of the late 20th century has given way to a more realistic depiction of the impact products or services can have on our lives. It’s crucial to recognise the universal and specific real-world challenges faced by today’s consumers, as marketing guru Jay Acunzo points out:

Actually talk to your customers. Use the language that they use. Talk about the things they talk about. Never feed salad to a lion. –Jay Acunzo.

Conveying an appropriate tone of voice across print and online materials is essential for building empathy and convincing the public that you understand their wants and needs. Avoid being overly technical; talk in layman’s terms about the practical benefits of your offering. Do remain enthusiastic, though, because as our final quote states

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. –Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Simply put, if you don’t love what you do, make or promote, why should anyone else care?