This is the third interview of our Online Thought Leadership Interview Series. Our quest for quality tips and strategies on the latest market trends led us to quiz Lance Bachmann of 1SEO who shared his thoughts with us as follows.
- What aspects of mobile marketing would explode in 2013?
In general, I believe that mobile marketing will get bigger in 2013, but I do not believe it will “explode.” Even though the majority of people are spending a lot more time on their phone more than ever, it doesn’t mean that they will be prone to click on Ads. If anything, they will probably ignore Ads because when someone searches for something on their phone, chances are that they are doing it because it is fast and convenient as opposed to opening up a computer to perform a search while they are on the go. However, I do believe mobile marketing can be a good investment because even though you may not sell something right away, you will still be putting your brand in front of users to see.
- What does YouTube hold in store for online marketing in the near future?
YouTube is a place where you can showcase testimonials, your work, your products, and more. If you ever need someone or something to convince someone that they should be using your services or products, etc. YouTube is a good place to convince potential clients just how credible your services are and will be. It can like a hall or records so to speak, except these records are in a place for all of the public to see. What can it hold in store for online marketing—well, it all depends on just how transparent a company wants to be when it comes to sharing and displaying their success (and horror) stories.
- What new online marketing strategies do you suggest as mobile payments become more pervasive?
People are easing into making mobile payments; however, trusting whether or not the application will work is something that may still be in the back of many people’s minds. As far as online marketing strategies go, a company finding a way to portray themselves as trustworthy is imperative to finding success in implementing mobile payments for businesses. People do not want to use something that will malfunction as soon as they access it. So, building trust, whether that may through talking about it on Facebook, or blogging about your application, is very important to the end result and establishing a continued amount of usage.
- Sponsored content versus display ads – which one do you think will dominate the online marketing industry?
I believe that sponsored content will end up dominating the online marketing industry because if someone sees that a friend, relative, or someone they know has endorsed a brand or company chances are that the person will be prone to looking at, and possibly using that company’s services. Facebook is the greatest example of this with their sponsored Ads and stories.
- Local geo-targeting – how do you see it evolving?
Local geo-targeting will evolve because local search engine optimization is getting more important. And, with that being said, local on page optimization is more critical than ever. Google’s Venice update is also one of Google’s latest updates to improve local search results. The update localized organic results, organic results being the listings on the search engine results pages that appear because of their relevance to the keywords the searcher puts in. The Venice update is extremely important for local business owners who do SEO because local search queries no longer have to depend on the searcher for location specific words. So, I definitely see local search growing and evolving over the next year more than anything.—especially because Google is focusing in on it.
- What is your favorite online marketing tool?
When it comes to search engine optimization, it is Raven. Raven can show you anything under the sun when it comes to your Pay Per Click, Search Engine Optimization, and even your social media marketing/optimization. In all, it shows you the results, and can also show you how to market better. Well, when it comes to social media marketing it is Facebook. Facebook provides the means to which you can not only advertise your products or services, but it is a place where you can talk to customers whether they are new or potential. Ultimately, Facebook provides the means to establish good relationships with your customers.
Lance Bachmann is the founder and President of 1SEO.com . Lance loves the challenges of the constantly changing internet advertising space. 1SEO.com is a popular organization that is actively involved in the online marketing industry.