by: Brian Flook, MIRM

Who could have possibly anticipated all the earth-shattering changes in marketing over the last five years? Steve Jobs maybe, but few others have the insight to imagine the future at the pace it’s changing.  That said, here’s what I imagine will be important to pay attention to in 2012.

1. Organic Search Remains King!– Google is obviously the king of search and keywords are still the lifeblood of your organic search success. Carefully and strategically selecting your keywords is critical. Choose keywords that you believe your clients will be searching – this is rarely as obvious as it seems. Use the FREE Google Keyword tool to help you decide. Try to avoid keywords that are too broad like ‘television’ because competition is fierce. Also avoid keywords that are too narrow like “46 inch LCD HDTV sales Fells Point Baltimore.” These are what we call softballs: no one is searching them so getting position is easy. There is a sweet spot in between that most companies will go after.According to ComScore, 89% of US consumers do online research for offline purchases. Roughly 93% of all retail purchases are still made offline. That continues to reinforce what I’ve said for years: consumers shop online and buy onsite. That said, if your organic search is not producing results, you can’t even be shopped. You are not on the list.In addition to the SEO tools that we know already work: backlinking, keyword selection, great content, a properly programmed website, outbound links, etc.; 2012 is the year that social media will begin playing a larger role in your organic local search.  If you don’t have a keyword loaded social media campaign going on you need to get one fired up right away. It’s a must do for 2012!
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