Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2018

Contrary to popular opinion, viral marketing has not eliminated the need for old-fashioned lead generation to bring customers to a startup. For new product startups, search engine marketing (SEM) is still one of the most cost-effective and scalable lead-generation approaches. Social-media advertising. Display advertising.

Social Media 55

Social Media SEM Startup Advertising 55

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2014

A blog is critical, and essentially free (your cost is creating content). Use social media and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) to start. Create meaningful content and engage others online (free downloads, white papers, webinars, regular blogging). Do something unique to get customer attention.

Marketing 102

Marketing Funding Social Media SEM 102

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2014

Contrary to popular opinion, viral marketing has not eliminated the need for old-fashioned lead generation to bring customers to a startup. For new product startups, search engine marketing (SEM) is still one of the most cost-effective and scalable lead-generation approaches. Social-media advertising. Display advertising.

Startup 99

Startup Social Media SEM Advertising 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2013

A blog is critical, and essentially free (your cost is creating content). Use social media and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) to start. Create meaningful content and engage others online (free downloads, white papers, webinars, regular blogging). Do something unique to get customer attention.

Marketing 106

Marketing Startup Social Media SEM 106

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2010

Probably every one of you who has a business and a website have been approached through email or personal contact, and asked to spend money on Search Engine Marketing (SEM). SEM is sometimes called “buying your way into search results.” For most, it sounds like a magical process or a scam, with the experts spewing so many acronyms.

SEM 90

SEM Marketing Startup Search Engine Optimization 90

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

SEO / SEM are promotional techniques for marketing through the Google distribution channel, which have yielded huge benefits to many companies – Yelp being a prime example. Of course once submitted you could send out links to your friends and ask them to upvote your content and that would help.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 7, 2010

A blog is critical, and essentially free (your cost is creating content). Use social media and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) to start. Create meaningful content and engage others online (free downloads, white papers, webinars, regular blogging). Do something unique to get customer attention.

Marketing 94

Marketing Startup Social Media SEM 94

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2011

A while back I emphasized how important is to have a company website these days ( Publish Your Website Or Customers Won’t Find You ). Here are some high-value elements you need, if you hope to see your company on any page of results for relevant user queries: Relevant and constantly updated content. Create inbound and outbound links.

Google 93

Google SEO Search Engine Optimization SEM 93

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

After a year in the market, MakeSpace was growing rapidly and our biggest issue was CAC (customer acquisition costs) relative to payback period (when we get our marketing investment back) and relative to LTV (lifetime value). We need to market to that customer to make them aware of our product or service. Choose that market.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

Search engines like Google depend on website HTML tags, inbound and outbound links, and relevant content to do its ranking and matchmaking, and hopefully get your company found and near the top of customer search requests. Google also rewards changing content with a higher ranking.

SEO 48

SEO HTML Search Engine Optimization Web 48

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 23, 2013

It pays only if a customer clicks through AND takes a further action (conversion), such as buying a product or filling out a web form. For sites displaying the ads, this is called pay per click (PPC). Cost per action (CPA). The display side is called pay per action (PPA) or pay per lead (PPL). Tracking and performance reporting.

Paid Search 90

Paid Search PPC Organization SEO 90