Integration is more relevant than ever, so great comments on how to maximize that. But, agree that the authentic brand experience is still the driving force. Even if customers like your personality, they will still choose not to buy if the experience is sub-par. Digital marketing is a new tool, but not a magic bullet to sales.

Ruth Setlak’s last blog post..Integrating Twitter

One thing that sometimes slips by folk regarding SEO and such is that it’s (and customer perceptions) a long-term proposition. If you can demonstrate time and time again that you walk the walk you talk….it can go light-years towards demonstrating the quality of service you provide.

Data points, Barbara

Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach’s last blog post..Launch your affiliate signup page into the stratosphere Part 1

The other point I find interesting is the change in commenting and subscription behavior you mention. I wonder if SEO strategies can help predict that or if other tools are needed. When I’m defining target markets for manufactured products we look at all sorts of qualities including likelihood for repeat purchases. It costs so much more to get a new customer than encourage repeat business this has a direct effect on success.

Thanks for your insightful comment Terry.

A large portion of my own blog’s traffic each day comes from literary essays living in my archives. I do well for terms like “structural criticism” and my posts on The Great Gatsby and Wuthering Heights are steady Google performers. Newer posts on the various structures of poetry are beginning to do well too. But as of yet I haven’t found an effective way to monetize this traffic and they almost never leave comments to contribute to the blog like you do.

On the other side of things, the focus I’ve taken for about a month has been catching on and building a readership base. My subscriber count is growing and more importantly to me, people are leaving wonderful contributions in the comment sections. There is a trickle coming from the search engines, but mostly it’s a case of the “right people” finding and sharing the content.

As far as branding, the second group is more relevant to my goals. I suppose in the end a combination of the two, SEO and “right people” is important. But it goes to show SEO isn’t everything. I’ve been asked to guest blog on two fairly large blogs, and that is because I’ve focused on being authentic. I know the guest blogger opportunities will outperform what the search engines bring in, at least for now.

All that to say, I guess the approach has to match what your site’s goals might be. As Frank Lloyd Wright has said, form follows function.

Terry Heath’s last blog post..Win-Win Thinking For Multi-Talented Fairies and Mortals

Brad Shorr’s last blog post..You Are Now Entering the Customer Service Twilight Zone

This is one reason I enjoyed Brad’s post. The SEO perspective may really help you get back to the transactional component of awareness.