There are continual discussions on the web about whether directory submissions are useful for SEO. I’ll add my thoughts to the mix: I think directory submission is a good strategy that should be a part of any SEO campaign. If it’s done right, it will get you rewarded with higher ranking and better traffic. Now let me explain why:

First of all, every good link counts. Directories’ links to your site are good because your link is placed under its own category among other links; the links you get from directories are related to your website. Of course, you shouldn’t submit to some FFA (Free-For-All) “linkfarm” directories—having your link there might even harm your site. Only submit to authoritative and reputable directories, like Yahoo! Directory, DMOZ, Business.com, Kahuki.com, BizFive.com, etc.

All these directories, except DMOZ, are not free, but in my personal opinion paid directories give many more benefits than free ones. The have less links in their databases, that’s more value for you; the sites they contain are in most cases good-quality sites, making these directories “good neighborhoods”; and they do care about their reputation, so you are in good hands.

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A great way to boost sales lies in your own backyard! You have likely spent time and energy building a database of customer information, but if you don’t have a cross selling strategy, you may not getting maximum results. If you lack resources, implementing a cross selling strategy may seem difficult, but keeping it simple can still go a long way when it comes to increasing revenue. Putting together a simple email or SMS cross selling campaign will deliver at little cost.

Some key reasons why your existing customers are great targets:

Quick revenue source: Because your existing clients have already purchased your products or used your services, there is no need to go through the “getting to know you” phase. Your brand is already familiar to them, so introducing them to other useful services will be considered helpful, and won’t get drowned out by other offers.

Loyalty building program: It’s easy to get caught up trying to rope in new prospects. Because of this, loyalty initiatives and CRM campaigns can get little attention and may slip through the cracks. Cross selling can help maintain the flow of information/communication between you and your customers while putting money in your pocket.

Less energy than finding new business relationships: When many of us start marketing initiatives, we focus on the information collection. Unfortunately, most of the time we never leverage this information. When designing a campaign much of your work is already done for you, in the form of this data that’s already collected. It’s time to use it!

Important things keep in mind:

- Creating a relevant offer to your customer’s interests can mean the difference between 50 percent and 1 percent response rates. If you are providing event planning services, send your customers tips for planning holiday parties. If you are a DJ, offer birthday specials.
- Connect to past purchase behavior: One product purchase can often lead to another. One of the most famous examples is McDonald’s catch-all, “Do you want fries with that?”
- Divide and conquer: Tackle one target at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed by trying to launch a one-size-fits-all campaign that will get low response and discourage your efforts.
- Stay customer-focused. This kind of initiative requires one main thing for success—your dedication to your customers’ needs.

Shaneli Ramratan, Marketing Manager, mobileStorm

Now that U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has eight gold medals tucked under his Speedo, what do you think he’ll be endorsing? Wheaties, on whose cereal boxes Olympic medalists traditionally appear? Perhaps more of those Rosetta Stone language-learning kits? Maybe even the same cellular service he helped tout pre-Beijing?

That last one. Well, sorta. It’s not so much that he’ll be the spokesperson immediately identified with a certain carrier–it’s that he could become the face of a certain mobile technology: SMS.

During and soon after the Games, several news stories discussed Mr. Phelps’ main way of communicating with his almost-as-famous mom: Text-message. Debbie Phelps noted that, during her son’s Olympic training, SMS was the only way she could have an extended conversation with the lad. He in turn talked about having to teach her to text, and that she soon got the hang of it–even if she didn’t type perfectly, it was good enough to communicate clearly. (Maybe she would find this whitepaper useful.)

What a great endorsement for a simple communication platform that still, in some minds in the United States, seems to be the realm of youth! What middle-aged consumer can’t identify with wanting to stay in touch with their grown children, and do so in the way those “children” most want to be reached?

Texting is intimate, but it’s also something people can do while on the go, whether in the pool or running around town. So it’s a medium that can either be enjoyed in real-time or whenever is most convenient. That’s what makes SMS a great marketing platform for reaching consumers.

With Michael and Debbie Phelps’ inadvertent endorsement, just think of how many more consumers–especially older ones–are going to start texting in earnest. The audience for mobile marketers just got bigger.

Eydie Cubarrubia, Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm

“I’d rather you text me”

This is the final chapter on ideas for getting easy links. Let’s get into it right now! Here is what you can do to get more links:

Leave creative signatures with your inner links in the forums where you are active, if they are appropriate for showing up on your site, and also add the links to your personal profile page on the forums. If you make quality contributions to the forums, some of their users might follow these links and even “convert” for you.

Ask and answer questions on sites like Yahoo! Answers or Google Groups, and give some links to your site as a reference or otherwise. Get creative.

Encourage people to syndicate your RSS content; that might result in some additional “link love” for your webpages.

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