Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media, and Content Marketing, by Lee Odden, provides an in-depth guide for business owners to optimize their digital marketing efforts. Its strategies work to ensure that search engine optimization (SEO), social media, and content marketing efforts are integrated seamlessly. Colleges and universities often use Optimize as a textbook in marketing-related courses. And marketing professionals praise Optimize for its focus on SEO driven strategies.
The Author: Lee Odden
The author, Lee Odden, is the CEO and co-founder of TopRank Marketing and publishes content on TopRank’s Online Marketing Blog. In fact, the Content Marketing Institute has ranked this blog as the #1 content marketing blog on three occasions. Odden regularly consults with companies on how to attract and engage customers through online marketing. He also speaks at conferences around the world on the subject. It has been said that his book, Optimize, is basically a 232-page synopsis of 10 years worth of blog content and all its lessons surrounding SEO, social media and content marketing.
Optimize: A Convergence Of SEO, Social Media And Content Marketing Strategies
Lee Odden uses Optimize to teach readers the importance of integrating search engine optimization, social media,
Odden promotes a mindset that “whatever can be searched, can be optimized” and “customers first, then search engines”. With this mindset, Optimize challenges readers to think about their digital marketing efforts in a new light. “By knowing what a customer group cares about,” Odden states, “marketers can do a better job of creating relevant content that is easy to find on search engines and social media websites that inspires them to buy and share.” However, Odden doesn’t just provide information about the convergence of SEO, social media and content marketing. He explains why creating quality content is so important and then tells the reader how to actually do it.
Optimize seems to be written for business owners who are at least somewhat familiar with the world of digital marketing. As the title suggests, it provides a guide on how to optimize digital strategies that are already in place. However, large and small business owners alike can benefit from the practical approach and creative strategies discussed in Optimize for increasing online business performance. Odden’s book teaches readers how to create a blueprint for generating and engaging more customers through digital marketing principles.
Optimize: Three Phases to Success
Optimize takes readers through three phases: Planning, Implementation, and Scale. This allows readers to follow a logical process to optimize their digital marketing efforts. Each section contains numerous chapters that address the necessary steps to complete each phase. Additionally, Odden provides practical action items that readers will be able to apply within their own businesses.
Phase One: Planning
During the Planning phase, readers will learn how to “set the stage for an optimized state of mind” and define how the Optimize approach will fit in with existing company practices and goals. It takes readers through the process of learning smart marketing, setting objectives and developing a content marketing strategy. Phase One of Optimize provides valuable information regarding the changing nature of consumer preferences and behaviors as they relate to social media, search patterns, and content. It also teaches readers what that means for their online marketing strategies.
Phase Two: Implementation
In Phase Two of Optimize, the Implementation phase, Odden takes readers through the steps to begin optimizing their SEO, social media, and content marketing efforts. Optimize discusses topics such as keyword research, content planning and social network development. Readers will be happy to find that Odden does not just skim over the three main digital marketing strategies. Instead, he does a deep-dive into each approach and provides useful tips and steps to follow. For example, Odden provides a list of 20 different content types, complete with definitions of each kind of content.
Perhaps most importantly, Odden begins Phase Two of Optimize with a chapter about knowing your customers and their personas. Odden states in Chapter 6 that “by knowing what a customer group cares about, marketers can do a better job of creating relevant content that is easy to find on search engines and social media websites that inspires them to buy and share.” Odden doesn’t just stop at telling us the what and why of customer personas. He shares a process for developing buyer personas with steps such as “identify key customer attributes” and “collect data”.
Phase Three: Scale
Phase Three, Scale, is about incorporating social media marketing and SEO best practices within a business’ overall online content-creation efforts. This phase teaches readers to increase the effects of the digital marketing techniques by scaling them out within a company. Odden uses case study examples of how to scale these efforts using different types of businesses and companies. Phase Three of Optimize also discusses the processes and training needed to grow and maintain an integrated digital marketing approach.
Optimize Is A Good Book For Business Owners
If you are a business owner with some experience in growing your business online, then Optimize is the perfect book for you. It will teach you how to integrate and optimize your efforts to ensure maximum success. Each chapter ends with action lists, making it easy to get started. Odden writes in such a way to provoke a renewed energy surrounding your business endeavors. So, go get a copy of Optimize today, you won’t be disappointed!
