Online Marketing Should Have a New Metric – ROBH, Return on Being Helpful

If you a marketer trying to learn about search engine marketing you’ve probably noticed that there is no shortage of free help on the web in the form of websites, problem solving web app tools, forums, blogs and news. It’s not because the people in this industry are any more altruistic than let’s say dentists (we have our black hats and that keeps it on par with every other industry). It’s because search engine marketers and any online marketer for that matter can receive a substantial return on being helpful. All the great information creates more questions and I have found that there’s no shortage of search engine marketing experts ready to discuss, disclose and explain in detail what in other businesses would be considered valuable work product. I listed some of these sites in my blog post entitled My Favorite Search Engine Marketing Blogs, Forums and Info Sites. Make note of the websites that you find to be most useful because they are a case study for the future of online marketing.

Here are just a few of the business returns a marketer receives from being helpful.

• Relationship building. Consultative selling builds trust, which is a fundamental step in the selling process. You are providing answers to a potential customer.
• The tip of the iceberg theory. Usually when there is a question asked by someone new to search engine marketing there are probably numbers of other people out there with the same question. You can help many with an answer for one.
• Link juice. Answers to questions in forums or blogs are sometimes accompanied by a link back to the providers website which has a potential link popularity benefit.
• Feedback. These mediums provide a direct connection with the customer.
• Content Juice. The bottom line is good fresh relevant content is like fresh produce . It will keep people and the search engines coming back.
  

So, now we have full disclosure. I’m not doing my own seo blog just because I have a big ego. I’m actually doing it because I believe that this is new evolution of search engine marketing emerging and consider this blog my public guinea pig. If you're a marketer looking for that secret to gaining quality online traffic without paying for every click, I strongly recommend an advocacy approach.