Why CFOs Need To Get Passionate About SEO Marketing
It's about cash, costs, and metrics.
- If I were the CFO of a small business and I didn't have an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program in place, I'd start getting nervous.
- If I didn't see an inbound marketing and content management program at least being discussed, I'd start sweating.
- And if I didn't notice my sales force reorienting its selling strategy to meet the flow of power going to the buyer, then I'd start screaming to my CEO/owner.
SEO, inbound marketing, content management, and the power shift from seller to buyer are all pieces of the Internet marketing revolution that affects every business. CFOs need to be on top of this revolution for reasons relating to sales, costs, and ROI measurement:
- Companies that effectively embrace Internet marketing report new and greater income streams vs. traditional marketing. (Note: a passive website that does not attract visitors, and a few comments on a Facebook page do not represent effective Internet Marketing.)
- These companies also demonstrate cost savings through Internet marketing that reduce cost per lead acquisition and cost per sale.
- Internet marketing makes extensive use of quantitative measurements, diagnostics, and analytics.
Internet marketing, then, is a CFO's dream: more cash and reduced cost - all measurable.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Because of its impact on a company's bottom line, Internet marketing falls under a CFO's responsibility- not to implement it, but to ensure that it is in place and being managed effectively.
Large companies with large marketing departments usually have the marketing-CFO dialogue that ensures that Internet marketing is in place. It's with smaller businesses where there may not be a chief marketing officer, or at least one knowledgeable in Internet marketing, where CFO oversight is critical.
Image Credit: AaronPatterson via Flickr Creative Commons
Mission: To help small and mid-size businesses sell more by re-thinking their business and marketing strategies.