Just when you think you’ve mastered the basic principles of an SEO campaign and online marketing in general, something comes along that seemingly turns the game on its head (thanks Google caffeine!) and sends you on a tyre-screeching ride back to the proverbial drawing board! Basically, if you’re going to commit to a career in online marketing (especially SEO) you also need to commit to the idea that you’ll NEVER know it all, you can’t win ALL your battles ALL of the time, and you’ll never, ever outsmart Google!

Complacency can be dangerous in any industry, but when it comes to tackling online marketing solutions I’ve begun to realise that you ignore changing trends and new technologies at your peril.

I am fortunate to work in an office where the Managing Director is not only an SEO/Online Marketing whiz himself, but he believes in educating other people on the importance of online marketing solutions for their businesses. As many of our clients are in the travel industry, he has a long affiliation with bodies such as ITT (Institute of Travel & Tourism), AITO (Assoc. of Independent Tour Operators), and ABTOF (Assoc. British Tour Operators to France), founded TheTravelTank (a think tank for strategic marketing in travel) and other travel associations. It means we, here at the office, get to go to all sorts of seminars and sit back, relax and watch our boss hard at work!

Well, it looks like April is shaping up to be a busy month for Frank! He has been asked by the ITT to join forces and conduct a series of specialist one-day seminars around the country titled ‘Online Marketing for the Travel Industry’. I’ve been to one of Frank’s seminars on this before and it’s a great way to demystify the minefield of online marketing solutions and adapt them to your own business. The seminars basically explain in simple terms the, sometimes confusing, principles of online marketing, keyword research and selection, PPC, SEO campaigns, site conversion strategies, social media programs and email marketing campaigns. I found that, once I had sat through a day of all this stuff, it really was a case of ‘monkey see monkey do’, and so much fell into place. It is easy to get baffled and slightly overwhelmed by the whole world of online marketing solutions and when I first became involved I remember feeling like I was sitting in the middle of a big spider’s web trying to navigate my way out! So much is affected by so much else and you really need to be on your toes because, one thing you can take as read, your most successful competitors are! So, whether you’re just breaking into online marketing, (even if you’re only interested in your own little niche of the bigger picture), or if you’re an old dog who just wants to learn a few new tricks, have a think about attending one of Frank’s ITT seminars. He’ll be the guy in the big white hat! (With apologies for the SEO in-joke!)