The state of the economy today, particularly in the marketing world, leaves little room for ineffective programming. Marketing budgets that don’t produce the desired result are primed for the slash of the eraser, never to be heard from again.

As we move through the second month of 2009, take a moment to “see the forest through the trees” and set the stage for your B2B SEO Marketing Campaign. With a little advanced planning, you can align your SEO strategy with your company’s bottom line and demonstrate how you are moving the dial against that bottom line. And while you’re at it, you can prove the value of your program beyond a shadow of a doubt and lock in that marketing budget.

So what’s the magic formula for success? Setting realistic goals, measuring the right thing, and establishing a baseline will get you halfway there.

Set realistic goals

What! What do you mean we aren’t on page one of Google?

Does this question ring any bells? We all know that SEO isn’t simple. A myriad of elements affect position with the search engines, and moving toward those top listings takes time and effort. You understand this, but do your stakeholders? Although SEO is an effective long-term investment, its results are not instantaneous like those of PPC. Setting realistic expectations out of the gate about how search engines work and the types of results you can realistically expect to achieve will do wonders in shaping perception.

Page One rankings rely on elements such as content volume, keyword competitiveness, industry, and link popularity – just to name a few. Is your B2B site’s “marketing software” listing guaranteed a Page One result in the SERPs? Not on your life. Ask your SEO partner to provide detail that you can easily pass on to your stakeholders to help them understand the ins and outs.

You know that you can’t just “move” your organic listing to page one. Make sure the person who approves your budget understands that as well.

Measure the right thing

Is search engine traffic the best measure of success for your SEO Program? Although increasing the number of visits driven from the engines is a logical goal, should this be the only data point you measure to prove the value of your campaign?

Inarguably, no.

As you lay the foundation of your SEO plan, take some time to identify your Calls to Action and pinpoint each “conversion point “along the path to completing that Call to Action. What is your company’s bottom line? Sales? Then measure each conversion point within that sales funnel. Possibilities include brochure downloads, requests for more information, newsletter sign-ups, application submissions and email address captures. Not to mention the all-mighty sale. Tying that data back to other reference points within your SEO program will help prove the value of that increase in search engine traffic.

And remind me again, how did you increase that traffic and attain all of those conversions? Looks like you’ve just proved the value of your SEO Campaign Budget.

Set a baseline

One element of measuring success in any SEO campaign is time. Now that you’ve established your Calls to Action and identified all conversion points along the way, setting a baseline to measure progress over time couldn’t be more important.

Remember that search engines need some time to index your newly revamped web pages. Month to month comparisons tend to provide more realistic insight than day to day dips and spikes. Although daily changes can be interesting (and even slightly addictive) to note, be cautious in your reactions. Stay true to your SEO plan to understand the month to month implications of your SEO efforts. Don’t pull the plug on a well-thought SEO plan if you noticed a slight dip yesterday in the SERPs after you changed your heading tags.

Be sure to maintain a log capturing the implementation dates of each SEO activity within your SEO program. Correlating web analytics data and search engine rankings to these activities is an additional way to understand what’s working and what isn’t.

Any data you can tie to your SEO activities will help justify that big site redesign or content overhaul. Soon, key trends such as seasonality, market saturation, usability and more will also become apparent.

Pulling it together

The longevity of your SEO Campaign is based on a multitude of factors that are typically rolled up into two outcomes – success or failure. Setting realistic goals, measuring your performance towards those goals over time and identifying conversion points all help paint an accurate picture of your SEO campaign.

Setting and managing expectations – your own as well as those of your stakeholders – will work wonders as you move through your SEO Program and prove your value.

B2B marketers establish conversions – or desired actions – throughout their customers’ buying process. These actions may take place online, on the phone, or live at a specific location. Regardless, many occur at the local level. Local search enables marketers to capitalize on these interactions and differentiate your firm based upon one very important factor – geographic proximity.

Below are four tips to help B2B marketers reach prospects at the local level.

1. Test local PPC advertising Devising a well-laid plan for your search advertising program is a crucial step. Are you engaged in a nationally targeted campaign now? Consider testing geo-targeted campaigns for select cities or regions. Many companies, even large national advertisers, experience superior results with local ad targeting due to increased differentiation, relevance and response.Consider placing ads on local mapping sites and local search sites (examples given below), as this can be a cost-effective way to reach business buyers locally.
2. Submit and manage your business profile Proactively submit your business descriptions, locations, URLs and phone numbers to the big three search engine applications – Google Maps, Yahoo! Local, and Microsoft Live Search.
   • Google Maps: Submit a free listing to Google Maps via the Google Local Business Center. Searchers will be served your business information when querying Google Maps for local information. You can edit these listings as needed, and must provide confirmation details for business verification purposes. Note: Since Google’s launch of universal search (based on their comparative ranking & blending methodology) map listings, blog posts, images and other types of results are now returned within Google’s main organic search results. A local search listing, therefore, will be served along with other organic listings, not just within a Google Maps listing.
   • Microsoft Live Search: Submit your business’s listing for free via Microsoft’s Local Listing Center. Searchers will be served an interactive map listing that can include your address and URL, a bird’s eye view of your business, phone number, and even directions to your location. As with Google Maps, you can edit your listings after a business verification process.
   • Yahoo! Local: Similarly, submit your business information, along with category recommendations to Yahoo! Local via Yahoo! Submit. Searchers will see a map listing along with local search results that include your address, URL, phone number, user reviews, and a link to obtain directions. As with both Google and MSN, you can edit and enhance this information over time. Note: Be proactive about generating customer reviews on Yahoo. Consider soliciting customer feedback on your website and encourage customers to write reviews. Make a habit of regularly monitoring user comments on the web to better understand your customer experience.
3. Capitalize on local directories and search sites Local business directories, IYP (Internet Yellow Pages) directories, and local search sites are all places customers go online to find a business close to home. Examples include: MerchantCircle, Localeze, Citysearch and SuperPages. Proactively submit your business profile information to these sites and keep it current and compelling. To maximize the search marketing benefit you receive from your listing, I recommend that you incorporate the following elements:
   • Keyword-rich local business description
   • Local images relevant to your business (such as photos of leaders and your building)
   • Videos about your business and product/service offerings
   • Address and local phone number
   • Hours of operation
4. Consider a Mobile Search Program As mobile technologies continue to evolve, so too does mobile search. Applications like Google Mobile, Yahoo! Mobile, and even GOOG 411 (Google’s free 411 application) are now available to searchers while en route.At first glance, mobile search may appear more applicable for the consumer market, but B2B marketers shouldn’t discount the potential benefits of mobile search marketing. Do your business customers need to access directions to your office, find hours of operation, or your phone number? If so, then mobile search should be a part of your program.Ensure your listings are included in the Google Mobile index by adding a Mobile Site Map to your account. Similarly, submit your site for inclusion within any Yahoo!-powered Mobile Search service via Yahoo! Site Explorer. Visit Microsoft Live Search Webmaster Center to add your listing to MSN Mobile Search.

Local searchers: Ready for action

Local search marketing traditionally reaches a prospect at the closest point to sale, or conversion. After the initial search and research phases, local search results provide searchers who are ready to to action with that final bit of crucial information: Go here to get X.

As a savvy B2B Marketer, make sure your business has covered all of its bases in developing a comprehensive search marketing strategy that includes local search. Over time, evaluate web analytics data to verify that your local search program is indeed generating more traffic, conversions, leads and sales from these local sources.

And as always, stay tuned for new trends in the search evolution.

Julie Shumaker is the Director of Search Engine Optimization Services at SmartSearch Marketing,a Boulder Colorado-based B2B search marketing firm. Julie has worked in the search marketing arena since 2000 with a variety of B2B and B2C clients, specializing in organic search for pharmaceutical brands. The Strictly Business column appears weekly at Search Engine Land.