Like many other online marketing professionals, search engine optimization firms will tell you that their efforts will enhance your web site and company branding. While they are absolutely correct, how often are you left in the dark as to how they can do that for you?

Today, we will look at what it takes to get the newly found targeted traffic sold on your brand and your web site once you have completed your optimization plans.

Recently, we looked at what it takes to start Defining a Target Audience for Search Engine Marketing. Now that you know who your audience is, and how to capture that audience through the engines - how will you convince them that your site represents an industry leader?

Clearly Show Consumer Benefits
To sell targeted traffic on your site and offerings, you need to deliver constant messages surrounding the consumer benefits that exist. What does the consumer receive in return for purchasing your products? Too often, this simple message becomes so cluttered and lost - a breakdown occurs.

Many companies spend millions of dollars advertising online, through nationally broadcasted television spots, on highway billboards - and more. Some of those same companies fail to clearly state the compelling consumer benefit of their product, and therefore cannot close the sale. Communicate your consumer benefit, clearly and easily - and leave no questions to be asked.

Understanding Consumer Benefits
Generally speaking, there are two forms of consumer benefits that can be delivered. Functional benefits can be directly linked to the product's performance (like more horsepower in a car, cleaner detergents in soaps) - Psychological benefits make the consumer feel better about themselves (like how perfume can make you feel sexy, how a credit card gives you less hassles, or how a portable MP3 player makes you have fun).

Regardless of the type of consumer benefit be mindful that it must be delivered immediately and consistently. If I am visiting your site, I am doing so because I'm looking for something. Before I have a chance to think, you need to tell me exactly why I am in the right place. If you do not let me know, much like any other consumer, I move on and have already forgotten about you.

Conveying psychological consumer benefits is a very sensitive process. If your web site represents a product or service that delivers a psychological benefit, you will need to focus on the most appealing benefit that can be offered. In many cases, this means that you will need to spend the majority of your time conveying how consumers feel, as opposed to explaining what the product actually is.

Solidifying the "Reason Why"
Everyone, including marketing managers and ad campaign specialists - are consumers. And, as consumers, we are generally very well educated. Do not take your targeted traffic for granted. If you display messages through your site that are factual and make logical sense, they will be believed. If your messages make you sound as though you are stretching the truth though, consumers become skeptical.

For example purposes, imagine we are working on a project to promote a new laundry detergent. We know that our new detergent keeps colors brighter, and offers the best cleaning detergents available that are safe for cloths. But, if we say just that - how can the consumer know why? We will need to be simple-minded, and deliver a line that makes it all sensible. Instead of saying "XYZ keeps your clothes brighter, cleaner, longer..." we should say something more along the lines of "XYZ has developed a new line of detergents that are scientifically proven to clean your clothes better than any other detergent - and keep your brightest colors vibrant for years".

Suddenly, there is a reason why.

Conclusive Advice
The whole point to search engine optimization and online marketing is to get extraordinary amounts of new and targeted users to a web site. While the traffic can be delivered, your site and the messages it conveys will be the deciding factoring making a sale. Focus your knowledge of your own brand to make the consumer sold on the idea, and suddenly everything makes sense. As a result, you will see higher sales, and more consumers will depend on your brand to deliver (therefore increasing branding). Often, the most simple aspects (like product text and messages), become the most critical.