Beware of SEO firms making big promises

I am amazed at the vast number of emails I get from SEO companies promising to get my aviation marketing website on page 1 of Google. These firms must not be doing their homework because my website is already on page 1.

Many times , these so called SEO experts who spam your inbox are snake-oil salesmen reincarnated, using unethical techniques to drive up search rankings. If you’re a novice to search engine optimization, you may be tempted to contact one of these firms – especially those who offer an enticing ploy of not charging until they achieve a target search objective. The problem is that in search engine optimization there is the right way (“White Hat” methods) to achieve good search rankings, and the wrong way (“Black Hat” methods).

Black Hat Methods Can Get You Blacklisted

SEO firms that employ “black hat” methods such as keyword stuffing, hidden text, cloaked and doorway pages, link farming, and blog spamming, can indeed improve your search rankings short-term, but these techniques violate search engine terms of service, putting your website at risk of being banned. Search algorithms identify these SEO tricks and will eventually blacklist your site from future searches, keeping potential customers from being able to find you. It happens every day, and quite often business don’t even realize it until much later.

More money to reinstate your site’s SEO status and integrity

One day your aviation business website appears on page 1 of Google and you happily pay the charlatan’s SEO fee; the next day, your website has been “blacklisted” and doesn’t appear on any search engine. Now that great deal is going to cost you more money, time and resources to correct the damage done.

The first clue a SEO firm may be unscrupulous is the fact they promote themselves via unsolicited emails; if they market their own company by using unethical spam techniques, how ethical will they be in their SEO practices to promote your aviation company? Not very.

In choosing a search engine optimization firm, you want a firm who has a proven track record of results and satisfied customers. It’s always a good idea to check a firm’s background and ask for references.

Unfortunately, most airports and their respective GA communities don’t organize until a crisis threatens — often too late to be an effective counter force to the opposition’s efforts formed months or even years earlier in pursuit of its anti-aviation agendas.

How to organize effectively

The Westchester Aviation Association, a not-for-profit organization, is an excellent example of how this kind of organization which represents the general aviation community at Westchester County Airport (HPN), just outside of New York City, has helped that airport thrive.

Founded in 1982, the WAA has been a consistent and vocal voice for GA at the airport. They have made great strides in community outreach to address resident concerns, and have maintained strong ties to local, state and federal officials. The WAA has been successful in communicating the benefits the airport provides to the community by direct and indirect revenue, convenience and safety.

Combined efforts block anti-aviation legislation

Recently, a New York Congresswoman backed legislation that would implement a permanent ban on nighttime flights at the airport. The WAA was instrumental in reacting quickly to the proposed legislation, and was successful in getting it blocked. The WAA’s success illustrates the value of an active airport association in place before a crisis threatens the aviation community.

Through diligent community organization, communication and education, the WAA also serves as a model for others to counter attempts to curtail aviation growth for airports and deal with encroaching development, noise complaints, and other issues.

This May, the WAA co-sponsored a major event at Westchester County Airport with Hawker Beechcraft. The event was well attended by politicians, corporations, media, local businesses, civic organizations, and even a former astronaut to illustrate the economic benefits of regional airports.

“Our airport is clearly a tool that promotes economic development,” said County Executive Rob Astorino. “The airport is home to more than 80 businesses, employs 1300 people and contributes $649 million to the local economy.”

Regional airports would do well to follow the WAA model.

Jeff Lee, President of the WAA, said the partnership between the organization, local government and community residents has been key to the development of the airport.

“The airport spurs jobs and brings business to the area,” said Lee. “So we reached out to the community and tried to find common ground between local citizens’ concerns and airport operations.”

The WAA proves the success accomplished by a fully developed and sustained community-aviation relationship providing a healthy, local economy to benefit all communities neighboring a regional airport.

Listen in on WAA community/business event

Click here to listen to a brief podcast of this effective aviation event WAA May Event, Westchester Business Takes Flight.

If you wish to join the Westchester Aviation Association and be a part of its on-going efforts in supporting GA at HPN, click here for an application form.

The elimination of the “taxi to” phrase will apply only to departing aircraft. Arriving aircraft will still hear the phrase “taxi to” when instructed to taxi to the gate or ramp. However, controllers in these situations still will be required to issue specific crossing instructions for each runway encountered on the taxi route. For more information on the change, refer to FAA Order N JO 7110.528, which can be found at: http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Notice/N7110.528.pdf.

One interesting business travel alternative was recently introduced by Panorama Flight Service, a mid-sized charter firm located at Westchester County Airport just outside New York City. The new program, Your Flight Department (YFD), is essentially your own, private mini airline ready to fly at your convenience, 24/7, whenever and wherever you need to fly.

With YFD, a fast, high-performance aircraft with experienced, certified pilots are assigned exclusively to you. Designed to accommodate up to three passengers, YFD will transport you and your team anywhere within a 600 mile radius in less than 3 hours. The best news is that the service is surprisingly affordable, significantly less than flying first class, and without the hassle of flying commercial — no traffic delay driving to the airport, no waiting at the terminal, no security hassles, no connecting flights. It is simply parking lot to runway: 20 minutes tops — and, yes, you can keep your shoes on!

This personal flight service is not exclusively for the Fortune 500 CEO; the program offers significant tax advantages, which drops the cost down for small business owners and executives who travel frequently. With YFD, your time becomes more productive with added flexibility and convenience in travel arrangements.

With the YFD, Panorama handles all aircraft management and staffing. All you do is call and let them know where and when you want to go; your aircraft and pilot will be waiting on the ramp.  There you have it: your own mini airline for less than flying commercial.

Panorama is clearly on to something. With commercial air travel becoming one big headache, smart aviation executives are providing cost-effective travel alternatives to the big airlines. Hey, just the savings on aspirin alone makes the program worthwhile.

Listen to a podcast on this topic Your Flight Department (YFD)

Understanding your customers and their lifestyles are key to developing and effective media plan

The question to part 3, of developing can effective aviation marketing plan  is “where.” Where are your customers located? Are they local, regional, national, or international?

For example, a local FBO or flight school is going to be looking primarily to a local market. An airport or an air charter would focus more on a regional audience. A company that makes avionics or other aircraft equipment would be marketing themselves on a national basis. And, of course, larger firms and airlines  would be marketing themselves internationally as well.

Knowing where your audience is located geographically is important because it helps to determine what form of media you’re going to utilize to reach them, and also what type of media tactic, or marketing tactic, should be used.

For example, if you’re reaching someone on a local basis, your best choice to reach this audience is primarily local magazines, newspapers and radio stations. For companies marketing themselves on a national basis, they would look to national magazines, or trade magazines that serve their particular customers, to carry their message.

In a previous post, which dealt with “who are your customers,” we said that you need to really know who your customers are and what motivates them. This also plays into the question of “where” because if you really understand your customers, then you’ll probably know the publications they read, or the radio stations they listen to, or the TV stations they watch.

Knowing your customers also means understanding the types of activities that they are most likely to be involved in. Are they golfers? Are they hikers? Are they risk-takers? This understanding helps you formulate a media plan that will utilize the media which caters to these affinities and best zeros in on your target audience.

Another consideration is whether the media is appropriate for your product or service. For example, if you’re promoting a high-end, upscale image for your charter company, you’re probably not going to want to advertise in a local newspaper because this medium is perceived as being of low quality. You may want to consider a larger regional newspaper to advertise in, such as the New York Times, which carries a higher cachet value. Even though the New York Times might serve a much larger area than the local market you want to target. You may have to accept a certain amount of waste, because the image of the New York Times as being a sophisticated, knowledgeable publication is better aligned to the brand image you want to promote despite the higher cost.