You Can’t Produce Results If You Live In A Search Engine’s Virtual Vacuum.
Just ask the myriad of businesses large,
small and medium – that woke up last week to discover their sites had suffered
a substantial drop (or had disappeared altogether) in Google’s page results.
You can almost hear their shrieks of protest. Do yourself a favor. If you rely
solely on your listings in the search engines to generate business, stop right
now. Why? Because putting all your marketing dollars into a channel you can’t
hope to control, is a fool’s game at best. Just ask the myriad of businesses
large, small and medium – that woke up last week to discover their sites had
suffered a substantial drop (or had disappeared altogether) in Google’s page
results. You can almost hear their shrieks of protest, and their howls of “WHY
ME!”Of course, this happens every time Google makes a change to its algorithm.
And each time it makes me wonder why some people (and I’m including serious
marketing people with big budgets here) just never learn this basic truth: you
cannot produce results if you live solely in a search engine’s virtual vacuum. Google
and other search engines should never be relied upon to generate consistent
traffic to your website. They should never be relied upon to generate sales. If
you want your business to succeed in the long term, you need to invest in a
solid, strategic, well-rounded marketing strategy. Unfortunately, there are too
many businesses out there that are indifferent to marketing in other channels,
let alone know how to use online and offline channels to create a competitive
advantage. So, as a reminder to everyone who thinks they can put all their
marketing eggs in one basket and still succeed, here are some fundamentals:
Product: Are you sure your product
is the best it can be? Is it better than your competitors? Does it provide
something valuable to your potential customers? If you can’t answer “yes’ to
these three questions and clarify your answer, you need to go back to the
drawing board and set some objectives.
Price: Whether it’s a good thing or
bad, the Internet means that customers can shop around for the best deal from
the comfort of their armchair. As a business owner, you can complain and moan,
but it won’t help you sell any more products. Make sure you offer the best deal
and that your price is competitive, but don’t get caught up in price alone,
there are other ways to convince consumers to buy from you.
Place: Go ahead and put a billboard
up in the middle of the Sahara desert. Use it to announce your latest product
launch. Then sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet. That’s what you’re doing
if you expect your website (and the search engines) to generate sales for you.
A better way is to identify other marketing channels to promote your products.
Promotion: What’s your offer? Why
should consumers buy from you? If you know your customers and know your
product, you’ll already have the answers. Look at using incentives that appeal
to your target audience and complement your product. Consider direct mail,
print, media and public relations and make sure you spend enough to deliver
impact. The money you spend on promotion whether online of offline is an
investment in the long-term success of your company. Of course, following the
above guidelines does not guarantee success, but they should at least encourage
you think about and diversify your marketing efforts instead of relying on the
whims of a search engine.
0 Comments