For many companies, spending money on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) makes a lot of sense. That is because almost no one uses a phone book anymore. The first place they go to look for something is the internet. If you don’t show up in their search, you don’t get the business.
A Website Is Not Enough
Creating a website is not enough. If you don’t do things to cause people to find your website, no one will ever see it. And a business that doesn’t do any marketing usually isn’t going to survive. Search Engine Optimization helps raise your website in the rankings so that people will find it when they search and you aren’t buried on page 22 when they do a search.
What if People Don’t Know They Need Your Product?
But, what if people aren’t searching for what you offer? You can have your website at the top of page one for your keywords, but if people aren’t searching for those keywords, you have wasted money on the search engine optimization.
For instance, you have a company that sells a range of goods from mugs to travel accessories to shower amenities such as items to hold shampoo and other items. You aren’t set up to sell to individuals. You sell to stores nationwide and you sell chain stores and also through buyers. They may find you by an internet search, but you will probably need to be more proactive in going to them instead of hoping that they might do an online search that finds you.
Another example would be a company that does cyber security for small to mid-size companies. If the companies don’t think they have a problem in that area, they won’t be searching for your services and therefore will not find you. Here again, you need other strategies besides just search engine optimization.
How to Appeal to More than 3%
Chet Holmes in The Ultimate Sales Machine points out that at any one time there are only 3% of the people who are actively looking for what your provide. Another 6 to 7% are open to what you provide, 30% are not thinking about it, 30% don’t think they need it and 30% know they have no interest in it.
So, how do you appeal to more than the 3%? By pitching information instead of your product or service. You could do this by advertising online to places where your target audience will be looking but not necessarily for your product. For instance you could offer a report on the 5 ways companies are vulnerable to cyber attacks that they aren’t aware of, or something of this nature. Make it educational, give suggestions on how to remedy and then put in some information about what you do.
You could also organize a meeting or even a conference around that same concept. It can’t be a sales pitch for your product. You need to provide information that is of value to them that leads them naturally to what you do or make. Similar information should be on the website to complement your other marketing efforts.