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Search Engine
Marketing is still a new concept to many… and unfortunately search is
still not as widely accepted as it should be. Gord Hotchkiss made this
point clear when in one of his recent
Net Profit Articles he stated “Search is a blip in the total
marketing picture, a rounding error in most budget allocations.” This
is so true. Here at
Enquiro we know and understand the value of search and how it can
help your business. It’s just not always a quick win… organic
strategies can take months before results are felt. You have to think
long term and be willing to be patient. Patience in business, now
that’s a tough sell… On the other end of the spectrum, sponsored
campaigns can be expensive and drive a lot of unqualified traffic to
your site. However when you think about the customer life cycle, search
and online marketing can be one of the most powerful tools that you can
use to intercept your customer.
Search and online
marketing can have a definite impact in relation to the customer life
cycle. The Customer Life Cycle consists of five parts.
- Claiming the
Customer’s Interest.
When a potential customer determines a need for a product or
service, there is an awareness that is generated. You can use
search and your online presence to work off of this awareness and
claim the customer’s interest. A well optimized site that is being
found for your main keywords can help you claim their interest.
- Bring them into
your “Sphere of Influence”.
This phrase was coined by marketing analysts Jim Sterne and Matt
Cutler. Basically, as the customer works through the buying funnel
they will be conducting research. In order to complete the acquisition of them you want to be able to attract them to your
site. Again having a well optimized site, being found for the right
keywords and having the necessary content on your site can help
persuade the customer to use your product/service. If you don’t
have a well optimized site and lack relevant content chances are the
customer will visit a competing site and never (that’s right never)
return.
- Conversion Into
a Paying Customer.
You need to give the customer what they are looking for both online
and offline. This means that once they are ready to make a purchase
that you provide all of the information they need to actually make
that purchase. This may mean clearly displaying prices and shipping
rates on your site, it may mean having an easy to use shopping cart…
or it may mean that you have a toll free number so the customer can
order offline. Regardless conversion paths must be clear and
straightforward. If I’m ready to buy online, I want to buy now, and
not take 10 steps to do it. I want to know when I will get my
product and how long it will take.
- Retain them as a
Customer.
The process is not finished with the actual sale. As mentioned in
one of my previous articles, you need to build a relationship
with your customer to inherit some lifetime value from them.
Customers go through a rationalization phase after a purchase so you
may need to reassure them that they made the right decision so that
they come back for more.
- Loyalty.
If you provide the customer with a positive experience, they can
become an advocate for your company. If your website does a great
job of providing the information that they are looking for, and they
have a great user experience, you can bet that they will tell two
friends and they will tell two friends and so on. Not to mention
that it is easier and more profitable to sell more of your existing
products/service to existing customers than it is to sell to new
customers. Relationship marketing is the key to repeat business
whether it is online or offline.
Your online
marketing efforts have a strong impact on the customer life cycle as you
can influence your customer in a positive manner thereby building a
strong relationship where your customer values your product and service
and as a result refers you to others. If you can keep this up through
your online marketing efforts, your client satisfaction level will
remain high and the impact on profitability will be sure to increase. |
Jody Nimetz