Why Search Marketing is Like Dating

When I was a teenager, I learned a valuable lesson about dating from one of the Wise Men in my life.  He told me if my goal was to get a girl to go on a date with me (I know quaint, huh?  Oh for simpler times), I had two options. 

Strategy Number One involved asking as many girls as possible.  If I asked enough girls enough times, one of them was bound to say yes.  Got to love those odds, although maybe I was going to have to sacrifice a bit on “quality.”

Strategy Number Two involved focusing in on one single girl, spending the same amount of effort as in #1, but completely focused on a smaller “market.”  The odds were lower,  but she was perfect.

I’ve realized two funny things about this lesson over the years.  First, he was right.  Really these were my only options that weren’t depressing – who wants to wait for a friend to set you up with someone.  Second, these same two strategies are what I get to choose from when looking at search engine marketing.

The principle holds true whether you are talking about Search Engine Optimization or Paid Marketing such as Google Adwords.  In either case, you can pursue your customers with as very broad net, or stalker-like precision.

Option #1 – Ask Every Girl to the Dance

In this scenario, you optimize around the high traffic keywords.  What search terms are most of your customers using most often? Regardless of your market and category, these key words or search terms are there to be identified.

• Advantages – By playing to these prospects you are hitting the “middle” of your market.  You are more likely to attract traffic to your website when you put yourself in front of the largest possible audience.  If you are the big player in your niche, or want to be, then this is exactly where you want to be.  Remember, if you ask enough times, there is a girl out there who will go to the dance with you.
• Disadvantages – To continue with our high school analogy, this is where the quarterback of the football team hangs out, and the all state basketball player, and that wrestler that was just a liiiitle bit crazy.  In most cases, when you find a lot of potential customers you’ll also find a lot of your competition.  So come prepared for a fight.  You will have to put in a lot of effort here to separate yourself from the clutter and get any attention at all from your prospective date.

Option #2 – Focus on The One

The plan here is to zig where others zag.  You have potential customers out there that are looking for you in less obvious ways.  There are fewer people using these terms, but oh how special these people may be for your business.  These diamonds in the rough are the heroines in your own personal My Fair Lady or The Devil Wears Prada or 1,000 other chick flicks.  While there are fewer of these prospects, you can find them, focus on them exclusively, and watch them blossom right before your eyes.

• Advantages – By looking for these undiscovered niches, you’ll get more of a chance to make your pitch.  Less traffic typically means less competition.  To make for a viable business, though, you’ll need to do a lot of research and you may need to pursue several of these smaller groups.  However, since they are more targeted there is a great chance that they are better overall prospects than the mass audience pursued above.  This means that your close ratio and average sale should both be higher – maybe a lot higher.  (I know I just blew the romantic analogy out of the water here, but we have to pay the bills at some point). 
• Disadvantages -  By narrowing in on a smaller target, your risk of being left dateless also increases.  Maybe she really isn’t a princess.  Maybe she’s just not that into you.  Maybe the reason there aren’t a lot of people using this keyword, or competing against you for it, is that the return just isn’t there. 

So which strategy is best for you?  It could be either.  And it could be the other one a month from now.  Much like the dating scene, marketing on the web is hard work.  It takes effort – consistent effort – to get what you want out of it.

How do you get started?  You give me a call, that’s how.  Let’s get a cup of coffee and talk through who you are going to ask to the prom.  However we get you there, you’re going to want to have a date.