Search marketing can be daunting with all the data, technical aspects and lingo that you have to spend time and sort through. It’s easy to get carried away with all the metrics, focus primarily on the numbers, and lose track of the big picture marketing objective. SEO and AdWords are forms of marketing, and while different from their traditional counterparts, the goal is usually the same: Matching your target audience with what they are looking for. If you don’t understand or provide what your audience wants exactly, then they will not do business with you, plain and simple. On the flip side, if you provide them with exactly everything they want, then you’re going to do very well.
For example, let’s imagine you’re a local car dealership that sells new and used cars. Your goal is to sell as many cars off the lot as possible and maximize your revenue. To avoid putting a huge dent in your wallet and jumping blindly into SEO/AdWords, let’s take a step back to plan and understand who your target audience(s) is.
People who purchase new cars are going to have a different intent from someone purchasing a used car. Also, someone purchasing a luxury car will have different wants and needs from someone who just needs to get from point A to point B. You’ll need to lay this out to have the correct messaging, or else you’re not talking to them.
Let’s suppose we are working on the used car part of your website. People looking for used cars would likely:
- Try to get a good deal and save money, usually thousands of dollars.
- Be okay with mileage on the car as long as it is within their reasonable range.
- Not mind if all the bells and whistles aren’t custom fit to their vehicle.
So if you’re building out your used car page and developing the ads in your online marketing campaign, you’d want to make sure these messages are laid out to speak to someone looking for a used car.
Let’s take a it a step farther – let’s say you sell used BMWs and used Nissans at your dealership. Your potential buyers still fit the used car profile, but have more specific needs.
Someone looking for a used BMW would likely want:
- Luxury and the latest technology.
- A well-engineered, high performing vehicle.
- Status.
While someone looking for a used Nissan would likely focus on:
- Reliability and durability of the car.
- Low cost for car maintenance.
- Practicality.
So if your dealership is running ads to promote your used BMWs, you may want to refrain from using messaging like “reliability” and “low maintenance” cost because your target audience will probably not care. If you’re running ads to promote your used Nissans, your messaging should have those mentioned.
You can even take it a step farther and go into the different models of those makes as most manufacturers have different styles for different audiences, like sport coupes and SUVs, each with a different set of specific needs.
Whether you are selling cars or plumbing services, or online courses, you need to make sure your marketing starts with understanding your audience’s needs and intent.
