When a business owner says, ?I don?t need to get found on the internet? or ?Clients do not look for my business?on?the internet,??it tells me a few things about their business.??First, the business owner has probably owned their business for a long time, and?built it by networking, developing referral sources, making introductions?and perhaps buying or inheriting a reputable business.? Congratulations, as this is not easy to do.??I attend a lot of networking events and I know how difficult it is to build trusted relationships and a reputation that stands out from the crowd.? However, the saying, ?It?s not just what you know, it?s who you know,? has been updated for today?s business environment (more on this below).
Second, the business owner is probably using traditional marketing tools to attract and retain clients (i.e. advertisements, direct mail campaigns,?press releases, brochures and yellow pages, etc.).? These are all great marketing tools and if they?are driving new opportunities to your business then?by all means keep them up.??However, if they are not successfully attracting new clients, building?your company?s brand awareness, or establishing you as a leader in key markets then?you need to fix them (or hire someone with the expertise who can).
Third, their website is probably 5 ? 10 years old and it has not been updated for several years.? Business owners who apply a fraction of the?time and money they spend on?traditional marketing tools?to enhance their website?s presence on the internet will achieve impressive and?measurable results.
These are some of the issues that my colleagues and I will be addressing at the New Economy Boot Camp on June 18th in Cambridge, MA.? In the interim, here are four trends that are converting business owners?from saying, ?Customers don?t look for us online,? to ?We need to get found online!?
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4 Trends That ?Are Converting Businesses from saying:
?Customers don?t look for us online,? to ?We need to get found online!?
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1) Digital marketing?is?changing the way that consumers and companies are doing business.
In the past, customers used phonebooks and directories to locate companies and they asked friends and advisers for recommendations before making a significant purchase or investment.? Customer buying behavior has changed.?Today, more and more consumers and companies are using digital marketing tools?(ex. mobile applications, social media, videos and search engines, etc.) to help them find what they want to buy, when they want to buy it.
2) From a marketing perspective, the focus has changed?from companies looking for customers who might like to buy, to customers finding companies when they are ready to buy.
The saying, ?It?s not just what you know, it?s who you know,??has been updated.? Today?s business owners need to focus on, ?What do I want to be known for, and where do I want to be found??? For example, you might want to be known for ?estate planning for single parents with teenagers? and be found by families in?Massachusetts and Rhode Island.?? Or, you might want to be known for ?developing portable fuel cells? and be found by companies in the transportation industry.? In general, the better you are at describing what you want to be known for, the more likely customers will find you (vs. your competitors) in the markets where you want to be found.
3) Last month, there were over 20 billion searches on Google alone (Bing and?Yahoo are other popular search engines)
As a business owner, your clients might not be searching the internet for your products or services today,?but the next generation of customers, business owners, buyers and?leaders is?already there.? As I mentioned earlier, more and more consumers and companies are using the internet to find what they want to buy, when they want to buy it.? So, if your business does not have a strong internet presence then it is not likely to be found by Google or other major search engines.? For example, most people who search the internet will only look at the first page of their search results.? If your business appears on page 3 or 4, then the likelihood that customers will find you is greatly diminished.? Further, you risk being perceived as less effective, capable and successful than businesses that appear on page one (even if you are better than your competitors!).
4) There is no silver bullet for getting found on the internet.
Sometimes business owners can have false expectations about what the internet can and cannot do for their business.? For example, just because you create a video it doesn?t mean that it is going to go viral.? Or, just because you optimize your website, it doesn?t mean that you are going to appear on page one of? Google next month.? The fact is,?Google?is constantly changing its algorithms for getting found on the internet, digital marketing tools are continuously being updated and introduced to the market, and one-hit- wonders?on YouTube?make it difficult for business owners to discern myth from reality and maintain industry best practices.
Promoting your business on the internet takes time and it requires a strategy if you want to be successful.? If want to get on board with digital marketing (or at least kick the tires) then please join me and my colleagues?on June 18th at the New Economy Boot Camp on: ?Mobile, Social Media, Video & Search: Myths and Best Practices for Growing Your Business.?
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