Marketing
A Focus on Finding Customers Online Doesn’t Work
But Social Networking Does – there’s a big difference. If you’re focusing on getting new customers online, research shows you’re not going to get many. By they way, it’s no different offline. This study could rock the online marketing world, or at least the SEO’rs, who focus on activity vs. results.
There is a misconception that you can not focus your efforts on finding customers online. There are many ways to get more relevant traffic to your website, including using Social Media.
Online marketing, aka digital marketing, is not that different from traditional marketing strategies insofar as every message you put out and all content found on your business must be high quality. SEO experts focus on results and search engines like Google chrome rank content quality very top, and this is excellent news for anyone needing to attract customers to their site.
There is no need to focus directly on ‘selling’ instead be determined to share your opinions, and knowledge on your industry, products and service and this way, you become a trusted authority.
Stop Focusing on Selling
The days of the cheesy car salesperson are gone, and now everyone has a role in selling, albeit in a way that is educational and informational not so much transactional. Confused? Think about social media and how it is used to sell. Smart algorithms and targeting allow advertisers to hone in on specific qualities or traits, so their sponsored advert is seen only by interested persons.
For example, if you like dogs and this is noted on your Facebook profile, either because you have offered the information or you’ve been tracked by Facebook clicking on shared posts of animals, then you will see a lot of adverts on animals. You’re more likely to click on them than say someone with no interest in dogs getting the same adverts.
This is where content is crucial. On your Facebook page, share information specific to your business with links back to your site. Commit to adding to your blog every week or more often when you’ve got something of value to share. In time you will have a loyal following of interested persons, who will read, share and also buy from your site.
Social Networking is Best Done in Person, then Online
Here’s an interesting statement that is somewhat now out of date (2020): We keep trying to digitize our relationships, and big surprise, people actually want to talk with people instead. A study by the Wharton School backed this up in Dec. of 2010 – over 90% of word-of-mouth product discussions happen offline and a significant chunk of the 10% of online talks, start offline. Social networking has always been, and will always be more of an offline way for people to engage with each other.
Our 2020 update:
Well, a lot has happened, and social media is exactly where we’re spending a considerable amount of time. Even if we’re together in person, we’re likely to be glued to our smartphones, on Facebook or Tik Tok or another social media platform. Selling has moved on, and it is now online, and social media marketing is prevalent as is PPC and content marketing. To ignore finding customers online is to stop growing your business.
Yes, people buy from people, and they buy more from people they like, but this doesn’t need to happen in person. There are many ways to create loyal customers who only buy online. Focus on creating value in your content. Share your tips and knowledge. Reward your customers with discounts, special promotions and loyalty programs.
The focus on finding customers online does work today and it will continue to work in the years to come.
