As a digital marketer, you need to keep evolving with every new search algorithm update and user experience trend. Gradually the focus has gone from global to more local in terms of search engine results. On the other hand, small businesses have entered the online world, which is an excellent opportunity for SEO professionals. No one wants to focus on one area or channel when it comes to business or marketing, and that also is true for SEO professionals. You may find it interesting that over the period campaigns which have had great success were for the businesses which went for more than one marketing channel and invested in multiple options.
Google has been focusing on the brand signal, and it is now considered one of the critical search engine ranking factors. SEO is not considered a very good tool when it comes to brand signals. Why? Because SEO comes into the picture after the user searches, whereas brands are created before user searches. Brands are what the user would search for.
Branded Search Queries:
Google uses hundreds of factors for ranking results, and one can’t be sure what exactly is the algorithm that applies to Brand Signals. Google Trends is a great tool that can help you find branded search query trends. You can easily compare search done for a particular genre of the brand at a local and national level. Which can help you create a better strategy in terms of using various channels for marketing in addition to SEO? For example, a local brand of Energy Drink might outrank a bigger national brand, although it’s obvious that national brand must have invested much more in SEO related activities. This certainly doesn’t mean that SEO is not necessary, and other means of advertising can solely work. SEO factors will always be there; however the strategy will have to adjust from brand to brand, basis on the trend analysis.
What else can help create Branded Search?
As we move the local level for small business branding. The traditional way of advertising will always come handy:
- TV Adverts – Make sure the website details, contact phone numbers, email addresses are visible in the commercials. The intent should be similar to conversion to the online world. Use these as breadcrumbs and let them access the website organically.
- Radio – Unlike TV, users do not see anything, so there has to be a hook as an incentive to visit the website after hearing the commercial on Radio. Add a Call to Action!
- Offline Channels – Apart from Radio and TV, there are offline channels like Billboards and traditional direct mails. Yes, if you go to smaller towns, these still work wonders. The advantage of using them is that they let you explain the product in a more detailed manner than a typical website product page.
Small businesses may not have the budget to go for above traditional channels. Let’s look at a few other alternatives which can be affordable for small businesses and generate a branded search.
- Social Media – You cannot deny the fact that social media is the biggest channel available for marketing, and that is also true for building branded searches. This has a tremendous reach and can be much more cost-effective than traditional advertising channels like TV, Radio, or Billboards. Social Media Strategy can give a huge boost to your campaign at a much lower cost.
- Retargeting – Also known as remarketing is using the data of the users who have visited your websites and taken action earlier and display ads to them. This helps to remind them of the brand so that they come back again to sites.
- Emails – It is somewhat similar to remarketing; Email marketing is for users who are already familiar with the brand, and you have their contacts. However, these users can act as volunteers who will talk about your brand, and more people talk about something, and it’s better for the branding of the product. It’s another low-cost option and can be a good alternative.
- Webinars – Webinars are online events or meeting which happens real-time. These have become a perfect tool to showcase your expertise to the viewers. It can be an excellent alternative channel for building awareness around your brand. Do not forget to record the event, so you can later publish it for online viewing, and that can act also help in the campaign.
- Speaking engagements during webinars – This is also a great way to promote a brand, especially to an audience who may not have heard of you or your brand. Brands can be cleverly incorporated in the speech, since the topic is of interest to the audience when they hear of something new. They tend to explore more about it and try to search about it online.
A reputed SEO company is one of the channels of marketing and should not be the only thing you rely upon. It’s best to use alternative channels to boost your brand awareness.
