Why Relevancy Is The Most Important Factor Of Online Marketing

Yesterday evening, I was fortunate enough to have a lengthy discussion about ‘Internet Relevancy‘ with Reg Athwal, world-renowned public speaker, management consultant and author.  To hear Reg’s perspective, a provider of management training to hundreds of highly regarded CEOs, really hit home.

‘Relevancy‘, within the context of online marketing, simply relates to the relationship between what your customer is looking for (eg. their ‘search term’) and what your site offers (eg. your ‘product page’). The greater the association between the two, the greater the relevance your site has to your customers’ needs.

Any business, big or small, B2B or B2C, newly established or with centuries of experience, needs to consider how they pinpoint ‘relevancy‘ between what their business offers and what there website does… or what they want their website to achieve?

In order to make your site relevant, to attract the right users and develop relationships, ask yourself:

• How is your site distinguishable, allowing Google to index your pages and deem them  ‘relevant‘, earning increased presence within search engine results?
• How ‘relevant‘ to your business needs is your current online marketing activity?

Follow the R-E-L-E-V-A-N-T marketing approach below and you will soon find your online activities gathering pace:

Relate to the Needs of Your Site Visitors

Spend time understanding how users find your site, what they do on your site and how they exit your site. Building a picture of your typical user will allow you to quickly identify their needs, what information they’re looking to acquire and how you may persuade them to interact with you and your business. Knowing the pitfalls encountered on your website will allow you to react and adapt to maximise your online ROI.

Engage Your Visitors

Don’t be afraid to ask. Use your website as a communication tool, not simply as a corporate brochure. Giving your customers what they want, relevant and topical information, will build confidence in your offering. Think of it as a conversational piece: the first question they ask is through their initial google search, so make sure your page(s) respond to that question.

Learn From Your Visitors

Know how visitors interact on your website and communicate with them directly. Make sure this critical information is leveraged in your business’ best interest. Communicate internally. As an example, if the same question is being asked repeatedly online, see how this can be adapted to your own offline sales techniques. Understanding what your customers’ current requirements are from their search requests can have massive impact upon your business.

Excite Your Visitors

It may sound slightly OTT to suggest you can ‘excite’ your customers. However, you’ve probably found yourself in the  scenario of trawling through websites, trying to find that one key snippet of information.

Once you give the end user what they are looking for, whether it be your product or service offering, catch them there and then! Don’t be afraid to offer them further free information in return for their email address, to allow you to communicate directly. They’re sat there thinking, “GREAT! Finally found what I was looking for”… but we know that another website (potentially a competitor website) is just a click away. Retain their interest by giving them what they want and offering a little bit more!

Value Your Visitors’ Time

In order to truly Make Your Marketing Click, give your customers what they’re looking for first and foremost. As above, web browsers can be an impatient bunch: don’t make them hunt for information. Structure your website so that they can find exactly what it is they’re looking for. This is key to Search Engine Optimisation.

It’s great being number one for term “x“, but how about term “x + 1“, where they’re looking for a specific piece of information? Don’t hold it within your site vault: add it to your offering using a well structured CMS package or blogging tool. Your customers will thank you for it!

Anticipate Your Visitors’ Needs

By using specific trigger terms within search (such as “buy“, “shop for“, “info” or “help“) you can quickly understand the needs and wants of your visitors. If you’re a retailer, structure your website to offer both an easy route for product information and an even easier route to buy that product. Certain high value products may require a customer to go away and think about the potential transaction. Anticipate this by offering a link to your site RSS feed, a telephone number or a simple email enquiry.

Don’t let them simply leave your site and hope that they’ll return: this rarely happens. Differentiate between customers who are looking for information and those that are looking to buy. Adjust your website accordingly.

Nurture Your Visitors’ Trust

If the information you provide upon first glance ticks the visitors’ “Yes, this is what I’m looking for!” box, then capture their attention and nurture the relationship. Remember, whatever your industry, the visitor may, or may not, know of your business and your offering. If your offline sales process is complex, don’t simply throw your visitors into a website with “BUY NOW” buttons flashing and scripted content that can be found on any of your competitors’ pages.

Nurture that relationship by offering a variety of contact mechanisms. At the same time, give the visitor the freedom to browse your site if they require further information. Web users like to know who they’re dealing with. We’re a sceptical bunch at the best of times! Bring your site communications to life by offering personal comments from your staff and treat your offering as a conversational piece, not necessarily a selling process. The next time you walk into your local electrical store, how put off would you be if the salesman jumps over repeatedly asking you to “Buy it! Buy it!”? Instill confidence in your visitors that you are a professional outfit and one that they should want to do business with. Traditional sales communications apply online, as well as offline, so nurture trust first and foremost.

Test Your Message

Sceptical about which approach works best with which visitor? Utilise free offerings such as Google Website Optimiser, which allows you to offer different pages to individual visitors. This A/B approach allows you to quickly identify which messaging works best and provides you with the necessary focus for future marketing activity.

You may well be surprised by the variance between different ‘sales’ approaches through your adwords campaigns. Not only does this save you money in the long run, by identifying the style of messaging that is most effective, it assists you in tailoring your offering to maximise your revenue and lead generation, whatever industry you work within.

Keep all aspects of your online marketing relevant. Ensure every penny you spend online is worthwhile and will result in the activity your business requires.