Generally speaking, in marketing, only two things matter:
- awareness
- attention
Attention is a much more complex subject which will be left to another blog post. But awareness, awareness simply means that people know that you exist.
Let’s face it, the era of “intrusive marketing” is over.
In a world that is increasingly digital, simply by sticking your ads in front of everyone’s eyes won’t work anymore. Nobody wants to be told what he/she needs to do or why this is good for him/her.
People want to find out the answers to their problems on their own.
Having said that, if you are running a business, and if you aspire to grow it, to expand it, you have to make yourself searchable online.
Being searchable does not mean to:
- have a pretty website;
- hire bloggers or professional copywriters;
- do some SEO work;
- post on your social media accounts;
- collect emails and send out newsletters;
- use PPC or some other similar paid ads.
Sure, all these things help. But that’s not enough.
Being searchable, in my view, simply means being relevant. It means whenever there is a question, a problem, you are there, presenting a meaningful answer, a possible solution.
It doesn’t have to be the answer, the solution, but it has to relate. People find you not because you are there, but because whatever you offer sheds light on what they are looking for. The more relevancy it has, the more value it brings, the more awareness and attention it generates.
To start off, try to put yourself in others’ shoes. When you care more about others’ problems than your own products and services, you are well on your way to finding the right solution.