Think of the internet as a simple ancient marketplace.
A marketplace filled with everyone on this planet.
People are going about their business.
Some are chatting (forum),
Some are browsing some wares (e-commerce),
Some are reading (news and blogs),
Some are watching a speech or play (youtube, netflix),
Some are looking for something in the market (search engine results).
Imagine a man starts running around the marketplace screaming “I’m the best plumber! Use me! I’m the best plumber! Use me!”
It isn’t going to gain him any friends, is it?
But to the point, he won’t get any leads, even if some people were actually looking for a plumber.
Because for one thing he is being obnoxious about it but more importantly he’s trying to sell himself.
Paid ads are similar.
Even when people are in the market for your business, the fact that you’re advertising,
(which is required to be displayed as either Sponsored or Ad),
And you’re trying to sell your business to them is off-putting, and research shows most people scroll past ads.
Just as with the good ol’ TV days, viewership would drop at the commercial break.
But let’s say this plumber fellow changed his tune a bit.
Let’s say he shouted “I’m the toilet guy! I’ve serviced over 1000 toilets and I know them like the back of my hand.”
This expresses his expertise without bluntly claiming it like before.
He has also made himself more personal by introducing himself as the toilet guy, instead of the best plumber.
But still this isn’t adequate, because for starters he has niched down into toilets, so that anyone with different plumbing issues like leaking pipes or hot water issues will ignore his presence.
And it still doesn’t give much information or confidence in his services.
The better approach: “Fast plumbers in X location. Same day service, free quote, no plumbing problem we can’t fix.”
And then cue the Google reviews, akin to other people in the marketplace suddenly turning around and shouting “Yes! They helped us out. Good service!”.
This is better, but it still isn't the best approach.
I'll save that one for later.
Alan Frye
Comments