The effectiveness of your online brand management strategy can be measured by a mere query in Google–type in the name of your business and the first page of search results will likely reveal your flagship corporate site, link to the Wikipedia page and other sites dedicated to your company’s services and product lines. Next will likely follow a list of sites that reference your business for a variety reasons. And, of course, don’t forget the sponsored links in the right-hand side of the page.
That very first Google page forges the first impression of your brand perhaps more than anything else online. On the flip side, it is also a mirror; it is a reflection of existing perceptions and attitudes towards your brand through the lens of search aka Google. And, knowing Google search results are reflective of online behavior, it is in many regards a true reflection of who your company is in the eyes of your customers. Indeed, your search results are very much an implied promise of the quality that people will expect from your brand, and it is up to you now to take this into consideration and include search into your brand management strategy.
Most smart public relations and marketing professionals started paying attention to this only a couple years ago, but the relevance of search as a branding tool has only grown since then. More and more consumers, especially in the 18-35 age bracket, experience brands for the first time online. More often than not your audience is not looking for a specific brand, but categories and attributes potentially associated with your brand.
Recently, Enquiro Research published a white paper titled “The Brand Lift of Search.” The study was commissioned by Google and used Honda as a test brand along with “fuel-efficiency” as a brand attribute and a primary search query. The study focused on consumers early in the purchase process who had not yet selected a particular car model. The results demonstrated a significant lift in brand affinity and intent of purchase in cases when the brand was found on top on search results pages. While the result may seem obvious to those in-the-know, the study has some interesting insights and is worth of note for those questioning why we increasingly offer SEO and SEM support for integrated communications campaigns.
To evaluate how good you are at managing your (or your client’s) brand strategy, here is a list of test questions:
1. When was the last time you googled your company’s name?
2. What are the top search queries that bring visitors to your site?
3. How do you approach content optimization for your site?
4. What are the basic 10 keywords you would bid on for an SEM campaign?
5. What are the keywords your competitors are using for site optimization and SEM?
6. How much traffic does your site get in comparison to your top competitors?
7. Have you heard of Twitter and Tweetscan?
I could probably keep going, but if you are having trouble answering more than four questions out of the aforementioned list, it is probably time to regroup and reevaluate your brand management strategy. Consumers increasingly depend on search to build awareness, learn about your brand and ultimately buy your service or product. If you have spent a long time building your brand name, protecting it in the online space is an obligation that you owe to yourself, while search is where you need to put most of your time and effort.
If you would like to learn more about this topic, contact the SocialStudies team.