I have been a marketer in wireless and technology companies for more than 10 years. I have worked in start-ups and multi-billion dollar companies, and I believe heavily in building a brand. And, while this is difficult and even painful to admit, I have learned that the brand often has a loftier and richer meaning to the company, than it does to the end-user.
Just consider these Search Marketing examples.
In the article, SEO vs. Branding. The clash of the Titanic Egos, a SEO consultant for ClickZ recounts his experiences trying to optimize a site for a mobile phone manufacturer. The keyword research supported using "cell phones" as the keyword phrase instead of "mobile phones". But the branding team flipped out by the suggestion. Guess who won? The branding team.
He had a similar experience with a software company. The company wanted to use "solution" instead of software in its pages. No matter how you slice it, more people search for "software" than "solutions", he pointed out.
So, what's a marketer to do? Listen to the SEO guys or the branding gurus?
I believe it's more important to use keywords that prospects and customers use to describe your service - than how you describe it.
The value of the brand isn't dictated by how you phrase the product or service. It's how customers perceive your product or service. It's what they think about your company, before they call you on the phone or search for your site on the Internet.
So if customers or prospects call your product a cell phone, then it's a cell phone. If they call it software, it's software.
That may be hard to swallow. But, it's the smart approach for two reasons: 1) Your company will be easier to find. 2) And once your customers land on your site, your branding team has a good opportunity to communicate the value of your product or service.
Technorati Tags: search marketing, branding, cell phones, mobile phones
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