Shooting Fish in a Barrel: Convincing Clients It's that Easy

Local search tools are evolving rapidly. Yet, business-to-business and business-to-consumer firms are slow to adopt them into their Internet strategy. Search engine marketers, or SEM's, find this frustrating, and for good reason. Nearly 45 percent of all search-engine users utilize search engines to find local products and services. By far, the most-common search phrase is "industry" plus "location." With so few sellers doing local search-engine marketing, new local customers are there for the taking.

Still, lack of knowledge and interest abound. When pursuing new clients, search-marketing firms often will hear:

"We already have somebody who takes care of our Web site."
"We tried buying keywords on Google for a few months, but nothing happened."
"We're sales driven. We don't need Internet leads."

It is not enough for SEM's to know all the latest and greatest techniques and trends. Technical proficiency alone will not convince companies with traditional sales and marketing models to establish new budget categories and launch untested programs. For that to happen, SEM's need to:

Focus the client on local search;
Build interest with local search success stories;
Offer a strategic vision; and
Road map the tactical steps to make the vision a reality.

Focus. The entire universe of SEM can bewilder potential clients, so they often retreat to the certainty of the status quo. But nothing is more certain than cultivating local customers. A client will see the value of local SEM more readily than strategies with less-direct impact on customers.

Build interest. Success stories influence slow adopters: it's one thing to hear bold claims from a vendor; it's another thing to hear about a company who actually achieved double-digit growth with a local search strategy. Effective SEM's overcome skepticism by using well-documented case studies of their best projects.

Offer a vision. SEM's, immersed in their field, sometimes assume the client's level of understanding is better than it actually is. In fact, most companies eagerly seek help in understanding how technology is changing customer behavior. At the strategic level, the SEM must focus on the marketplace, not the technology. For instance, instead of explaining the intricacies of Voice over IP, or VoIP, describe how customers will soon be using cell phones to find products and services. When a company sees where their customers are headed, it will do everything possible to get there first.

Road map. Only when the client sees the "why" of local search should the SEM turn to the "how." This is the time for the SEM to demonstrate precision and technical skill; for example, a detailed explanation of cost and return-on-investment for a paid-search campaign will convince the client local search is meat and potatoes, not pie in the sky.

Clients will partner with SEM's that have compelling vision and technical expertise in equal measure. Make local search central to the vision, describe the new marketplace and show clients step-by-step how to thrive in it. The business will follow.