Whether your marketing consists of a catalog drop, an e-mail blast, or a postcard mailing, such efforts are bound to spark interest in the products or services that you sell. This interest will inevitably drive potential customers to search engines. Want to know how “search-ready” your DM campaign really is? Consider some often-overlooked — but absolutely critical — aspects of the search/DM nexus.
Often, your DM recipients will translate your marketing language into search keywords. In the process, they’ll inevitably misspell, use colloquialisms, and butcher your brand terms entirely. When considering keywords for your search campaign, consider all the terms your marketing might inspire — and the ways your potential customers will (mis)interpret them.
There’s nothing preventing competitors from signing up to receive your marketing materials, using those materials to predict which terms your potential customers will search, and advertising on those terms to steal your best traffic away. To defend yourself, know which search terms your collateral is likely to drive. Command strong positions in the paid and organic results on those terms. Run search ads that are so enticing, they distract your customers away from the competition.
Meanwhile, don’t be afraid to use competitors’ marketing collateral to steal their search traffic away. Remember: all’s fair in love and war, and search engine marketing.
Sometimes, the DM/search nexus is obvious: you might, for instance, see an uptick in branded searches on days following of your catalog drop. But other correlations can be more subtle. One example: if your ads are getting more clicks across the board — even on terms that don’t seem to relate to your collateral — it could be because your DM has boosted brand awareness. When you’re trying to attribute the source of search clicks, realize all the ways that DM could impact search.
