A look at how an effective search and content strategy can impact customers along each stage of their decision making process.

1. Welcome to…

2. Search, Content Strategy and the decision making process
Joseph Griffiths –Head of Search

3. Where is Google going?
#B3Seminar

4. It’s not always
about links.

5. How long do you have to engage a user?
3.8 seconds
Jacob Nielson –useit.com
#B3Seminar

6. Your design 3.8 seconds to establish…
Relevance
•Are you right for me?
•Have you answered my question?
Trust
•Do you look credible?
•Can I trust you with my money?
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7. Or else…
The user returned to search. You did not satisfytheir objectives.
#B3Seminar

8. Return to Search
You have a few seconds to get the visitors attention and persuade them that they have arrived at a site that will answer their query
If they go back to Google that’s a negative signal
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9. Dwell Time?
“Your goal should be that when a visitor lands on your page, the content answers all of their needs, encouraging their next action to remain with you.If your content does not encourage them to remain with you, they will leave.The search engines can get a sense of this by watching thedwell time.” DuanneForrester -Bing
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10. New Guidelines
#B3Seminar

11. Think about user intent
Not every consumer wants to buy something
How do customers not looking to buy products use search?
It is crucial for brands to interact with consumers at every stage of their decision making process in different ways
?
#B3Seminar

12. Consumer decision making process
Need Recognition & Problem Awareness
Information Search
Evaluation of Alternatives
Purchase
Post-Purchase Evaluation
#B3Seminar

13. There are big benefits to those who consider this, they interact with users on multiple touch points of their journey.
This builds brand awareness and affinity as you are a mainstay of their entire process.
?
!
Building brand awareness and trust
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14. Problem Awareness
Mind-set:
Need Recognition & Problem Awareness
Information Search
Evaluation of Alternatives
Purchase
Post-Purchase Evaluation
“Building and managing a website to sell my products is too expensive for my small business.”
#B3Seminar

15. How can content help
By backing up other marketing activity online
Make it absolutely clear what your product or service does, what problems it solves and why people should buy it
Videos can be a great way to do this, but not on their own
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16. Example needed

18. Information Search
Mind-set:
Need Recognition & Problem Awareness
Information Search
Evaluation of Alternatives
Purchase
Post-Purchase Evaluation
“I know I want to buy a new car, but I don’t know what options are out there for families.”
#B3Seminar

19. #B3Seminar

20. How do people use search engines?
70%of all searches are ‘long tail searches’
These are question related searches and are searched for less than 100 times per month
15% of searches are brand new searches
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21. Top line benefits
Acquisition of customers through long tail searches
#1
Increased engagement of these customers and existing ones thorough useful and informative content
#2
#B3Seminar

22. What information do your customers want?
Analytics –internal site search
Q&A sites
Google suggest
Forums
Social media
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23. Evaluation of Alternatives
Need Recognition & Problem Awareness
Information Search
Evaluation of Alternatives
Purchase
Post-Purchase Evaluation
“I know I want to buy a family car, but I don’t know which is the best model”
#B3Seminar

24. Where do you compare brands?
#B3Seminar

25. The comparison landscape
#B3Seminar

26. How can you influence this?
Rank a favourable comparison
If selling multiple products (e.g. a car dealer), look to create your own comparison or buyers guides to be the solution to consumers comparative queries
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27. The review landscape
Do a search for ‘[brand] review’
If you are selling ‘high involvement’ products or services then potential customers are likely to do this
This needs to be dominated with good reviews
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28. How can you influence this?
BEWARE
Fake reviews are illegal.
Butyou can set up an internal review process to then funnel happy customers to review your brand on review websites.
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29. Brand search landscape
Negative reviews or coverage appearing in search results?
Make sure you dominate branded search results with favourable reviews, social profiles and positive articles.
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30. Purchase
Need Recognition & Problem Awareness
Information Search
Evaluation of Alternatives
Purchase
Post-Purchase Evaluation
“I want to purchase as easily as possible”
#B3Seminar

31. User experience
Make the purchase process as painless as humanly possible.
Remove any stumbling blocks that could cause issues.
AB test everything.
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32. Trust signals
These are very much needed along the purchase process.
Users can be dubious buying online so you need to alleviate any potential issues with this by gaining trust at every stage of the purchase process
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33. Post-Purchase Evaluation
Need Recognition & Problem Awareness
Information Search
Evaluation of Alternatives
Purchase
Post-Purchase Evaluation
“Am I happy withmy purchase?”
#B3Seminar

34. Schema and reviews
All happy customers should be encouraged to review the product or your brand.
Make sure these are legitimate, take learning from Amazon
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35. Post-Purchase Content
Depending on the product, user guides or more information could be VERY useful to these users.
Content is a great way of increasing your retention rates and solving any issues before they decide to head to your customer service teams
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36. Summary

37. Determine your customers decision making process and full user journey, apply the framework to reality
#1
Get into the mind-set of your consumers
#2
#3
Cater your content experience depending on their mind-set

38. Thank you
Joseph.griffiths@branded3.com @B3joseph Branded3.com @Branded_3