You know the adage that “the customer is always right.” I do not necessarily subscribe to that view, but I certainly believe that we have to understand who our customers are and put ourselves in their shoes. If we do not think like customers, we cannot fully appreciate their perspective. The above statements are rather broad, so how about an example to illustrate the point from search engine advertising.
Susanna Speier shares on the blog Search Engine Journal that a post she made this spring about Daylight Savings time increased the amount of traffic to her blog by over 500%. What was the secret- useful tips on how to transition to Daylight Savings time? No, not really. Was the increased traffic just good fortune given the timing of her post coincided with the time change? That’s part of it, according to Speier. The key? A misspelled term. Speier deliberately used the term “Daylight Savings Time” as opposed to the correct form “Daylight Saving Time.”
Why knowingly use an incorrect term? Simple- the incorrect form was entered as a Google search term about 3 times more often than the correct form. Rather than earn points for proper spelling, Speier experienced a sharp rise in blog traffic by using a term most people use. This tactic enabled the search engine to find her blog posting and connect Speier with people seeking information on the time change. Speier’s experience reminds us to think like customers when we are talking them.
Search Engine Journal – “Daylight Savings Time 2009 Optimized”
