Low Barriers To Switching? Paid Search Marketing Can Help You Find New Customers.

Sometimes when I've hit the wall in looking for topics I like to drag out some old books and notes from business school and give myself a little refresher and see what it sparks up. As it were, I stumbled across some old notes from a strategy course I took and started thumbing through it. With my search engine marketing goggles firmly in place, I started sifting through my truly awful chicken scratch for some gold nuggets.

What stuck out were some fundamental strategy elements, which I've seen in play increasingly in the world of paid search marketing of late. Those basic elements are differentiation, and targeting customers who have low barriers/cost to switching. Obviously, the first element falls in line with what any good copywriter will tell you in constructing a PPC campaign. But it's one thing to be different, it's another thing to develop a strategy (or part of your strategy) around both of these points. Let me clarify.

I just Googled "personal trainer" and I am bombarded with ads following the heard. Headline: Personal Trainer. Ad text: Find a personal trainer near you, etc.

Yes, these are pretty text book ads, but they're all the same! Some may add nice incentives within their ad text, but why not work into your ad rotation some opportunities to really stick out from the crowd? Why not play off some pop culture and try something along the lines of, "Be the biggest loser. Our personal trainers can help you drop pounds and get fit." Without a doubt, this would stick out in a sea of sameness. Thinking strategically, we can roll this basic concept of differentiation out to other online marketing channels as in many instances, people can easily jump from gym to gym or trainer to trainer.

Hop on Google ad planner and run some test ads for your target demographics (let's say middle aged males). Why not run some content network ads targeting sports related sites frequented by this demographic targeting disgruntled gym-goers and people not seeing results from their personal trainers? While it might take some trial and error to identify the right channels, with some significant effort paid to qualifying ad text, you may see a low click-through rate but some great results in conversion. "Get a real personal trainer. Don't waste time and money, our trainers get you fit fast."

The ultimate approach here is about being different, and targeting customers who have little to lose by trying something new. Building landing pages that provide clear benefits or incentives to switching, with simple take action points for a sales follow up is a recipe for success that many companies could, and should, be taking advantage of.

The author is Managing Partner of Netvantage Marketing, a Michigan search engine optimization, pay per click management and web analytics consulting company based outside of Lansing, Michigan.