Search Engine Marketing: Associations are King
“The human mind…operates by association…of thoughts, in accordance with some intricate web of trails…the intricacy of trails, the detail of mental pictures, is awe-inspiring beyond all else in nature”1
Vannevar Bush
As We May Think, 1945
The tricky thing about search engine marketing is that people are NOT shopping for the products or services you offer via search engines. In fact, they will NEVER shop for the products or services you offer via search engines or any other type of marketing/advertising media for that matter.
Why?
Because people don’t shop for products, they shop for a means-to-an-end; for pleasurable or exhilarating feelings, for intelligence, for increased opportunity, etc. In fact, your products and services are worth $0……..UNLESS your products and services are associated with a desired means-to-an-end and presented as such.
How to Create Associations for Your Next Search Engine Marketing Campaign
When considering your next search engine marketing campaign and the keywords you choose to select, it’s important to remember that people (not business professionals) manifest the desired means-to-an-end that they want the most (if you are a careful observer) and then marketers, advertisers or business persons tie those associations to their respective products. So, it’s important to 1) realize that marketers depend on people first and foremost 2) marketers should study people and understand what it is that people really want and 2) marketers should create effective content that will tie “means-to-an-end” products to the true desires of your target audience(s). These three steps will take you closer to a more effective search engine marketing campaign.
Tying the Associative Knots with Effective Content for Your Next Search Engine Marketing Campaign
Content—especially free and useful (or entertaining) content—is the powerful tool that creates associations for a search engine marketing campaign. Content, whether text, videos, podcasts or pictures creates the associations that help convince people (or fail to convince people) that your products or services could at one time or another help them achieve a desired means-to-an-end. Whether the germane end is happiness, power, intelligence, success or a great love life you can tie the right content knots between products and desires and convince your website visitors to buy your products via your next search engine marketing campaign.
A Localized Search Engine Marketing Example
Let’s say that you own a local donut shop and you want to expand your online business with a search engine marketing campaign. You have also been a conscientious business professional and have taken the time to notice the associations your customers have with donuts. For instance, your clients often associate donuts with the following:
Group Activities
Halloween Parties
Games
Early Morning Gatherings
Breakfast
Quick Food on the Go
Delicious Food on the Go
Sweetness and Deliciousness
These associations help people in some shape or form to feel that when they buy donuts they are contributing to their social lives, to traditions (i.e. Halloween), to fun and excitement, to gaining more time for oneself and to satisfying appetites for flavor.
These associations give people reasons to buy donuts and could be supported by the following content for your next search engine marketing campaign:
Group Activities for Holidays
Fun Activities
Food Games
The Best Breakfast Recipes
Fun Breakfast Ideas
Quick Food Ideas
Delicious Recipes
Delicious Food for Busy People
The History of Sweets and Pastries
All of these “titles” could make great content pages, videos, pictures or even podcasts.
Search Engine Marketing Content for Groups
Also, If you notice that a specific group of people buy donuts more than other groups of people (such as firemen for instance) you could also create content entitled:
10 Reasons It’s Great to be a Fireman
This type of content could be accompanied by product ads or coupons for fresh samples. The content gives the client information and associations that they want and the donuts provide a means to an end. Content and associations could well be compared to the queen and king of a profitable search engine marketing campaign.
1 journals.ecs.soton.ac.uk/newpub/newpub2/sld003.htm
Marci Crane is a copywriter for Main10 in Orem, Utah. For more information in regards to search engine marketing services, please feel free to contact a Main10 representative.
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