In the age of digital marketing it’s critical that you attract the attention of your audience, and more importantly– retain their attention! But how do you rise above the noise of your competition and get noticed?
Ironically, I’ve got just one word for you: Keywords.
Well, they’re a good place to start anyway.
You must consistently write relevant copy that targets the needs of your audience and utilizes keywords that people are looking for–the words that speak directly to their needs.
The first step is finding those keywords. While the process might be time-consuming, it’s not difficult. I promise. I’ve developed this guide to make it as easy for you.
Develop Powerful Keywords That Speak to Your Audience
Begin with a list of possible words, words that you would search for if you were looking for a product like yours, but you had never heard of you (I know, just go with it). Then, go to Google and begin searching.
Note the way you search. Chances are good that you input a series of three to five words and you might even type in a question to get your answer. This is key—you need to think like your audience. Even if you have no idea where to start, just start. Type in the first thing that comes to mind and pay attention to what you find. Begin eliminating and fine-tuning your keywords based on your results.
Below are some research techniques I’ve used to develop an informed list of powerful keywords
These will give you:
Keys you need to research your industry
Help you find your audience
See what your audience is reading, where they are reading it, and who is writing it
Identify the people who currently influence your potential audience
Devise a plan to join the conversation with purpose
If you pay attention to and document your findings, you’ll have a well-rounded view of the landscape of your industry. In fact, you’ll have everything you need to build your brand, identify your superpower, develop a digital marketing plan, and catapult your name into the heart of your industry. In short, you’ll get noticed.
Five Sources for Market Research & Developing Powerful Keywords( and How to Use them):
1. Quora: https://www.quora.com
Quora is both a social network and a search engine. The website allows you to ask questions and, wait for it, get answers. Frankly, you could type in “how do I search for keywords,” and get lots of worthy answers from some of the best minds in the industry. It has grown to a community of more than 100 million monthly visitors. Plus, you’ll see who’s writing on your topic, what they have to say, and how they word it (these are potential keywords, and, further, the first step in developing your own content because you will add your own special sauce and add to the conversation in a fresh, new way).
One of the most important things you can do as a marketer is to know your audience. Quora makes this possible. Be sure to read the threads to see what people are looking for in your niche. Read the list of questions that are related to your question, this is where you’ll find your gold: variations on the phrase in the form of questions–and their answers– that you can adopt within your own messaging strategy.
And, if you join the conversation with something of value, and your answer gets “Upvoted” you’ll get a no-follow link back to your site that will result in traffic and exposure! To be clear, while a no-follow link may not add to your popularity within Google’s indexing, it will expose your content to your potential audience.
2. Reddit: https://www.reddit.com
Reddit is a social news aggregator and discussion website. Here visitors submit content that they like, and find content that others have submitted. This is a great place to see what’s trending, find relevant keyword phrases, and while you’re at it, get some valuable exposure for your own website. Content that receives the most votes will appear at the top of Reddit’s front page and overall search results.
Every submitted piece of content on Reddit receives a no-follow link back to the original post, and as I noted before, this increases your exposure and helps people find you. According to Wikipedia, as of 2017, Reddit gets 542 million monthly visitors, and, “across 2015, Reddit saw 82.54 billion page views, 73.15 million submissions, 725.85 million comments, and 6.89 billion upvotes from its users.” That’s a lot of users! Which means huge potential for finding your audience.
3. Wikipedia: https://www.wikipedia.org/
With more than 70,000 active contributors, Wikipedia is one of the most comprehensive online reference sources out there. And it’s a great way to develop your list of keywords. I recommend that you go directly to Wikipedia and ask your question, or search for your keyword phrase. While the information is in itself useful, if you’d rather not read it all, you can scroll down a little and quickly scan the “Contents” box (placed on the left-hand side). There you might find some insight into other phrases that are being used in your industry.
I also recommend that you scroll down to the bottom of the page and check out the “See Also” section, as well as the references and citations. If your term is too vague, Wikipedia will give you recommendations to fine-tune your search.
4. Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/
Amazon is a great source to discover keyword phrases and terminology. You’ll find inspiration where Amazon lists “categories related to your search”. You can also find valuable information within the book description itself. Also, look at the bottom of the page in the “recommended books” section, and within the “Table of Contents” for each book that participates in the “Look inside” program. Here you can find some real gems, and of course, identify your competition and influencers while you’re at it.
5. Google: https://www.google.com/
When you begin searching Google, analyze the results, notate any possible influencers or people you need to follow as you begin your marketing journey. Scroll down to the bottom of the SERP (search engine results page) to the “Searches related to” section for even more ideas and keyword possibilities.
Start with these five research sources and techniques to get a feel for how keywords work, and you’ll be drawing in your audience in no time.
For search hacks to fine-tune your results on Google, read my post: Searching Google with Focus.
