If there’s one thing we like to remind small business owners about their copy, it’s that it’s not about them. Ever.
In order to attract, connect, and convert, the words in all of your marketing materials must speak to your target audience. Understanding the way your ideal customer thinks, feels, and acts is the key to an effective campaign.
Read on for how Google Trends can help small business owners get into the minds of the masses.
What Is Google Trends?
Google Trends is a free search tool that provides graphic data on internet users’ search patterns.
Unlike Google’s keyword tool, Google Trends allows users to search one or several terms for their popularity over time. If you want to narrow your results, you can search by region, or compare trends in different regions. Business owners with an office on either side of the country will appreciate the ability to create more effective marketing plans, tailored to their customers wherever they live.
Benefits Of The Google Trends Tool
Visit Google Trends and you’ll find a loop of “Hot Searches” — current trending headlines and stories on the net. This is great information if you want to tie a popular topic into a blog post headline, tweet, or status update; you can bet people will find you, and if your post amuses, entertains, informs or surprises, there’s a good chance it will make the rounds online.
Here are a few ideas on how you can maximize this search tool to better understand and reach your customers:
- Keyword Research: Confirm whether the keywords you have on your site are losing traction. If there’s evidence of a downward trend, test alternate keywords. Always check them again in Google’s keyword tool to ensure your terms are popular, but their competition isn’t too high.
- Content Research: Compare search terms on a regular basis to keep your editorial calendar relevant. I was planning to start using the word “mompreneur” on my blog. A Google Keyword search showed it wasn’t being used as often as I’d suspected and my search on Google Trends confirms this.