Search Is Search Is Search. Or Is It?
by Nicolette Beard
You and I, as consumers, often search online for well-known or trusted
brands. As Americans, we've been consuming all our lives, and have a pretty
good idea of what we want to buy; we just need to find the right source.
B2B prospects and how they search present many more complexities.
If we look back only five or ten years ago, the
B2B buying
process was long and complex. The effort to recognize a need, collect
information on available solutions to that need, evaluate various suppliers,
issue an RFQ, evaluate submissions, and make a decision took three to four
months on average.
Today, buyers get most of this information online and the entire process
happens in days!
The Industrial Marketing Survey, sponsored by ThomasNet and Google,
points to the need for B2B internet marketers to place themselves where
industrial buyers are looking. The survey found that 96% of all industrial
buyers use the Internet at some point during the buying cycle.
A major finding of the Industrial Marketing Survey is that
B2B web
marketers are not fully aware of the behavior patterns of buyers when
they're looking to buy goods and services. In fact, many sellers have
focused too much on their online presence while undervaluing the importance
of internet marketing efforts that drive B2B traffic to their Web site.
For example, a person searching for industrial cutting tools may search
for "carbide cutting tools," "machine tool accessories," "carbide insert
tools," "precision turning," or dozens of related or more specific search
terms. Next, there is variation on what to call things or where to find a
supplier. If the searcher knows your company, he may search by product or
part number. He may search by geography. You'll get different search
engine results for each of these queries.
The Survey also found that more than half the companies allocate a majority
of their marketing budgets to their Web site (55%) yet allocated only 13%
to
search marketing services
- the one component that drives buyers to them! Clearly, a B2B marketing
strategy does not exist for many.
Searchers may use industry-specific acronyms or generic terms. They also
often use search terms focused on the need or problem. Add to that the
multiple searches during the buying cycle and the complexity grows
exponentially.
Are All Search Engines Equal?
Research shows that B2B prospects overwhelmingly prefer Google. While Google
is still the king of search, capturing 64% market share to Yahoo's 23% and
MSN 13%, people do use different search engines. Different search engines
use different algorithms to index content and rank search results. To cover
all your bases, review your raw server log files for indications of a shift
in your audience profile and/or changes in the search engines.
Many
B2B internet marketers don't realize yet how important the Internet
is in helping buyers navigate through countless company Web sites.
If I've convinced you that a B2B marketing strategy is crucial to online
success, let us help improve the user experience with our professional,
affordable Web site design or
technical writing services.
