I must be ready for football, when I am making analogies between search marketing and Steve Spurrier. However, he is one of the best for a reason. Spurrier has always had the great ability to “coach ‘em up.”
The University of South Carolina coach uses the “throw-to-the-spot” offense. It is a simple concept. Instead of having his quarterbacks read wide receivers’ paths and cuts, Spurrier has them throw to an exact spot. This takes the burden off the quarterback and places it on the receiver.
Of course, exact targeting is needed from the quarterback. Good quarterbacks throw the ball to where the receivers are. Spurrier quarterbacks throw the ball to where the receivers will be.
This same philosophy applies to search marketing, especially pay-per-click marketing.
Pay-per-click marketing is all about conversion. The idea is to spend the minimal amount that will return the most conversions. It is not important to be at the top position with every keyword the customer uses. As discussed before, Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Pay-Per-Click Advertisers, that’s a bad ROI. It is important to target the keywords that convert. The keyword list that converts the users, is much smaller the keyword list they click.
In other words, do not throw the ball where they are. Throw it where they are going. To use the “throw-to-the-spot” strategy, use a large variety of keywords and match types. Plus, by extending the list with long-tailed keywords a marketer is more likely going to hit the customer at the right buying opportunity.
It’s okay if the customer does not visit at the “broad” stage. Let them browse. When it’s time to purchase they will have narrowed down their search. They will be back. Trust that your product is good enough. Wait for them to get to the spot, and then throw your best PPC ad their way.
It must be tempting for a young quarterback to throw the ball to where the receiver is. “Why wait? He’s right there. I see him. He’s open. Not to mention the 300lb lineman coming at me.” However, Spurrier preaches patience. More yards and hopefully more points will be at the spot, just by waiting patiently.
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