Submitted by: Jake Aull
I m big on free web tools and there are a lot of them out there. If you ve not run across any of them, you d be amazed at the great research they can provide. Tools like Compete.com, Quantcast and SEM Rush. Web-savvy people can use these tools to find backlinks to any site, as well as profiling data for primary site visitors. These tools assess sites that own preferred keyword phrases and show traffic patterns. All good stuff. However, these tools can also help us find something more interest and demand.
The predominant behavior today equates to people searching online for what they want (or want to know more about). Even the traditional emphasis on W.O.M. (word-of-mouth marketing) today exists in the form of consumer online reviews and recommendations. I like to call this content demand. Just as real-world products exist in supply-and-demand, the web reveals a content supply-and-demand. In some cases, people are merely searching for information and sites like Wikipedia and WebMD serve them well. But in many cases keywords and phrases are indications of more than mere casual info-search; they represent consumers in need – with problems to be solved.
Take for example a topic very near and dear to my heart, as a relative of mine currently has cancer. Cancer and other serious illnesses have been early leaders in active, online social communities driven by the grassroots because they represent people in pain, seeking others with specific symptoms or remedies. Not their close friends or neighbors but people in the know. In my own case, as the time surrounding my relative appears shortened, and more of my thoughts dwell upon this, it is conceivable for me to search for information online. And the good causes devoted to cancer research should be easy to find.
There are undoubtedly many others like me. And it is conceivable for us to have sentiments and to search for terms such as cancer donations, hoping some day enough research will cure the problem. Likewise, the worthy causes devoted to cancer research should be easy to find. But the big advantage here for such organizations lies in the power of these online tools. Just by researching the keyword phrase cancer donations, Google Trends provides a wealth of data. Results here show that the primary cities where people have searched for these keywords in the last 12 months have been Chicago and New York City. Yet in addition to the states occupying those cities, primary states have included Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and California. So now we have something grand target markets for very worthy causes seeking funding for their research. We can likewise see that such searches are almost non-existent in summer and around the holidays, yet peak in October (early 4th quarter).
So, literally within minutes, these free, digital tools can identify new potential markets for donors, and the best months of search and interest. Therefore, to the great non-profits and causes out there – make best use of such power find the people in pain, or wanting to give, and help them out.
About the Author: Jake Aull is a web designer and digital/social marketer, a branding and creative marketing provider, and all around good guy. He teaches GSU’s first social media marketing and SEO course and writes a popular blog –
jakeaull.wordpress.com
Source:
isnare.com
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