In the days before the Internet, the only way a company
could reach its target market was through what David Meerman Scott (2012)
referred to as “interruption-based advertising techniques” (p. 363). Essentially, companies would bombard us with
a variety of ads, either through television and radio commercials, direct
mailing pieces, magazine ads, billboards, signs, etc. in the hopes that a
product or service would catch our eye and eventually lead to a purchase. These techniques are “interruptions” because
they are often strategically placed in the middle of an activity, such as
watching a television show or traveling from one place to another, thus
interrupting that activity. Scott
considered such techniques “annoying for customers (and harmful to the brand if
overdone) but also increasingly ineffective” (p. 363).
The rise of search engines, such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo!,
has changed the marketing dynamic. Now
customers can actively look for a product or service to satisfy a particular
need by using keywords or phrases.
According to Scott (2013), search engine marketing “is remarkable
because, unlike almost every other form of marketing, it does not rely on the
interruption technique” (p. 363). Many
companies are now using search engine optimization (SEO) to help drive traffic
to their businesses by “ensuring that words and phrases on [their] site, blog,
and other online content are found by the search engines” (p. 364). Good content designed for a specific audience
in online forms that they prefer will be “indexed by the search engines” and “given the highest possible ranking in the natural search results” (p. 364).
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One such company that delivers great content that is
effectively indexed by search engines is outdoor recreation retailer, REI. REI excels in delivering branded content in a
variety of forms, including articles, photographs, and videos through its blog site, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and of course, REI.com.
Content is delivered on all of these platforms daily, especially on the blog site, which not only hosts a multitude of different forms of content,
but also allows users to filter that content based on their particular
interests. For instance, a user who
might be interested in hiking can go to REI’s blog site, select the filter for
hiking content and review blogs about hiking the Appalachian Trail, or review tips
for drinking backcountry water, or even watch a video about selecting proper
hiking footwear or hiking packs.
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So how is REI using key words and phrases on their website
and in their content to optimize search engine marketing? Using the keywords “hiking gear” on Google
brings up REI as the first natural search result after the advertising results. The same results occur on Bing and Yahoo! A search for “best climbing shoes” brings up
a top ranked natural search result on Google for a page on REI’s website on how
to choose climbing shoes. A search using
other key phrases that a customer might use like “choosing a snowboard” or “buying
a bicycle helmet” again brings up top ranked natural search results for REI. REI is delivering the content, and the search
results speak volumes to the effectiveness of this strategy. Companies looking to develop effective search
engine marketing would do well to study the things that REI has done to drive
its own search engine marketing.
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References:
Mike-
ReplyDeleteGood example. I have never actually heard of REI which surprises me because I enjoy hiking, kayaking and outdoorsy things. In a quick search of “kayak gear” REI came up in the first 3 natural search results, so clearly it is a popular company which possesses great content.
I took a look at REI’s blog and let’s just say I got distracted for about an hour looking and reading through it. I love the fact that the blog offers filters, awesome pictures and in some even a video. I read “FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR WHEN PURCHASING TRAIL-RUNNING SHOES”, and have to say the post really had great advice! The fact that visitors can rate the post as well as share it are great techniques to drive search rankings as well. As you state, REI is delivering the content, and the search results speak volumes to the effectiveness of this strategy.
http://blog.rei.com/run/five-things-look-purchasing-trail-running-shoes/
Thanks for sharing this awesome company with us, hopefully I am not the only one in the dark and missing out here! REI's blogs are amazing, you can really tell they care about their customers!
Mike are you an REI member? Just curious
ReplyDeleteHey Kara, I'm glad I was able to introduce you to REI. Sadly it seems that most of their locations out here in the northeast are centered around the more urban areas, which makes some sense since a breath of fresh air and exercise away from the rat race can only be good for city dwellers and suburbanites. Unfortunately, that means markets where you think an REI would make sense, like in the Albany/capitol region, which is basically two or three hours from everything that New York has to offer, or the Catskill and Adirondack regions, are underserved. Even for me, the closest REI to where i live is almost an hour away, and I wonder if staying close to the coastal urban areas is by design.
ReplyDeleteYou already know that the website and blog are awesome, but the physical locations are just as good. The learning workshops that they run are fun and informative, and the stores are merchandised to the brim with all kinds out stuff that an outdoor geek would swoon over. The staff is usually very knowledgable and you can try out all of the gear right there in the store. On top of that, the stores are also very involved in the communities that they're located in, which another reason to love REI. Can you tell I really like these guys?
And yes, I am an REI member, which has some nice perks. The garage sale days are really cool, as are the member specials and the dividend that they send at the end of the year to all members.
Interesting, I guess it makes sense that I have never heard of them because the closest one to Syracuse is actually in Yonkers, NY! There are pros and cons to this actually. I am originally from Saratoga and we have a camp in the Adirondacks. We buy a lot of our kayaks and outdoor gear from small country shops along the roads. If a big company like REI came in those small privately owned businesses would suffer. I bet an REI would do well however in Albany, maybe in Crossgates mall.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that their ski shops are in the urban areas too. It seems that most of their sales may come from online, do you agree?
That's a good point Kara about how private business would suffer if REI dropped a superstore in the middle of town, a la Walmart. Unfortunately, REI's corporate overview offers no insight into how they choose where to locate their stores. As a fan of the company, I like to believe its a matter of good corporate consciouness; that REI does recognize the importance of smaller outdoor equipment retailers in the more rural areas, and that their focus is more on getting the populations in larger urban areas to enjoy the outdoors. Pure speculation of course!
ReplyDeleteAs for their online sales, again, there doesn't appear to be a breakdown of online sales available, but given some of their locations may not be convenient for everyone, and that the product pages on the website seem to be designed to help the consumer make as informed a decision as possible, I would agree that it would make sense that they would have a strong online-based revenue stream.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI apologize, I had a similar issue on a fellow classmate's blog. I posted a comment yesterday but it does not seem to be appearing today when I logged back on to continue the conversation.
To sum up my initial post, I found your blog post extremely interesting for two important reasons. First, similar to Kara, I am a hiker and love outdoor activities, so I am surprised I have not yet heard of REI. Thank you for the introduction!
Second, I think you had excellent examples of a very strong SEM/SEO campaign in your post about their company. I especially enjoyed your discovery when searching for "hiking boots" and finding REI's page "How to Choose Hiking Boots" as the first naturally appearing search result. It reminds be of Scott's (2013) advice to think like a publisher. "What works is a focus on your buyers and their problems. What fails is an egocentric display of your products and services" (Scott, 2013). I do not think it is a coincidence that a "how to" page appears higher than any other product sales page for hiking boots. Great example of strong, creative content!
I am actually working on a similar campaign for Marist. I meet with my team of student-writers for the blog. This semester, our goal is to create more posts that are less about Marist, and more about the college search process. I want to make sure that people understand that our blog is less about selling Marist, but rather helping high school students learn not only more about the institution, but also about choosing colleges and help finding a school that would be a good fit for them.
Here are two posts from this semester, please let me know what you think.
http://maristfoxtales.com/2015/01/29/did-i-get-accepted-2/
http://maristfoxtales.com/2014/12/17/five-things-i-learned-in-my-college-search/
Brian,
DeleteI’m glad you were impressed with what REI is doing. They really are one of my favorite retailers, so I’m happy to spread the REI love!
I agree with your take on the “how to” pages coming up high among the natural search results and how the content is less about brands and product and more on making a better and informed choice. Taking the hiking boots for example, instead of going directly to the best brands or styles, the discussion is first about the basic functions of the hiking boot, different designs and material, and what will work best depending on one’s goals and objectives. The information is really a great tutorial for beginners, and a nice refresher for more experienced hikers trying to decide on gear, but not necessarily something you would expect of a retailer. It helps to establish REI as not just a company trying to peddle goods, but also as a great resource for information about outdoor adventuring.
I also like the direction you’re taking with your blog, thanks for sharing that with me. I think the kind of content you’re asking your team to develop is certainly more relatable to your audience, compared to content that tries to sell Marist to prospective students outright. I think establishing your blog as a college search resource helps to develop and cultivate a perception that Marist is the kind of institution that cares about a student’s college search/application experience, and that this could be a place that will them achieve their academic objectives.
Hi Mike,
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent example of what Scott describes as great content and search engine marketing. I am familiar with REI, we do have at least one store I am familiar with in Austin, TX. Austin and the surrounding areas offer a lot of outdoor recreation options so the store is pretty popular. I would say that the keywords alone that you've used are an indication that REI has created "separate search engine marketing programs...of specific search terms that people actually search on." (Scott, 2013). This is an essential component of successful search engine marketing. Your example is so spot on...not sure what else to comment about! ;-)
Brian, I think what you are doing with the blog to enhance the SEM for Marist is awesome. I read through both blogs and I think both should yield great results. Out of curiosity, do you know of any other colleges that are good examples of successful SEM? I have to say, I googled "colleges in NY" and Marist College was the SECOND search result! I think a good strategy for institutes of higher learning is to offer a master's degree program in Integrated Marketing Communications. You then would naturally have a team of student and professor professionals that could contribute...okay, I'll shush up now not to divulge all of the secrets! ;-)
Thank you for sharing such valuable information and knowledge. It is very useful and informative. It would be great to see more updates from you soon.
ReplyDeleteSEO Services in Melbourne