The Long Tail

Before the Internet, small companies with small ad budgets had limited distribution channels for reaching their niche customers. It was not very cost-effective for a company to market to the “long tail” because the only way to reach out to enough people and ultimately reach those interested in specific niches was to spend money on large audiences where only a small portion was interested specifically in their niche. Even with targeted direct mail, reaching people interested in niche products was not cost-effective marketing. Now with the right  SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) it is possible for companies to reach people specifically when they are searching for the niche that they provide. The saying, “there is riches in niches,” finally can work for everyone.

As an organic example of this, I placed a video of my son on You Tube eating wasabi for the first time (He knew what he was getting into, he saw his brother try it earlier). When I first put the video on You Tube, it received only a a few views over the course of several months. Later, I spent several days setting up the proper meta tags and keywords needed too drive drive to my website.   I spent several more days publishing and posting relevant content at key websites that would best drive more traffic.

In less than two months,  the video began averaging a thousand plays a month and continues to grow. When you search for “Kid Eats Wasabi” in Google, there are over 2,230,000 results, but I own the top spot or the “long end of the tail.” It would be very difficult to own “Kid” or “Wasabi,” but I was able to lock in on a specific niche and given the limitless distribution channel of the Internet, anyone searching for that term finds me this result.

Owning your niche in online search by honing in on the keywords that people are searching for related to your business is only part of the equation for successfully marketing your business online.   Focusing your online marketing budget on only people searching for your product or service (SEO) is only part of the equation.  You also need to motivate, educate and brand your company to the larger universe of potential customers.  This is why a strategic online marketing plan should also include Social Media and Video which also dramatically impact your SEO. Finally, a targeted display advertising campaign should focus on areas where your potential customers go online.  This includes Facebook, local and National news sites, and niche websites pertaining to your product or service.  Knowing how to wisely spend your online ad dollars is part art, part science and a dose of experience.  As you reach out to define what your niche is, we hope you’ll let us join you.