We use deductive reasoning to predict outcomes every day. For instance, if it takes you 40 minutes to get to work each morning, you might reasonably assume your commute will be 40 minutes tomorrow.
Similarly, you can use customer history data you’ve collected to predict customer behavior in the future. Now, nobody has a crystal ball that can actually predict the future. The goal here is to find out what information you need to know and when you need to use it (ROI); marketing with inbound allows you to do this.
Google AdWords Helps Optimize Your Website.
Google AdWords is a fantastic tool, but one of its greatest features is often overlooked. You gain a rare insight into the terms your customers are actually searching for and clicking on by running ads through AdWords. Knowing the exact words and phrases your potential customers use to search for their problems is beyond valuable.
Let’s say you run a sporting goods store. You’re currently running an AdWords campaign to bring in more business. From AdWords, you discover the term “baseball bats” is getting a lot of clicks.
Since you have a large number of customers looking for “baseball bats,” you can reasonably assume that they are in demand. That means you can alter your content and landing pages to fit their needs for baseball bats.
Social Media Provides Similar Insights.
Social media is a bit harder to read, but it can still give you fascinating insight into the minds of your customers.
Take Twitter, for instance. As a sporting goods store owner, you find you haven’t gotten a lot of twitter interaction about a new line of baseball gloves. Unfortunately, it might not be worth creating digital content around that.
On the flip side, say you receive lots of interaction on the new Under Armor gear you’re releasing. Then, you should create specific content around Under Armor apparel and the related keywords.
Previous Purchases Can Lead to Customer Loyalty.
Ever wonder why every store has their own “loyalty” discount card? Mainly, loyalty cards allow businesses to track the purchases of their customers.
In our example, a customer of the sporting goods store buys workout shoes and clothes. He gives his email address after signing up for a rewards program. Now you have an email address and can tie future data around the products he purchased.
DISCLAIMER: You never want to make your ‘use of information’ come off as creepy or stalky. There is no need to invade your customer’s privacy; it will only hurt you in the long run. Remember to play your hand carefully.
Buyers may not mind a PPC link going to a landing page. That doesn’t mean they’ll want ads for your product or service following them around for days. The end goal is a nice balance between providing the information they need and respecting their privacy.