I imagine any business owner who reads this title will immediately answer with a yes; of course, my company is relevant; what a weird question.
I want to challenge you to look deeper into what this question is asking and why I believe the best-run businesses understand this and ask it consistently.
Watch A Full Discussion On This Topic:
Let's start with one of the largest companies and platforms, Google. Since our company, The SEO Contractor, relies heavily on understanding Google search engines and algorithms, we pay close attention to what Google is looking for. Over the last 12 years in business, we have seen a term used repeatedly by Google: Relevance.
Yes, Google's search engines are constantly improving and changing, but they are doing so with the same focus on providing relevance. So what does relevance mean to Google, what does it mean to your company, and most importantly, what does it mean to your customers?
We can determine if your business is relevant by diving into these three questions and answering them honestly.
What Relevance Means To Google:
"Google’s ranking systems are designed to sort through hundreds of billions of webpages and other content in our Search index to present the most relevant, useful results in a fraction of a second." - From google.com How results are automatically generated.
What Google is telling us is that they want to give the searcher the best, most accurate, most relevant content/webpage they are seeking to find. Let's face it; they know what they are doing; otherwise, people would go to other search engines. It's easy to believe Google will always be the #1 choice, but the truth is, they are only the go-to search engine because they are excellent at providing us with the search results we are looking for.
Imagine that whenever you went to Google and performed a search, you never got the accurate content you were looking for. You and the rest of the world would instantly jump ship to a new search engine. There is no loyalty to Google simply for being Google. Let's face it; Google works well, and it delivers. Therefore I would say that Google is a relevant company.
Many businesses can get caught up with the idea that what's best for the company is best for the customer, yet I believe what's best for the customer is best for the company. Of course, within profitability, no profit means no company, and everyone loses. I think relevance to Google means giving the customer what they seek.
What Relevance Means To Your Customers:
It can be challenging to understand how customers choose a brand, company, product, or service because, as people, we all have different reasoning, needs, desires, and interests.
According to Brand Strategy Insider, one of the main reasons that people choose a brand is relevance.
"The more distinctive and uniquely relevant a product or service is, the greater the chance the customer will choose it." from Why consumers choose one brand over another.
Business owners also have their reasoning for why they choose to run a company. It could be wealth, freedom, passion, or all of the above, and although this is important to you, it is not necessarily what your customers care about. Your company is doing one thing: trading value for money. Therefore to have a sustainable long-term product/service, you must deliver relevant value ongoing.
So what does relevance mean to your customers? This is a difficult question because sometimes your customers know what they want, and other times they discover what they want through your product/service. What relevance means to your customers is that you understand them and provide them with something so unique that they will love it, pay for it, and tell everyone how great it is and how great you are.
Is Your Company Relevant?
So is your company relevant, and most importantly, is it more relevant than the competition? Maybe you're a plumber, roofer, HVAC, electrician, retailer, healthcare provider, restaurant, marketing agency, etc., and your answer to the question is yes, my business is relevant because my customer needs what I'm selling.
That's fair; a person with broken pipes needs a plumber, a damaged roof needs a roofer, and when sick, needs a healthcare provider, but with all the competition, they don't need you; they choose you.
Is your business focusing on being more relevant than the competition? Are you going through the daily motions, rinse and repeat with your services, or are you improving daily? What are you doing that your competition isn't? What are you giving your customer that your competition isn't? What makes your customer thrilled they choose you and will shout it through the rooftops?
Insider Perspective
Let me give you an insider perspective coming from our company, The SEO Contractor, which has been building business websites for over 12 years for hundreds of customers and focuses on moving these websites to the top of Google.
Most websites have generic and vanilla content that is recycled and repurposed across the internet. Most companies we have witnessed do not get personal with their methods, teams, history, and personality. Most companies use stock images, and most small business owners do not read the content on their site, let alone contribute to it.
It's time to see where you stand. Are you generic or relevant? Start with your website, and make sure you have the most personal content, the most explanatory content, and content that is uniquely yours. Every company says they have integrity and values and are the best. Get more profound than that; tell your story, tell your methodology, and give people a reason to choose you!
I guarantee you that if you use your website as a way to deliver all the gold about your business to your customer, then you will begin to internally add value to how you deliver your product/service that may extend to your offline marketing, your reception, your shipping, and all departments of your business.
I challenge you to be relevant. As you reach your ceiling, raise it, and be even more relevant. Then do it again and again.
Kommentare