Not to sound the alarms, but there’s a very real possibility that you are missing market opportunities because your website doesn’t use AV keywords that custom integration customers actually search for.
Lately, the pro AV space has been cluttered with too many integration firms who are looking to exert their intellectual muscles by making the things they do sound more impressive than they really are.
The problem with that, though, is it makes it harder for their customers to find them at all. Thankfully, there’s a tool you can use to check yourself and what you call your services online.
Using Google Trends to find better AV keywords
There’s a tool you can use to better target your audience — and it’s free. Any marketer would already know about it, but if you’re the leader of an AV business, perhaps you haven’t had the time to brush up on web marketing.
It’s called Google Trends, and it essentially gives you a visual on how different topics are searched for on Google over time. Here’s how to use it:
Now that you know how to use it, why should you?
Because doing so will provide you more insight on how much people are searching for services related to your markets. Here are some examples of what AV pros might call their services compared with what end users would actually search for — hopefully, you aren’t using the wrong AV keywords on your website.
Keep one thing in mind: optimizing your website doesn’t produce immediate effects on Google’s rank. To be the highest ranked pro AV integrator, you’ll need to make informed SEO decisions…and then wait a few weeks for Google to re-cache your site.
What to call your videoconferencing services
Copyright 2018 Google
Most people for whom you’re installing a videoconferencing system may never know that’s what you call it, because they call what they’re doing video calls or conference calls on. If you don’t believe us, maybe a closer look at Google Trends will convince you.
Call what you’re selling “collaboration technology” if you want, but don’t expect to ever have new custom integration customers contacting you to install their systems when they use “video conferencing.”
Take The AV Keywords Quiz!
And just look at the difference simplifying your suite of offerings to “video call” can make on spreading the word about your business. We know you think your customers expect you to use big words, but K.I.S.S. and you should have a lot more success in finding more opportunities than you could’ve imagined.
You’re STILL calling it “digital signage”?!
Copyright 2018 Google
If you think the overwhelming number of screens shown off at AV industry trade shows is intimidating, imagine being a client, hoping that potential custom integration customers will respond positively to your message.
All they know is that they need their solutions to tell a story. They’re not particularly concerned with the impressiveness of the tech.
That’s why, in the context of the integration channel, you’ll notice more people searching for “video board” and “video sign,” rather than “digital signage player,” “digital signage solutions,” or even “digital signage” itself.
This points to the state of digital signage today: it has moved into video systems. It’s no longer just about shiny images and wow factor; the use of digital signage has matured.
And yet: the people responsible for finding the solutions for their company are more than likely searching basic terms, at least at first.
“They’re saying they want a donor wall or digital bulletin board,” says Jim Nista, Almo Pro AV.
Don’t tell people you sell “collaboration technology”
Copyright 2018 Google
Instead, tell them you can help them make their “conference call” more effective and the prospects will flow in like you wouldn’t believe. We’ve found “video conferencing” is a lot more popular than “video communication,” but who calls it that anyway?
Sound masking? That’s just office sound!
Copyright 2018 Google
You may know what you’re talking about when you talk to your custom integration customers about how they need “sound masking” to cut down on some of the noise between offices, but the reason they hired you is for your technical expertise, meaning they may not have much and they might not exactly know what to call it other than something that will help them lower the sound they’re hearing in the office.
“Office acoustics” sounds impressive, but it’s not necessarily something you want to highlight, since it doesn’t seem to be a term a lot of people are researching on Google.
This is just the beginning…
A truly competitive AV integrator marketing strategy should consist of much more than a few correct AV keywords, but we hope this article has you thinking about how to best present yourself to your customers.
