Marketing in the Age of Google: Your Online Strategy IS Your Business Strategy, Revised and Updated

USING SEARCH DATA FOR BETTER BUSINESS STRATEGY AND STRONGER CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

The following example formulates a business strategy for a hypothetical bed and breakfast (B&B) in Sonoma County, California. (We take a closer look at some of the tools available for conducting this research throughout this chapter and you can find a comprehensive list of resources at MarketingintheAgeofGoogle.com. See Chapter 4 for more details on the strategy for our B&B.)

Business Goals

Before you dive into search data, you should clearly define your business goals. For the B&B, we’ll answer the questions as follows:

• What is the primary goal of the business?

  To book guests into the B&B.

• What does success look like?

  70 percent occupancy at 90 percent of list prices.

• What is the primary goal of the website?

  To attract potential guests to book rooms.

• What are the secondary goals of the website?

  To engage with guests so that they have a positive experience and return.

  To reduce manual overhead ...