What is Counter-Googling?
Pay attention, marketers: remember Roger &
Peppers, evangelizing 1:1 customer relationships
back in 1997? Well, just when you finally have
your company's customer databases and filtering
tools all worked out, and you actually identified
that Lego-loving dentist in Taipei and emailed
him a personalized offer for a family holiday
in Denmark, Google changes the name of the game
with a vengeance.
The art of 'Googling' (checking people's backgrounds
on the internet via search engine Google) -- which
started out as a useful tool for weeding out psychopaths
from the online dating game and performing a quick
double-check on an applicant's claim about his
or her astonishing career -- will soon be an integral
part of corporate 1:1 marketing strategies.
With consumers disclosing their most intimate
secrets online (voluntarily!), Google has essentially
created a 'domestic
database', i.e. a world-wide database
loaded with your customers' details and profiles,
with a depth of information your company's
database can only dream of.
So instead of consumers Googling you before they
buy your services, you should Google THEM, and
instantly get more personal information than you'd
ever be able to capture with traditional 1:1 in
an entire life-time. TRENDWATCHING.COM has dubbed
this emerging trend COUNTER-GOOGLING,
and the opportunities are tasty!
A real-life COUNTER-GOOGLING
example? The Bel Air Hotel in LA already Googles
first-time guests upon arrival, based on their
reservation details (name and address), leading
to personalized services like assigning guests
a room with morning sun if Googling shows the
guest enjoys jogging early in the day (source:
http://blog.outer-court.com).
Where to start? All you need is a name and some
address details, to make sure you're COUNTER-GOOGLING
the right customer. Best chance of hitting the
data-jackpot? Three million or so bloggers: consumers
who keep an Internet diary, revealing to all the
world their commercial preferences, daily doings,
recent holiday photos, habits and customs, family
matters and what have you. And what about millions
and millions of online resumes, showing detailed
career paths, marital status and 'life and work
objectives'? ;-)
OPPORTUNITIES
Sure, putting COUNTER-GOOGLING
to work could be seen as a form of spam. It may
even feel creepy to some consumers. But as always,
honesty will do the trick: if consumers put their
entire life stories online, and you as a company
candidly refer to this public information AND
make them an offer they can't refuse, more sales
may be on the way. And bloggers, savvy consumers
by nature, will no doubt introduce a 'no unsollicited
sales' seal, the moment they grow tired of COUNTER-GOOGLING,
making it clear what's off limits and what's fair
game. Smart bloggers could even, in a dedicated
section of their page or site, list the goods
and services they don't mind getting personalized
offers for!
On the marketer's side of things, TRENDWATCHING.COM
sees a massive opportunity for COUNTER-GOOGLING
experts; specialized companies who'll be Googling
customers non-stop on behalf of 1:1 marketing-prone
corporations like airlines, banks, hotels, e-tailers
and car manufacturers. A logical extension for
direct marketing companies, who until now have
only collect broad socio-demographic data.
How to get started? Ask your sales department
for a list of 25 recent first-time customers (names
and addresses), start COUNTER-GOOGLING,
and be amazed at what you'll find, learn and dream
up! Repeat for 25 long-time clients. Interesting,
huh?
What is this? A description of an emerging consumer
trend that was featured in a previous issue of
TRENDWATCHING.COM's
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