Search Trends - Search Engine Marketing

I had an experience the other day that made me think a lot about what goes into a successful search engine marketing campaign. The experience was at Home Depot and doesn't have anything to do with search per se, or even the Internet for that matter. But it has everything to do with successful commerce and customer service.

'Twas the day after Christmas and I went to Home Depot to cash in some gift cards I'd gotten in exchange for Amex points. I had $400 in gift cards and was on a mission to find the best dishwasher I could for under $400. I'm a regular shopper at Home Depot and have always found their employees to be very helpful for my home improvement projects. This was my first time venturing into the appliance section of the store, however. I found that I was a lone man in a sea of large appliances. "Someone will show up soon," I thought to myself, and began browsing the merchandise. Soon several other customers started looking at the appliances, but not a single Home Depot employee was anywhere to be found. I'd managed to narrow my choices to about 4 models simply based on price, but wanted to get more info to complete the purchase. Where was that appliance expert when I needed him (or her)? I sat there for a minute, but it was obvious that noone was going to show up if I simply waited so I meandered over to the flooring department and had them page someone to help me. After another 10 minute wait, a nice older gentleman showed up and asked how he could help. Perfect, I thought, I explained what I was looking for and asked which dishwasher was the best in the price range I was looking for. He proceeded to show me the 4 models I had narrowed my choices to, then I asked which one he recommended, and he said, "Well, I like Maytag." Hmm. I think Maytag is a fine brand, but I wasn't too convinced that this guy knew anything about dishwashers. Since there were a couple Maytags in my price range I decided to go with his suggestion and then had to decide between two models. "What's the difference between these two," I asked. "This one has more features," he explained, "see how it has more buttons." Hmmm...I could have figured that out. "Is there any difference in how well they clean?" "No, they're both Maytags" was his reply. Well, I'm not sure I follow that logic, but I decided to save the $50 and to with the cheaper one.

I had a heck of a time getting the stupid thing installed, but that's a story for another day. It was mostly due to my ignorance about how to install a diswasher (and uninstall the old one), but there was a little elbow connector thingy that I had to go back for twice to get the right size.

What does all this have to do with Internet marketing? The lesson I learned from this is that it takes more than simply getting customers into your store (or website) to complete the sale. I was a very targeted customer. I had a mission to find a dishwasher. I was intent on buying one and just needed someone to hold my hand a little and help me feel like I was making the right decision about the purchase. I didn't feel that way at all. In fact, if I didn't have those gift cards, I would have left and bought from a different store--one that cared more about my business. As it was, I stuck it out because I was locked into buying there because of the gift cards, but I probably won't recommend Home Depot to anyone else shopping for a dishwasher.

Getting targeted customers to your site is only part of the equation. The other important piece is to provide enough relevant, expert advice and information to help customers feel like they are making the right purchase decision by buying from you. You may be getting some sales now if you're not doing this, but it's probably only the people who are too sick of shopping around to leave and buy elsewhere. Think about how much more you could be doing with a little more virtual hand-holding down the sales process.