ch engine optimization Trojan horse: how to get traction in new markets

Netflix is a favorite of many, but how did you discover it? It’s unlikely that you just typed “DVD rental subscription” in Google at random.

It’s a challenge that any company with a disruptive or new idea faces: how can you create engagement for a product nobody has heard of?

There is a market for your service or product, even if the audience does not know about it. You do have a keyword category, no matter how low the volume.

SEO experts who grow brands in new markets should look to poach the demand for similar markets that already exists. They can then explain how their brand is an excellent alternative.

This article will explain my “Trojan Horse” SEO approach for category creation.

• You should research the market that you intend to disrupt.
• Create a content and SEO strategy based on the old terms.
• Introduce your new keywords/category in the process.

Search engine optimization for new markets

This step will help you discover what people are searching for that is similar to your new service or product.

You need to know the old ways of thinking, and why people search.

• Search for keywords that are associated with the old method.
• Create a SEO strategy based on these old terms.
• Purchase them for your new categories.

Interview your early customers, your customer service team and product managers to determine the fit between your product and market.

This qualitative research will help you to determine what the people love most about your solution. This is your qualitative research. It should help you with keywords and strategy for content.

In the early days of Netflix, if you were part of the SEO team, “DVD rental,” might have been the keyword that was targeted, knowing that people in rural areas or those without access to public transport or cars may not have had the option to rent DVDs from Blockbuster or other traditional stores.

Customer reviews on the products or services that you are disrupting can be a great resource. You can use these to isolate more pain points.

Try to find industry reports that discuss how things are changing. Gartner Forrester Adobe, for example, can provide you with great SaaS insights.

For quantitative research, use the standard keyword research and planning software. Remember that new products and services are a volume-based game.

Keyword planners can help you rank old terms based on their impact. This is often expressed in search volume. The higher the volume of searches, the greater the chance that your concept will be introduced to customers who need it.

Do a quick Google Search for the terms that you are focusing on. If the SERPs include your brand or brands, then user intention is aligned with your strategy.

Create a new market SEO strategy

Quantitative research should provide you with many ideas for content that is good for SEO in new markets.

Use content to present a better alternative. Talk about what is already available, optimize for popular/known terms. You could say, “DVD rental when there’s no Blockbuster near you” or “The New Video Rental: Get the Recent Oscar winner for Best Picture delivered to your doorstep.”

You must keep in mind that it’s not enough to just bring people to the Trojan Horse content. They need a clear path and a compelling reason to continue learning.

Introduce your new category

You’ve now brought in your users through the Trojan Horse of old categories. Teach them your new language.

You should aim to rank for a particular term and then turn the volume up on it (I see this as a kind of brand campaign).

You can start by promoting your new term to the market and optimizing all your properties.

• Your homepage
• A statement blog post.
• The social media profile and boilerplate of your company.

Make sure you include internal links in all your pieces that use the term “old”

The stakes

Does this take a lot of skill to do? Absolutely.

Does it work?

Take Five-Hour Energy, HubSpot, Asana and Fitbit as examples.

All of these brands developed a term that is now used widely on the market, and gained a major advantage. No matter how competitive the marketplace becomes, they’ll be the first brand you associate with the term.

Few challenges are as rewarding for me as using my full range of research, content, and technical skills to introduce a new brand or product to the mainstream.

You’ll become “the marketing team behind amazing brand success story”. You will be the “marketing team behind an amazing brand success story.”

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