Why non-branded terms are more valuable than you think

There’s a lot of confusion and misconceptions surrounding the buying and using keywords in marketing. 

Not all keywords serve the same purpose, and thinking they do can not only be frustrating, but it can also be expensive. 

And that’s where the fourth question of our Customer Journey Assessment comes into play.

Question 4: Is your brand purchasing keywords from Google or Bing that DO NOT contain your brand or product names? 

Let’s break keywords into two groups: branded keywords and non-branded keywords. 

Branded keywords are the ones that contain not only your brand name but also any unique products or services only you sell. 

And non-branded keywords are the ones that lack any specific mention of your brand and what it offers. 

On the surface, this might not seem like too big a difference. But that’s the thinking that keeps you from realizing just how valuable non-branded terms can be. 

In marketing, every possible customer your brand could have is on a journey. 

Each step ends with a hurdle they must overcome if they’re going to keep making progress. 

It’s up to you to provide them with the right tools to make reaching the next step as easy as possible. 

What tools the customer needs depends on what obstacles they’re currently facing, and this is when the difference between branded and non-branded keywords comes into play. 

A customer that uses branded keywords in their searches is already well along their customer journey. 

These customers are aware of their problems, aware of possible solutions, and aware of your brand. 

These customers are ready to act, so dropping them onto a product page makes sense as their likelihood to buy is high. 

But if you sent customers using non-branded keywords to the same page, you wouldn’t see many buying, if any at all. 

Now, you might be thinking THIS is why non-branded keywords aren’t valuable. But this isn’t the keyword’s fault; it’s yours. 

Customers using non-branded keywords don’t need action. They need awareness. 

Suppose you were to change the destination of non-branded keywords to more informative, awareness-based landing pages like blog posts and articles. In that case, you’re doing something very important: building demand for your brand. 

COMMON MISTAKE WARNING

So, there is a common mistake a lot of brands make. Unfortunately, even marketing agencies fall into this trap. 

That mistake is using the measuring tools used to track the success of branded keywords on non-branded keywords. 

People love branded keywords because when they work, you get a sale. And that’s the thing everyone cares about the most. So all of our marketing actions are focused on getting that sale. 

But non-branded keywords are valuable because they provide the fuel necessary to make branded keywords work. 

Brands that know how to use and track branded and non-branded keywords are investing in their present and future, knowing the more they stick with it, the more it works. 

That’s just a dash of what makes customer-journey marketing so effective. 

Brands eager to get started probably aren’t sure where to start. 

That’s why we made the free Customer Journey Assessment

In just a few minutes, you can quickly surmise where your brand’s marketing strengths and weaknesses lie and how best to focus your marketing efforts for the results you want.