Holding Search Results to Ransom - Offline Marketing

6 replies
I am sure many of you on one or two of the same lists as me will be aware of the recent Mike Koenigs launch of the main street marketing product that opened this week.

In the free videos, they talk about dominating the top search engine results for certain local keywords and then creating a video explaining that you have dominated the search results for that niche, and you are prepared to work with one business owner in the local area and do the same thing for them.

So for example, you dominate the search results for "Sunderland painters" for example. You then email a link to your video to all the local painters in the Sunderland area telling them you are prepared to work with just one of them and pass on the benefits of your knowledge and work.

Myself and my business partner setup a business in Feb of 2010 to offer our online marketing skills to offline businesses. When we saw this video advocating using the technique described above, we both looked really shocked. It sounded like holding search engine rankings for ransom.

I am not wanting to discuss it how "ethical" it is, but I am curious if this is something that would genuinely work.

If I were a business owner and I got this kind of message/video/ultimatum, I'd probably just pay another online or traditional marketing agency to out rank the cheeky chap who sent me the video.

I can't see it working/going down well in the UK market (where I am based).

I just wondered what peoples thoughts on this were, or even better, has anyone ever used this kind of approach and did it yield a positive/productive result for you?
#holding #marketing #offline #ransom #results #search
  • Profile picture of the author Kelly Verge
    It is one method that can be used.

    I prefer building long-term relationships with my clients by helping them get what they want (customers, sales, leads).

    I think it all depends on your mindset. If your goal is to "make the sale," then I suppose that technique would sit well with you. I never approach a prospect with that intent. My focus is on the prospect and their needs - not the sale.

    If I can't help a prospect reach their goals, I don't work for them.

    This really has nothing to do with high-rankings on Google - at least not on the front end.
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  • Profile picture of the author sainteve21
    I think it's more a case of dominating for a particular keyword, which obviously involves some amount of effort, sometimes quite a lot of effort, and then offering your position of domination to whoever is prepared to pay for it

    It's actually quite clever marketing, but I don't think that it's unethical, if you were to look closely, you would probably find more than a few of the BIG real world marketing agencies employ similar techniques to land their big contracts

    After all you are, in essence, just asking someone to pay you for your hard work, although you could only ethically offer your keyword domination for, say, 'sunderland painters', to one sunderland painting company, or rather, offer to a few but only accept one

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author EndGame
    I agree Kelly.

    I don't think it helps the long-term relationship and I think it may even damage your reputation in the long-run with other businesses/companies. It seems a very aggressive stance.

    To be honest, I am struggling with hitting the right balance of creating a good rapport and relationship with the prospect and getting them to respect my time etc. I am getting interested prospects, but they are not actually committing money till three months down the line, which doesn't help cash-flow issues.

    I watched the free content in the hope of getting some new ideas, but all I got was an uneasy feeling from watching the videos.
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  • Profile picture of the author GoGetta
    I'd say try it yourself and see if it works!

    I can see where your coming from, and if you dominated the top search results and shot a video showing it, I think it all depends on how you talk in the video and how you word your pitch.

    You could promote the fact you have dominated all the top spots from different angle and word your pitch different ways.

    There is one thing apparent from working with business owners and the offline niche, and that is competition is growing. Business owners want to SEE results.

    You saying you can dominate the top page of Google for a business is the same as anyone else saying it, and there are salespeople everywhere doing just this. But, if you show a business owner the proof, YOU are dominating, I would say they would choose you over someone promising something they have yet to deliver on!

    GoGetta
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  • Profile picture of the author badboy_Nick
    Originally Posted by EndGame View Post

    I am sure many of you on one or two of the same lists as me will be aware of the recent Mike Koenigs launch of the main street marketing product that opened this week.

    In the free videos, they talk about dominating the top search engine results for certain local keywords and then creating a video explaining that you have dominated the search results for that niche, and you are prepared to work with one business owner in the local area and do the same thing for them.

    So for example, you dominate the search results for "Sunderland painters" for example. You then email a link to your video to all the local painters in the Sunderland area telling them you are prepared to work with just one of them and pass on the benefits of your knowledge and work.

    Myself and my business partner setup a business in Feb of 2010 to offer our online marketing skills to offline businesses. When we saw this video advocating using the technique described above, we both looked really shocked. It sounded like holding search engine rankings for ransom.

    I am not wanting to discuss it how "ethical" it is, but I am curious if this is something that would genuinely work.

    If I were a business owner and I got this kind of message/video/ultimatum, I'd probably just pay another online or traditional marketing agency to out rank the cheeky chap who sent me the video.

    I can't see it working/going down well in the UK market (where I am based).

    I just wondered what peoples thoughts on this were, or even better, has anyone ever used this kind of approach and did it yield a positive/productive result for you?
    You're not holding the top spot for ransom ... you have worked hard to get to the top in a competitive area and because you arent a "painter" you offer to work with someone who provides these services.

    It's all in the HOW and it's business afterall. People will respect that.

    Any questions just let me know

    Nick
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  • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
    Will it work? Don't know cause I don't know YOUR local market.

    But over here it's a mix of "what's the internetzzz? and "I just posted my cellphone in Yellow pages".



    That's why we keep dominating these niches with no problem, and after all a 8$ domain name x 5 years equals 40$, which is cool for us to keep till one biz owner wakes up from the long sleep.

    BUT every city is a different city.

    And that's why we moved from the mom and pop owners to bigger markets...

    Bottom line: IF you have another strategy already giving you offline LEADS, this can be very profitable.

    I didn't buy MSM but from the videos it seems the same stuff we discussed in here in that big thread with Dexx, Ap, etc.
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