321Punch.com

By Scott Allen & Terry Knealing, 321Punch

This is not intended to be a computer-tech article. But you have to be aware of the fact that every day over 90% of people online use some sort of search tool to find services and information. That includes searches for local businesses. Whether you run a restaurant, dry cleaner, bakery or plumbing company if you don’t show up on Google’s first page, someone else is getting your customers.

However, the average time a person spends on search results is 6.4 seconds. If you believe being top of search is a winning strategy for getting new customers, and you should, then this 6.4 second window should be cause for concern.

Even if you manage to get on the front page of Google, how do you differentiate yourself in a list of close to 25 or so other results in less time than it took you to read this sentence? A new marketing company, located in Scottsdale Arizona, thinks it has the answer: Blended Search Engine Marketing. (Blended SEM for short).

“The nature of search has changed,” says 321Punch co-founder Terry Knealing. “Web text has been replaced by video as the content of choice for people searching for information online. Think about it. Would you rather read a bunch of text or watch a video? Given the deplorable state of website copywriting today, I’ll take video. That’s why search engine marketing (SEM) has to use a blend of formats to work.”

321Punch recognizes that the thing most on everyone’s minds is customers. They also recognize that a lot of people are jaded when it comes to the so-called promise of the Internet.

“If we called up a local business today and tried to sell them an online video, we wouldn’t get past the first sentence,” adds Mr. Knealing. “But if we called them up and said we knew of a way for them to be perceived as experts online, that’s when the conversation gets interesting. Local business doesn’t need a website. It needs customers.”

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, your kitchen sink is overflowing again. There is no WAY in the world you are going to stick your hand back down in the muck to fix it. You need a plumber. If you haven’t been in need of a plumber for a while, your first question is where to start your search? Well, if you are like most people today, you turn to your computer. Remember, every day, 90% of people online are searching for something.

So you sit down, sip your coffee, and try to ignore the funk coming from your kitchen as you type into Google. “I need a plumber.” Maybe “Fast plumber” or better yet “Fast plumbers in the North Valley.” The results come back. Suddenly you are faced with a new dilemma. Making a decision from a list. Now what?

That’s where the people over at 321Punch come in. They have developed a marketing program that takes advantage of Google’s recent fondness for video. Their proprietary system involves creating and uploading a series of videos to a number of high-traffic websites so that they can be found there and on Google.

By distributing the videos out across the Internet, instead of just leaving them attached to your website,  the chances they will be found are increased many times over.

Ultimately the chain leads back to Google, where most search is happening. If people are Googling, chances are your 321Punch video will come up not just in one position, but many positions on the same page, and your phone will ring.

“What matters in your selection of a plumber is not whether his logo spun on his website or if he even has a website,” says co-founder Scott Allen. “What matters is do you trust the guy to fix your sink?  With 321Punch video messages we demonstrate what makes our customer an expert, not tell you he’s an expert. Plus our proprietary video distribution system means that our video messages hit the Internet in a big way. On the other side, the 321Punch program is comprehensive. This is not just about uploading your video to Youtube and expecting results.”

Lets return to our north valley plumber for a moment. Let’s say two plumbers are found on Google. One of the plumbers is powered by 321Punch video. Which one will you pick? The link that says “video” or the link that says “Joe’s plumbing has been in business for blah blah blah…”? The writers at 321Punch pride themselves  on creating unique video concepts designed to work for small and large businesses. It’s all about getting you customers.

What’s in the video? Perhaps free information for those seeking advice. Need to know how to unclog a sink yourself? Need to tighten that dripping faucet? Here is how to do that. What’s happening here is that the local plumber is providing useful information in order to demonstrate how competent he is at fixing your pipes. He’s also being a good neighbor by sharing his knowledge. Competence = customers.

The good thing about a bad economy is that it forces companies to innovate. It is in just such a crucible that 321Punch has found its methods particularly useful for local companies looking to solve their biggest problem… how to get more customers (and not get stuck with a clogged sink).