Developing A List Of Keywords For Marketing

Keywords aren't just some words that allow search engines,
like Google, to find your web site. They are also key
elements for creating attractive language to use in your
marketing or advertising material. For instance places such
as: brochures, business cards, flyers, and ads. Keywords
can also fit well into speaking engagements scripts or
audiotapes scripts as well as audience handouts.

It is important to create a keyword list for each product or
service you have. The keyword list might even change
slightly if there are various groups or audiences for that
product or service.

For simplicity, I have omitted the word service and for the
word product to reflect both.

Creating your keyword list can begin after you have clearly
identified the buyer or audience for a particular product or
service. You will need to know as much about the buyer's
demographic and charactertics as possible. I also recommend
including their descriptive qualities and personalities.
Here is a list to kick start your brainstorming process:

· Communicative
· Competent
· Dedicated
· Enthusiastic
· Expert
· Hardworking
· Improved
· Positive
· Negative
· Professional
· Relationship-driven
· Self-confident
· Successful
· Tranquil
· Spiritual
· Understanding
· Socially conscious
· Early adaptor
· Later buyer
· Has to see it to believe it
· Guarantee a must.

The list of keywords will describe the product and target
the specific quality you have isolated as most important to
those buyers. No grabbing out of midair. Take the time and
research, this will help you save money and reduce costly
marketing experiences.

You can complete your research with any combination of
methods. Here are eight methods to help you build from:

· Brainstorming
· Yellow Pages or other indexes for services or products.
· Reviewing your company literature already created
· Checking out the competitor’s literature
· Surveying key customers
· Searching through trade publications (articles and ads),
and contacting them or visiting their web site looking for
their buyer statistics/demographics.
· Use a general dictionary and thesaurus
· Use a specialized dictionary like the, Flip Dictionary.

You can use resources like the yellow pages or other
catalogue-type indexes listing grouping to discover keywords
your product or service would be listed under.

Let’s move through an example. If you were selling a
professional development product – you could be in any one
of the following professions: professional speaker, life,
business, or executive coach, consultant or trainer. Your
buyer or audience is somewhat successful you're your product
will help them add additional success. Here is a list of
keywords that could describe their characteristics or
qualities:

· Able to motivate others
· Clearheaded
· Clear-sighted
· Committed to achieving excellence
· Demands excellence
· Full of character
· Has good judgment
· Has a wonderful stress-free life already
· Highly perceptive
· Lives up to her or her potential
· Life-long learner
· Sts high standards for themselves
· Stays on track
· Strives for perfection
· Strives to excel
· Takes the initiative
· Motivated to achieve

Okay, good start. Now, let’s begin to put all this
together. Let’s zoom in on one of these: strives to excel.
Let’s narrow down further to one word: excel.

Look up the word excel in a synonym finder, thesaurus or my
preference, the Flip Dictionary and you find the following
keywords that you can add to your keyword list: best,
better, exceed, outclass, outdo, out rival, outstrip, shine,
star, superior, surpass, take the cake, transcend, dominate,
tower above, be head and shoulders above, stand out in the
crowd, hold sway, lead, take the lead, lead the pack.

The list can go on, however, will stop here because the
point is made.

After this, you could let your fingers travel through the
thesaurus and then add those words.

Alternatively, you could continue your list by visiting a
few of your competitor’s web sites and see what keywords
they use. You do this by visiting their home page, right
clicking the mouse on the page, and select "view source."
In the HTML code look for "keywords." These are the
keywords they use for the search engines to find them.

You will want to specifically focus on the competitor web
sites that appear in first ten spots on one or two major
search engines, like Google.

Next, select another method from your list of resources and
continue until you feel you have enough right words.

After completing your list, you will want to review and
place the keywords in priority order as best possible and
eliminate any words that might be misleading. If you market
globally, make sure none of the keywords mean something
offensive in their language.