Three Reasons Why Customers Research Your Business Beforehand

Google is an invaluable research tool like no other. Particularly when it comes to researching businesses.

Anything from fine dining establishments to entertainment to even the most obscure events - like a local rattlesnake round-up (if that’s your thing). Regardless of their preferences, research-obsessed customers have the ability to scout your business in the comfort of their own homes, finding out details ranging from your menu to how clean your bathrooms are.

This information can be a boon (or bust) to your business, and we’re going to tell you why.

1. Customers Get Hyped!

So we’re going to follow a basic premise for this blog.

Let’s say a potential customer is going out on a date. Your customer and their date are going to a fancy dining establishment that they’ve never been to before. Your customer will want to check out the menu to see what type of cuisine your business offers.

A quick Google search later and they have got the website for your restaurant pulled up right on the SERP (search engine results page). They check out the menu and the images are inviting.

But your customer can’t just end the date after dinner. No, they have got to find something else to do.

So they end up searching for things to do in the same vicinity, and wouldn’t you know it, there is a fair a couple of miles away. Now there’s another experience they can share together.

They’re excited. It’s going to be a great night.

In essence, researching the restaurant and things to do in an effort to make a positive impression on their date has become a part of the overall experience, helping to build anticipation about the wonderful time that is going to take place.

And this happens billions of times a day, 365 days a year, for an innumerable amount of experiences.

2. Customers Get A Confidence Boost

One of the main reasons why customers scout a business before they visit it is to conjure the illusion that they have been there before. In the case of visiting a restaurant, it might even be so that your customer can learn how to pronounce the items on the menu.

Your customers will search up the restaurant’s address because they don’t want to get lost, in consequence, making them late.

At the same time, they’ll want to make sure that the restaurant doesn’t usually have a long wait time. According to Google, mobile searches for “wait times” have gone up in the past two years. That and because mobile has become a huge phenomenon, accounting for more than 50% of all organic search engine visits in the United States.

And since the restaurant is pricey, they’ll want to make sure that they have enough money saved up for the occasion, down to the last penny. Searching the menu for pricing gives them the confidence that they can afford to dine there with their date, and still have money to spare for the fair afterward.

3. Customers Can Create the Best Possible Experience For Themselves

Still with us on this long-winded example? Great.

As your customers peruse through the pricing, they’ll see that the restaurant has a special promotion for crab legs. The promotion just so happens to be taking place while the date is taking place.

But the sweet can’t always come without the bitter. While researching what to do at the fair, they’ll see that a ride that made them really sick once is going to be there. It’s going to be on the south end of the fair, so they’ll want to avoid that area as much as possible.

Research-obsessed customers want to experience the best that they can without missing out on important details. Because of this, they also want to avoid any pitfalls that could cause a negative experience that can dampen the fun.

Where Digital Marketing Comes In

As digital marketers, knowing the different outlooks and moments that customers go through is great information to seize upon. We do this to ensure that your business becomes a part of a potential client’s consideration early on during their planning phase.

We do this by:

1. Creating different methods to aid the client in their planning process – For instance, if your restaurant website has a blog describing what type of dishes go best with first dates, it may attract more customers to your restaurant as they’ll build confidence and feel less anxiety.
2. Making the client’s planning process simpler to save time and money – Digital markets will do research to find out what customers want, what interests them, and what is important to them, to make suggestions that meet their financial needs.

Ultimately, catering to the inquisitive customer can make them feel comfortable choosing your establishment over others.

As digital marketers, we know what customers want and how to use Google to your business’s advantage.

At Cobalt Digital Marketing, we’ve been doing this for a long time. We know what it takes to drive customers to your website, and we know how to tailor our content to meet your research-craving customers’ needs.

Reach out to us today to start your custom Cobalt Formula™.