While the way you reach most of your customers these days has changed, there are some constants of marketing that are truly timeless. This is certainly the case when it comes to having an effective hook.
Not to be confused with a call-to-action line, a hook is what you do to attract someone to your business online. To put it simply, it’s what you’re known for or what someone thinks of when they think of your brand.
Your hook is expressed in everything you do related to your business. In terms of online marketing, your hook is only successful if people remember it and share it with others.
An Attention Grabbing Hook
The value of a hook in terms of online marketing is the ability to get someone’s attention. That may seem like a simple task, but it’s more challenging than ever to get a consumer’s attention online; and you have scant seconds to do it.
You have to discover your brand’s character trains or qualities that other people in your target audience will find appealing. Once you discover those traits, you then pepper your marketing with references to these traits.
For a local business, a hook might be personal attention to detail. To grab attention, your hook needs to:
- Make your brand or product more memorable
- Make your message more persuasive and clear
- Create a lasting impression to bring a consumer back or get them to spread the word
Express Unique Personality Traits
Your hook is something intangible you offer to your customers. It’s a reason for choosing to engage with your brand. Think of it as expressing your business-related personality traits.
It should be the basis of everything you do online. Yes, this means working your business traits into your SEO efforts. Your hook, in terms of your personality traits, may include:
- Being kind and generous
- Having a sense of humor about the need for your products or services
- An emphasis on integrity
- Fostering team work
If you want to emphasize being kind and generous, for example, you could mention your various charitable acts on your website or highlight certain community events you participate in on your social pages.
Expand Your Horizons
A hook isn’t just about what you do online. It could be a unique product promotion. It could be an event your business is sponsoring.
Use your full arsenal of online tools, including posting videos and sending out tweets, to associate what you do on behalf of your business with the traits you wish to emphasize.
Be Consistent
Regardless of what your hook ultimately becomes, you want to be consistent with it. The last thing you want to do is create confusion by sending mixed messages.
You can further ensure consistency by choosing keywords and phrases that reinforce your specific hook. Your selected keywords should include your desired personality traits.
This may include something like “trustworthy Miami coin dealer” or “cost-effective computer repairs.”
In this world of engagement driven by content, a hook is an absolute necessity. The key to success in online marketing is standing out among the competition for all the right reasons. Creating a distinctive and memorable image helps achieve this goal. Focus on the characteristics you want your business to be known for and your target audience is likely to be hooked.
