Lessons From Google – Become a Verb
I was reading SEObook’s blog regarding marketing lessons from Google and particularly enjoyed the suggestion that you should strive to “become a verb.” Google, of course, has entered the vernacular as almost synonymous with search engine. And the act of “Googling” is simply searching for things on Google. Thus Google has become a verb.
Therefore, it was with great excitement that I learned the other day that we had been “Duo-ed” Or said differently, somebody was “Duo-ing” us. OK, it doesn’t have the same ring as “Googling” but the concept is the same. If mimicry is the highest form of flattery, certainly having someone bid on your firm name in search engines is second highest in the flattery department.
We have the greatest regard for Greenfield Belser, a leading branding and design firm in Washington, D.C. In fact, we are even working jointly with them on a web project. Greenfield Belser has chosen to use Google AdWords to bid on our firm name. Eight years ago when we entered the same law firm marketing arena in which they compete, I doubt that we were a blip on their radar. Today they are paying hard coin to be found when people are searching for us. We’ve been “Duo-ed.” We’ve become a verb. Watch out Google, here we come.
Surely you’ve missed the point a bit?
Let’s say somebody had a lame website, which they manually updated with content that was poorly linked and managed. Then they come to you, you work your magic and now they have a slick, well-organised site that is easy to manage.
That, in a nutshell, is what your company does, right? Then when they talk to their friends they would say something like “… and they totally Duo’ed our site!”.
Bidding on a keyword to show your ad on top of results where you could probably never claim the top spot, is already called something. It’s SEO.
That said, you wouldn’t want your brand to become a verb. What if somebody phones up Greenfield Besler and says “hey Greenfield Besler, can you guy duo my site?”. It would, of course, endlessly annoy Greenfield Besler, but they’d get the business and you won’t - because your name has become a verb and has lost it’s brand value.
Er, uh, ah, um… Well, let’s just say I made a different point. That being, its a form of arrival when people wipe their nose with “kleenex”, make “xerox” copies and “google” a search. To be so thoroughly associated with a task that your trade name is synonymous with it is an achievement. We’re not there, by any stretch, but to be sufficiently formidable that another firm would find it worthwhile to bid on our trade name is one small step in that direction. In truth, I don’t know if I’d like to be Duo’d. It kind of sounds like an assault. Thanks for the banter.
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