I was recently talking with a business owner who told me they had allocated their entire marketing budget to Google Business. It wasn’t an unusual conversation. In fact, I hear some version of it quite often. The thinking is simple: “That’s where people are searching, so that’s where I should spend my money.”
I could understand why they thought that way. After all, most of us use Google to search for products and services every day. But relying on Google alone is like waiting at the finish line without ever inviting anyone to join the race. Google is one of the last steps in the buying journey, not the first.
Understanding the Sales Funnel
Think of marketing as filling a sales funnel. Every new person who learns about your business enters at the top. As they move through the buying process, some lose interest, some choose a competitor, and some eventually become customers. If you’re only focused on the bottom of the funnel, you’re constantly waiting for people who are already ready to buy instead of creating new demand at the top.
Create Awareness
The top of the funnel is the people who don’t know your business yet. So how do you get them to know you?
- Community involvement
- Local publications
- Display advertising
- Social media
- Sponsorships
- Content
Build Confidence
The middle of the funnel is the people who are comparing options.
- They’ve heard your name before.
- They’re reading reviews.
- Visiting your website.
- Talking to friends.
Capture Demand
The bottom of the funnel is where they are ready to buy. This is where you have captured the demand. This can be the Google Search. Google helps capture existing demand. It rarely creates it.
Why Bottom of Funnel Marketing Is So Expensive
Here’s the challenge.
When someone searches “roofing contractor near me” or “CPA in Kitsap,” every competitor is fighting for the same customer.
Every click becomes more expensive because businesses are bidding against one another for the same customer. The more competitive the industry, the higher the cost of acquiring each lead.
If the customer has never heard of your business before, you’re competing almost entirely on price, reviews, and luck.
That’s an expensive place to start.
Build Demand Before Customers Search
Here’s where the opportunity is.
People naturally choose businesses they recognize.
If they’ve seen your company:
- in print media
- sponsoring a community event
- supporting a local nonprofit
- on social media
- in targeted digital advertising
…your name already feels familiar.
By the time they search, you’ve already won half the battle.
Recognition Builds Trust
People don’t buy from strangers if they have another option.
Marketing isn’t just about generating clicks. It’s about building familiarity by creating a brand that is recognizable and consistent.
We are all busy. Between work, family, emails, texts, and endless to-do lists, we don’t have time to research every business from scratch. When you need a roofer after the storm, you’re more likely to call the company whose name you recognize than one you’ve never heard of. Familiarity creates trust, and trust influences buying decisions.
The Best Marketing Strategy Uses Both
This isn’t an argument against Google. Google is important because people use it! But it is an argument against putting every dollar there (or in any single strategy).
A healthy marketing strategy should create demand while also capturing demand. One without the other is incomplete.
The businesses that are growing and moving forward aren’t simply waiting for customers to search. They’re making sure customers already know who they are before they ever open Google.
Bottom Line
The most successful businesses don’t wait for customers to discover them. They make sure they’re impossible to forget.
Because the most valuable customer isn’t always the one you convince. It’s often the one who already knows your name.
Amy Yaley is the COO of Ward Media and the co-owner of Northwest Swag Works. She can be reached at amy@ward.media.
