If you are a billion-dollar company with a cult-like following of people clamouring to buy your fashion brand, why in God’s green earth would you build a store in the middle of the desert?
This sounds absurd and even cries, “Photoshopped!”
Truth is, on some level, it is believable. So let’s take a look at the average small business…
With a limited budget, many small business owners rely on word of mouth to grow their business. Unfortunately, though this is the best method for long-term growth, it doesn’t help in the here and now.
With the wide acceptance of technology and the internet, having a business website has become almost as important as having business cards.
Having a website is the first step, as most businesses do. In fact, more than 70% of small businesses have a website.
The problem isn’t whether you have a website or not. The problem is having a website that potential customers can’t find.
How do I know I have a "working" website?
A website is an investment and must be seen as ongoing advertising open to customers 24/7/365. Before a customer sends you a message or calls your business, they must know you exist.
Just throwing a website online does not mean you will appear in front of the customer, let alone attract them! It takes a little more effort than that.
Getting them to the website takes search engine optimization (SEO). That means applying specific techniques to a website to make it more attractive to Google. So, when a website follows Google’s layout, content and code requirements, Google ranks them higher in their search results.
In fact, Google ranks websites based on over 200 criteria! 😮
With over 1.5 million unique monthly visitors and 95% of their traffic from unpaid sources, even Prada knows the importance of website traffic. So why would they put a store in the middle of a desert? Stay tuned…
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I have good SEO, what next?
After your website is search engine optimized, the goal becomes conversions. You want to take website visitors and turn them into customers.
This may be done through numerous techniques like calls-to-action, promotions, urgency, social proof, etc. It varies from business to business, and each company needs to plan and customize its marketing strategy.
Need a company whose primary goal is improving reach, generating leads and turning visitors into customers? Send us a message. We’d be happy to help!
What is Prada up to?
Prada is a fashion company with annual revenue nearing the $4 billion mark. So why would they risk putting a store in the middle of a desert to sell the Prada brand?
To date, the store has yet to make a sale!
This is because, though it is a legit store, it isn’t open for business. It is nothing but an art installation. Yup, the store you see in the photo is for the purpose of art… so they say. Check it out on Google maps here.
As a marketing professional, I know there is much more to it. After all, they got me talking and you reading. 🙂
