Most internet marketers understand the Long Tail principle; we apply it to many areas of or work from online shops with masses of products to long tail keywords.

In a nut shell it comes down to a simple fact: with a well-designed campaign you’ll generate much more return from the less common items or keywords as compared to the common ones, this is a result of the sheer additive volume of these long tail components. If you’ve never read Chris Anderson’s The Long Tail , I suggest you do, quickly.

I wanted to explain another avenue where this principle is important. It all makes sense when you start realising that everyone’s approach is different. Basically you have to shake off the idea that you know how people interact with the web or what they want out of it, unfortunately this is challenging for some, their stubbornness will eventually prevent success.

Here are a few examples of how people may find or choose your services or products. Some people search locally using the name of the area in their search terms, others use the local search settings, the local top level domain name (.co.za, .co.uk) or even Google Maps directly. Some people like to find sites or products that are suggested by friends, thus the social side becomes important, this as well has granularity as to which social platforms they use. Some people like to read product reviews etc. Some people click on AdWords ads and other don’t. The list goes on.

Once they’re on your site their approach to interaction is always different, the methods of communication can vary drastically, some like to call, others like to email, maybe they’ll pop into the shop or office, some even like online support features or Skype. Broaden your communication channels and you’ll up your catch.

Generally, holistic strategies extend your client catching net; they also buffer you from the on-going changes in online trends. Of course we live in a world where everything costs, so you always have to weigh up the options and keep an eye on your ROI. If a tactic is cheap and easy, and it will extend your catch, employ it, even if it brings you one conversion every 5 years. A good spread of these will resort in many conversions.

It’s a simple concept, easy to understand, but it only works if you roll it out…