We’ve all become addicted to the ‘search’ button, but what if we told you that by obsessing over Google, you’re accidentally ghosting 95% of your market? While your competitors are busy fighting over the few people already raising their hands, isn't it time you started meeting your ‘invisible’ audience exactly where they are?

When someone types a search into Google (other search engines are available), they’re actively looking for an answer. They might know specifically what the answer is, or they might need some inspiration. Either way, they’re raising their hand and asking for help. 

But what about all those other people who aren’t ready to search yet, those who don’t realise they’ve got a problem or who aren’t ready to start Googling? These people are like gold dust, providing you can get in front of them at the right time, in the right place.  

According to the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, at any given time, only 5% of your potential customers are ‘in-market’ (searching and ready to buy). The other 95% are your ‘out-of-market’ or passive audience.

By the time someone enters a search query, they are already at the end of their journey. They’ve defined their problem and researched solutions. They probably have a fairly good idea of what they’re looking for, so hopefully they’ll land on your website. 

But if you only advertise to the 5% who are currently searching, you’re likely entering a paid search bidding war as well as missing out on the other 95%.  

So, how do you tap into your passive audience? The trick is to build mental availability; show up in their everyday lives so that when they do move into the market, your brand is the first one they remember. 

Think about your best customer. Before they searched for your service, where were they?

• Perhaps they were at an industry trade show, talking to a competitor
• Maybe they were at a construction site, facing a logistical nightmare your product solves
• Or perhaps they were on a bus or train, commuting to a job where your software could save them two hours a day

These people are ‘passive’ only in the sense that they haven't opened a browser tab yet. In reality, they are leads, they just don’t realise it yet. The key is to land on their radar in the relevant environment. If you wait for them to get home and search for you, you’ve already lost the opportunity to be the ‘default’ solution.

How to reach your invisible audience

Reaching an audience that isn't actively looking for you means shifting from reactive to proactive marketing. Instead of waiting for people to ask, you need to pop up in front of them and nudge them into taking that action. 

1. Build mental availability: Research shows that brands with high mental availability (those that are easily thought of in buying situations) see a significant increase in market share.You can easily do this through consistent, ‘always-on’ messaging that solves problems before the customer even articulates them.
2. Real world context: As well as bidding on "Best Logistics Software," reach the Logistics Manager while they are physically navigating a busy port or distribution center. The environment creates the intent, even if they haven’t reached for the search bar yet
3. Get the right mix: Data suggests that pre-exposure to a brand can increase search click-through rates (CTR) by over 30%, because the "trust" was built in the real world first. So, establish awareness first and then your search ad becomes a ‘familiar face’.

So, how do we market to the passive majority? 

By using technologies like geofencing, we draw virtual boundaries around the places where these people spend their time. When someone enters that space, they become part of your audience, allowing you to serve relevant and helpful messages, in the right moment. 

The challenge to marketing leaders

The ‘95% club’ are out there right now. They are walking through the doors of your competitors, attending conferences, and commuting past the very billboards you could be utilizing. Are you going to wait for them to raise their hand, or are you going to go out and meet them?

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