I tell my mom I’m going to a UES event and she’s clueless. I tell my co-worker and he appropriately presumes I’m heading uptown. My roommate, though, knows this means shoe shopping.

So yes, UES is an acronym for many things. In this instance it’s “Upper Echelon Shoes.” If you’re a fan on Facebook or a follower on Twitter, chances are you know where the shoes are sold, you know what big name just purchased a pair, and you’ve also probably heard owner Nick Cohen DJ. But what if you’re not a follower or a fan - just a sneaker-lover looking for some new kicks?

Here we have the Search dilemma for new, niche brands. Sometimes the online space feels like a club with passwords for access. If you know the password – the right keyword - you find what you’re looking for easily. But as my non-industry friend validly points out, “What if you don’t know the product? You don’t search for words you’ve never even heard of.”

When you’re a new brand, you need to build your awareness. And when you get that buzz going, you need to have a solid online presence. UES is certainly building awareness and gaining a distinctive following. A Facebook page loaded with images, info, event details and press clips from top national media outlets prove this.

This is a great jumping off point for online initiatives - there has to be a way to leverage these assets in the SEO landscape. But my arena is Paid Search, so let’s focus there. My chat with said non-industry friend is an appropriate introduction:

Friend: What are you doing?

Me: Blog.

Friend: Oh nice. What are you saying?

Me: Well, it started off with the use of acronyms in search marketing. So I started thinking about UES. And then I started thinking about how the store was sold out of your size, so you needed to figure out how to buy them online. So now it’s moving towards aligning online campaigns with offline marketing to build your brand.

Friend: How can an online campaign have offline marketing?

Me: If you have product placement in a magazine…

Friend: Right.

Me: …you’re going to get a spike in online searches for your product when that issue comes out.

Friend: Correct. But people wouldn’t even know to search UES online unless they already knew the brand.

Me: But I’m saying that people would know from the press.

Friend: True…but UES doesn’t have ads or anything.

Me: It doesn’t matter. People pick up a magazine and see “Fergie wearing Upper Echelon shoes at the airport.”

Think of how often we learn about a new restaurant or about new music that way. Press can give a brand credibility, just like a friend telling you. You trust the referral.

Here’s the thing: we have a new brand and product; the product is sold in limited retail stores; the product is also sold online; the brand is building its awareness through national media.

Connect the dots and we see how this brand, gaining a national audience, can reach the People Magazine reader in Michigan. This reader sees UES sneakers and they like them. Will they fly to the store in NYC to learn more, or will they go search online? They’ll go online.

Friend: Yes, but some people might not read that part.

Me: Well of course not. Millions of people get those magazines. Not all will read the one blip about the product. Not all will read it and care.

But there are people who see it, read it and want it. So the point is to not lose the people who go online to find you. They are actively telling you that they are interested in YOUR product. And you need to be there.

Unlike TV or print ads, Search is pull marketing. The consumer is out there looking for you. And if they can’t find you, you are missing out on what will probably be a strong engagement.

Does that make sense?

Friend: Right. Okay, yes I think I got it.

Convincing you to get your new brand online via Paid Search is the easy part! Offline buzz will move online, and it needs to resonate. Ensuring the delivery of your brand’s precise image in this channel is more difficult. Throwing thousands of general keywords against consumers to see what sticks won’t maintain the image you worked to create offline.

Niche brands have the advantage of an extremely engaged target market. The fans are already having the conversations, so tap into what they’re saying. Build your online presence by conversing with your consumer in their language. Is it UES? Is it Upper Echelon Shoes? Is it designer sneakers, NY Post Pulse or fashion week designers? Keywords are key to moving your brand seamlessly into the online space. They are your passwords. They’re the words being used by product ambassadors – by your offline brand ambassadors. They build, maintain and reinforce your image in the market. So pick the words that will be remembered, the words that make sense and the words that work. Before you share your passwords, choose the right ones.