Online Advertising Category

Understanding Mobile Search: 3 Reasons Mobile Is Different

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Mobile search represents an enormous opportunity for marketers: 6 million consumers have smartphones according to Nielsen Online, and that number is growing.

Mobile search represents an enormous opportunity for marketers: 6 million consumers have smartphones according to Nielsen Online, and that number is growing.

In January’s newsletter, we discussed 3 online marketing trends from 2009 that are shaping 2010, one being the mobile web (and the other two being real-time search and social media). We pointed to predictions of mobile devices outnumbering computers by 3 to 1 in the year 2012 and the mobile advertising industry reaching $3.3 billion by 2013, and recommended building a mobile version of one’s site – but what about advertising?

As the number of users accessing the web via mobile devices grows, so do the number of advertisers vying for their interest. While the long-term potential of mobile advertising remains to be seen, marketers are realizing mobile can be leveraged not only to drive mobile site traffic but also, foot traffic, purchase decisions, brand awareness, and word-of-mouth. Likewise, the nature of mobile search existing primarily as a means to locate actionable data in real-time suggests an attractive potential for ROI higher than that of online search.

Couple these factors with massive growth expected in the smart phone sector and Kelsey Group predicts mobile search will account for an impressive 73% of all mobile spend by 2013.

Still, despite such momentum, the mobile advertising industry is young, and with a venue so new, it can be difficult to identify where to start. While a variety of mobile advertising tactics are available, including SMS messaging and display, the proven return of paid search makes it a sensible choice for marketers allocating their first mobile spend.

Before jumping on the mobile bandwagon, it is important to realize mobile search is unique. In turn, we’ve identified 3 ways mobile differs from online search. Once these factors are understood, it becomes easier to prioritize mobile in an increasingly complex and integrated marketing mix.

1 - Mobile search is time-bound and goal-oriented

Consumers on-the-go have less time and more urgency to click; mobile search ads should reflect this with nimble, action-oriented messaging.

Consumers on-the-go have less time and more urgency to click; mobile search ads should reflect this with nimble, action-oriented messaging.

One reason paid search works so well for marketers is because consumers searching for products and services are likely inclined to buy, but consumers performing searches from a mobile device have a sense of urgency online users do not.

The sheer act of performing a web search from a mobile device suggests an instant need and a strong intent to act. Not only are mobile queries shorter and more general than their online counterparts, they are dominated by searches for local businesses, news, reviews, scores and stock prices, and the results of these queries can be tied to specific, immediate, and revenue-generating actions such as visiting a restaurant or making a purchase.

All of this bodes well for marketers. There is huge potential to capitalize on the unique qualities of mobile search, as long as campaigns are tailored with the mobile consumer in mind: this means mobile-minded keyword lists, action-oriented messaging, landing pages designed for smaller screens, and sales funnels customized for speed..

2 - Mobile search offers unique targeting and personalization capabilities

Online search is prized for its ability to target consumers and eliminate wasted spend. In addition to targeting by demographic and geographic information, mobile search takes targeting further by allowing advertisers to target based on behavioral as well as technographic information.

Allowing advertisers to target based on mobile behavior, which is naturally different than online behavior, provides new data which can be used to optimize campaigns. Likewise, the capacity to target specific mobile devices and carriers opens up a new world of possibility for marketers who can now study user demographics for carriers and phones and target ads based on which demographic pools most match their own.

Mobile search offers technographic targeting, or the ability to target specific devices, like the iPhone, and carriers, like AT&T.

Mobile search offers technographic targeting, or the ability to target specific devices, like the iPhone, and carriers, like AT&T.

These targeting capabilities are not universal across mobile ad networks nor are behavioral and demographic targeting unique to mobile search. However, the ability to advertise to iPhone instead of Blackberry users or target consumers with a specific behavioral mobile history gives marketers valuable new information which can be leveraged to improve ROI dramatically.

3 - Mobile search offers better performance relative to online search

Likely due to the urgency-related factors and targeting capabilities discussed above, studies show mobile offers more favorable results than online search. In fact, a white paper published by the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) found mobile click-through rates averaged between 5% and 15%, while online click-through rates averaged only 2%.

By the same token, a recent study published by digital research firm InsightExpress reports mobile web users display greater purchase intent. Specifically, mobile users displayed 8 times more retail intent and 4 times more travel purchase intent, pointing to an increased likelihood of conversions.

The stats on mobile search performance are clearly impressive; however, in no way are they intended to paint online search as ineffective – we know quite the opposite is true. Moreover, while any current statistic on mobile performance must be taken with a grain of salt due the limited number of mobile compared to online users, higher click-through rates and purchase intent supports the notion of mobile users as action-oriented and mobile search as having the ability to offer marketers unmatched results.

We hope this broadens your understanding of mobile search. For more information on mobile search or help integrating mobile into your online search campaign, please contact sales@wpromote.com.

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Posted in Business, Mobile search, Online Advertising | 8 Comments »

3 of the Biggest Web Trends from 2009 That Will Shape Your 2010

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Looking back on 2009, it seems there has never been a year full of more change, excitement, and shocking news – and if there has, I wasn’t alive to witness it. We saw the death of Michael Jackson, arguably the biggest pop star in the world, fall of the US economic system, inauguration of the first African-American President and fall from grace of a hero, Tiger Woods.

We looked on as North Korea detained journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the swine flu epidemic sent an already anxious nation into further panic, and health care reform drew sharp lines in the sand between haves and have-nots - and we’re barely scratching the surface.

In spite of all this, life goes on, and so does business. In the online sector, we saw just as many developments, and at times it became difficult to keep up. Things on the web change at such a rapid pace it can be tough to nail down what matters now and what will tomorrow, but that is part of the fun. Working in this business you have to keep up with trends, and after a year as action-packed as 2009, with the Yahoo/Bing merger, Google’s constantly shifting ranking algorithm, and the double-sided impact of SEO on relevancy in search, cherry-picking the most ‘influential’ developments seems silly – there truly were too many to count!

Instead, let’s kick-off 2010 with a recap of three related industry trends that picked up speed in 2009 and show little signs of slowing down.

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Information spreads like wildfire, but advertisers and search engines
are still learning how to keep up

1 - Real Time Search

When someone says ‘real-time,’ the first thing that comes to mind may be status updates on Twitter, GPS-capability on your mobile device, or the ability to perform an Internet search and get the information you need immediately – but we’ll be addressing the social networking craze and massive growth in the mobile sector later; when we say real-time, we’re talking about a sensibility.

The advent of the Internet, PDA’s, and Social Networks has revolutionized our lives. No longer are we content to visit the library when we have a question – we consult Google. Just left the theater and loved the movie? Update your Facebook status. Witnessing a riot and want to alert the world? Tweet it.

Amidst all of this real-time sharing, the Big 3 are scrambling to keep up. While real-time search has been integrated by Google and Yahoo/Bing, it’s hard to say what this will look like in a year from now, and if search engines can’t prioritize real-time data without damaging user experience, people will migrate elsewhere in their search for information.

What does this mean for advertisers? Pay attention. People are the new media, and they are sharing information via various online outlets. Throwing up a PPC campaign the way one used to may no longer be enough; advertisers may be forced to capitalize on real-time communication by integrating mobile and social ads into their marketing mix while adjusting the way they approach regular search.

Mobile devices already outnumber personal computers - is your site
built for mobile

2 - Mobile Web and Advertising

If you haven’t caught on by now, mobile is big. All that sharing of and searching for real-time data discussed above? A lot of that happens via mobile phones. Likewise, with the mobile advertising market expected to grow to 3.3 billion by the year 2013 it’s time to start thinking about your mobile presence.

We touched on the need to integrate mobile search into your marketing mix above, but there is more to mobile than capitalizing on search. Advertisers must consider whether or not their website works on a mobile device, but only after considering whether it matters.

At first glance it may seem some advertisers may not have to worry; if you are a business-to-business service provider, you don’t expect your clients to find you on their mobile phone, but rather, at work – but all of this is changing.

We already have the ability to access office documents on PDA’s, and mobile devices outnumber computers worldwide. In fact, it is predicted mobile devices will outnumber computers by 3:1 in 2012 and some say we’ve already reached that point. Regardless of who has more accurate statistics, developing your website with a mobile mindset is a must. Allot resources in your budget for a mobile version of your site and start tracking activity on it just as you would your regular site. There may soon come a time where business is being done primarily on mobile devices. Start now.

It’s no longer a trend - social media is here to stay (at least for
now).

3 - Social Media Explosion

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably realize social media is no longer a trend, but a tactic. What seemed like a novelty at first has now become one of the most effective yet most challenging ways to market and brand your business online.

What makes social media so powerful? Word-of-mouth. It’s more reliable than an advertisement, friendlier than a pitch, and has the ability to spread like wildfire with little to no effort once the initial seed is planted.

What does this mean for advertisers? If you don’t have a social media presence, and your competitors do, now is the time to create one. Not only are more people relying on social networks and peer recommendations to make decisions about what they purchase and how they spend time, search engines are starting to integrate social data into their results (see #1 above), and if you aren’t controlling the conversation about your brand, you are opening yourself up to potential disaster.

Take the time to figure out how social media fits into your marketing mix, and realize that with social and real-time data being integrated into regular search results, negative word-of-mouth can spread faster than you ever imagined. Be proactive about starting conversations with consumers and listening to what they have to say, or you will leave the fate of your brand in the hands of fate – never a good strategy.

We hope this trend recap helps put your 2010 marketing plans into perspective! If you would like more information on search or social media marketing, please email sales@wpromote.com. Last but not least, have an amazing year!

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Posted in Business, Internet News, Online Advertising, Social Media | 3 Comments »

Last Call, 2009: Here Are 6 Posts from The Wpromoter That Help Put the Year In Perspective

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

2009 was a lot of things, but one thing is wasn’t? Boring. As we’ve said before, A LOT happened this year, and the bloggers here at Wpromote worked hard to keep up. We hope we succeeded in providing you a valuable and entertaining mix of content.

As we approach the beginning of a new decade, let’s take a look at six posts from The Wpromoter that highlight some of the most important online news from 2009.

  • The Google Witchhunt

Calling it a ‘witchhunt’ is probably extreme, but let’s face it - everyone had a reason to sue Google this year. Whether Google is at fault is not for us to decide - we’ll let the courts handle that. Get an overview of some of Google’s battles from Michael Block, Wpromote’s VP of Client Services and resident PPC expert, in “Tues News: 6/30 (Google vs. Everyone Edition).”

  • The Quest for Better ROI

A recession year in terms of spending on advertising, everyone was looking for ways to increase ROI. The beauty of online marketing tends to be accountability, but another huge benefit is the ability to make nominal tweaks and notice relatively instant results. Check out this roundup from Wpromote’s President and CEO, Mike Mothner, called “8 Things You Aren’t Doing That Will Boost Your SEM Results.”

  • The Twitter Phenomenon

Twitter made it cool to ‘do you’ in 2009. If you’re still unsure what all the fuss is about or simply want a better understanding of the microblogging service that took the world by storm, check out my post, “Tweeting to Transparency: 4 Reasons to Be Who You Are in 2009.”

  • The Viral Marketing Explosion

It’s effective, powerful, and ‘cool.’ It has that ‘everybody’s doing it and so should we’ cache to it. But viral marketing is not a paint-by-the-numbers tactic, and poorly executed viral campaigns can cause a brand more harm than good. Get some tips from Jesse Bouman, Wpromote’s Viral Marketing and Social Media Manager, in his informative post, “3 Common Viral Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.”

  • The Broadband vs. Broadcast Battle

Another big development this year was the growing popularity of online video and the effect it had on consumer viewing habits and the broadcasting industry as a whole. Get an overview of the way online video is changing the TV game in my post, “Hulu Desktop App Challenges Cable Networks.”

We hope you enjoyed this recap. Here’s to more great content, and lots of success in 2010! Happy New Year!

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Posted in Daily non news Stories of Interest, Editorial, Google, Online Advertising, Random!, SEO, Social Media, Technology, Tues News, Twitter, Viral Marketing, Yahoo! | 2 Comments »

Boosting the Effectiveness of Display Ads with Paid Search

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
Department store mogul John Wanamaker wasn’t sure which half of his advertising was working

Department store mogul John Wanamaker wasn’t sure which half of his advertising was working

Troubled with an inability to track the effectiveness of his advertising dollars, John Wanamaker, the father of modern marketing, famously quipped: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.”

The lack of hard metrics available to measure the success of traditional advertising has since been dubbed the Wanamaker problem, and has eluded marketers for years. While it was understood then as it is understood now that advertising is a compulsory part of doing business, the value of a print ad, radio spot, or TV commercial is inherently difficult to determine. Beyond calculating reach, there is little marketers can do to measure the effect an advertisement has on their bottom line.

Luckily, the shift to Internet advertising and specifically, search engine marketing, has presented marketers with new opportunities to deliver more transparent and fiscally-responsible ad campaigns. Pay-per-click advertising revolutionized the industry allowing marketers to cut eliminated advertising spend by targeting people actively seeking their products and services, performance marketing let brands expand their reach while assuming none of the financial risk and paying only for results, and search engine optimization gave brands visible proof of their investment in the form of top placement in the search engines.

However, despite the considerable advances in tracking that have come with the advent of online marketing, elements of the Wanamaker problem still exist, especially when it comes to display.

The Facts About Display Advertising

Measuring the effectiveness of display is difficult, but Google Campaign Insights makes it easier

Measuring the effectiveness of display is difficult, but Google Campaign insights makes it easier

At a recent conference, a Product Manager for Google Campaign Insights, a tool to measure the effectiveness of display ads, addressed the fact that 33% of display advertising has ‘no lift’. In other words, 33% of display advertising does nothing to boost brand awareness or drive sales. Moreover, just as in Wanamaker’s day, marketers are unable to determine which 1/3 of display ads are ineffective.

How Display Drives Paid Search

Despite a lack of metrics to measure the effectiveness of display, it has been shown that display ads drive Internet searches, and adding a paid search component to a display campaign can boost results.

Specifically, a recent study conducted by search engine marketing firm iProspect found that:

  • 31% of people who see a display ad click on the ad itself
  • 27% of people who see a display ad perform a related search

These two statistics tell us a lot about the relationship between display and search: not only does display drive online searching behavior, but the number of Internet users who click on a display ad is nearly equal to the number who performs a related search instead. While display generates brand awareness, and in some cases drives traffic, adding a paid search component to a display campaign helps a brand capitalize on generated demand and ensures momentum is not lost if the user decides to perform a search rather than click on the ad.

The Risk Of Running A Display Campaign Without Paid Search

While the benefits of integrating paid search and display are apparent, there are some marketers who may opt to run a display campaign alone. Assuming the campaign is compelling, running display without a search component will lead to demand creation and drive Internet searches. But what will happen once these searches are performed?

Without paid search to back up a display campaign, one may very well be creating demand for a competitor. If a PPC ad doesn’t show up in the sponsored listings when a user performs a display-driven search, competitor advertisements will.

While driving traffic to a competitor’s website is not something any brand sets out to do, running display without a paid search component may achieve just that!

The Big Picture

By now it should be clear paid search is a vital complement to any display campaign, but looking at the bigger and less immediate picture gives us even more reason to combine the two tactics.

A paid search presence ensures Internet users exposed to your brand find you when it counts

A paid search presence ensures Internet users exposed to your brand find you when it counts

The iProspect study mentioned above also found:

  • Almost four in ten Internet users (38%) perform a search on the brand featured in a display ad rather than immediately upon viewing the ad
  • 14% of Internet users who perform a display-driven search down the line visit the brand’s website and convert

    • What does this tell us? The results of any marketing campaign are not always immediate and advertisements do not always lead to a direct action. Display advertising is no different. In turn, integrating paid search into a display campaign will help capitalize on actions taken by users exposed to your brand in the past.

    In the end, adding a paid search component to a display campaign improves one’s chance of converting Internet users into customers and decreases the chance that spend on display (or any media, for that matter) will put money in the pockets of competitors.

    We hope this article helps you understand how display advertising and paid search work together. If you have any comments or questions, or would like more information on search engine marketing, please contact sales@wpromote.com.

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    Posted in Business, Marketing, Online Advertising | 10 Comments »

    4 Ways to Get More Out Of Your Online Marketing This Holiday Season

    Monday, October 19th, 2009

    The fourth quarter (Q4) represents the end of a fiscal year and marks the entrance of the holiday season. Traditionally, this is a time when businesses ramp up their marketing efforts, having taken stock of what has been working, what needs improvement, and what they can do that they still haven’t. In addition to doing a big, end-of-year push, Q4 is also a time to appeal to holiday shoppers by fine-tuning your marketing message.

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    Send a creative e-Card or video you produce yourself – and ask for feedback

    We realize most holiday and Q4 plans are already well under way, but there are still some things you can do that don’t require long-term planning and are more than likely to yield results! Without further ado, let’s look at four ways to optimize your online marketing and get more out of the holiday season.

    1 - Send a Multipurpose Greeting

    Giving client holiday gifts is par for the course in most industries, but before you order a batch of branded coffee mugs or baseball hats, ask yourself: Is this really something I’d like to receive? And do people really need more “stuff?” With the economy and environment being top of mind for many, show you are paying attention. Instead of sending a traditional gift, create a funny or inspirational e-Card or video and send it to your clients via e-mail. Most will appreciate the idea of scaling back, and if you pull this off well, you will stand out. In the greeting, include a link to a survey and encourage clients to participate. Use the survey as you wish: ask clients about their needs or ask for ideas on how to improve. Give clients who respond a 10% discount on their next order, good until January 30th. Not only does this brand your company as savvy and thoughtful, it builds client relationships and drives repeat business!

    #2.jpg

    Look for low-hanging fruit – quick fixes that will improve your site performance

    2 - Do a Mini-Audit On Your Website

    With all the focus on sales goals, new business, and the office holiday party, it is easy to let things like your website fall by the wayside. Although comprehensive audits of your website should be performed on a regular basis, a mini-audit is more simple and can be performed quickly by taking stock of any low-hanging fruit you can seize to improve site performance and conversions. To start, make sure that:

    • Your call to action is ‘above-the-fold,’ aka easily seen without having to scroll down
    • Your headline is compelling, timely, and tells visitors what you want them to do next
    • Your content is readable and uses subheadings and bolding to break copy into chunks

    Addressing these three basic yet important factors takes little time but makes a big difference in how users interact with your site and how many stick around long enough to become customers.

    #3.png
    Adjust your ad copy to incorporate holiday messaging for better results

    3 - Use Holiday Messaging In Your Ads

    We’ve mentioned this before, but it’s so important, we’re going to mention it again. If you are ramping up your PPC budgets and placing a few dazzling banners on high-traffic sites to capitalize on holiday traffic, you are on the right track, but if you don’t incorporate the holidays into your messaging, you are bound to lose some people. People are feeling festive and your messaging should reflect this. For example, if you are selling electronics, simply changing your banner or text ad headline from “Electronics on Sale Now” to “Holiday Electronics Sale” will help draw in customers attuned to the holiday buzz. No matter what you are selling, adjust your messaging to resonate with people in the holiday spirit and this subtle psychological reinforcement will likely boost conversions.

    #4.jpg
    Organizing a charitable fundraiser or giving back in another way feels good

    4 - Give Back

    The holidays are a time for giving, and while the economy is still in recovery mode, doing good never goes out of style. Show you care by selecting a charity or non-profit and organizing an online fundraising drive. Publicize your fundraising drive by writing about it on your blog and in your newsletter and sending out press releases. You can even do a little email outreach to influential bloggers, clients, and partners to see if they will help you spread the word. Once you organize your drive, give new and existing customers an incentive to participate by offering $100 off their next service when they make a donation. Any effort to help others less fortunate feels good and lets people know you care – and in the new age of transparency and social responsibility, caring holds a lot of weight!

    As you can see, these four tips are easy-to-implement, and aside from the discounts you may be giving if you follow tips #1 and 4, they are all relatively free! We hope these tips help you boost your performance this season, and we wish you luck as you gear up for the holidays!

    If you have any questions, or would like more information on online marketing, please email us at sales@wpromote.com.

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    Posted in Business, Marketing, Online Advertising, PPC | 8 Comments »

    I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me

    Monday, October 5th, 2009
    Image courtesy of buzzonlinemedia.com

    Image courtesy of buzzonlinemedia.com

    The FTC has always regulated the advertising industry and the online sector has been on its radar for quite some time. Ethical questions surrounding word-of-mouth and seeding tactics such as blogging, commenting, and tweeting came to the forefront and advertisers got so creative using these tactics it became difficult to discern a genuine online endorsement from a marketing ploy.

    To some who engage in blogging and social media, it seems heavy-handed to further regulate online marketing in the name of protecting the consumer; after all, aren’t consumers subject to the same assault of the senses when encountered with a commercial on television or billboard while driving down the freeway?

    This argument makes some sense until you realize consumers are aware a commercial or billboard is an advertisement, and not the unbridled opinion of a fellow consumer, whereas marketing messages carefully disguised as a blog post, Facebook update, or tweet can be trickier to unearth.

    It’s not always clear endorsements coming from a blogger, friend or peer are not genuine, and when you consider the tremendous power peer recommendations hold over consumer purchase decisions, advertisers and their conduits failing to identify endorsements as ‘paid’ in some way are using deceptive marketing tactics, a practice which has been illegal under FTC guidelines since 1938. While regulating something as nimble as online word-of-mouth is a seemingly insurmountable task, as consumer complaints about online practices mounted it was clear to the FTC something needed to be done.

    To that end, today the FTC announced several revisions to its advertisers’ guide regarding endorsements by bloggers and other word-of-mouth tactics designed to keep marketers playing by the rules. Specifically, the FTC now reserves the right to fine bloggers up to 11k for failing to disclose their relationship to advertisers’ whose product or service they are promoting. Advertisers can also be held liable for bloggers or other agents failing to disclose their relationship before providing an endorsement, although the extent to which advertisers will be held accountable is unclear, and if you are an affiliate marketer, this applies to you, too, so be sure to disclose your relationship to the parent companies you work with or risk some hefty fines.

    But the FTC didn’t stop there. The real kicker involves the the new FTC guidelines regarding testimonials, which are so strict they leave little room for liberal interpretation and put all the focus on cold, hard truth.

    All in all this should not come as a surprise to anyone engaged in social media for marketing purposes. As we’ve said before, transparency is the way to go. Even if you’ve been following best practices, now is a good time to revisit your social media policy, and if you don’t have one, by all means, get started. With the FTC cracking down like this, there is little room for error.

    How do you think this will change online marketing? Is it a big deal, or is regulated transparency par for the course?  And will the FTC’s new rules make regular folks more wary of sharing recommendations with friends? Post your thoughts below.

    Note: This blog post was sponsored by the FTC.

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    Posted in Affiliate Marketing, Business, Internet News, Marketing, Online Advertising, Social Media, Viral Marketing | 5 Comments »

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