A common misconception exists that pay-per-click PPC advertising costs significantly more than search engine optimization (SEO). But that need not be the case if you implement low cost PPC advertising techniques. As opposed to SEO, which requires long-term and sustained efforts, the impact of PPC is immediate, but you will also need to shoulder the cost up-front. There’s no need to bust your budget, however, if you follow a few simple tips:
If you have no experience in PPC marketing, it might be best to hire an agency. Look at the agency's pricing models, reviews, and the competence of its staff prior to hiring. These considerations usually dictate the amount the PPC companies charge.
Do it yourself if you have a very tight budget. A number of PPC tools are available for free these days. It has never been easier to start your own PPC advertising campaign. If you choose this option, be prepared to invest a substantial amount of time in learning.
Choose localized advertising. If you choose a certain geographic target where your ads will be displayed, it stretches the value of every dollar. You will be advertising to a highly targeted market rather than a random searcher who happens to type your keywords.
Many companies delude themselves into thinking they are getting “good value” from their current Internet advertising initiatives. But is that really the case? There are many things to look into – the most basic of which is the conversion rate. The conversion is not only translated into actual revenue, but it actually depends on the goal of the website. For example, conversion can come in the form of leads, subscriptions, sales, and even referrals.
Internet advertising is also linked to pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. There are three main players in this industry including Google Adwords, Microsoft Ad Center, and Yahoo! Search Marketing. Let’s look deeper into these options below:
Google Adwords – The value of your money depends on the “quality score” of your ad groupings. Since Google is the most dominant search engine among English-speaking countries, ads can gain maximum exposure through this medium. But take note that popular keywords here can cost heaps so choose carefully.
Microsoft Ad Center – This site gets a decent amount of users. Because there is less competition, you can get more targeted clicks from your Internet advertising campaign here. The interface has limited features, but overall, it provides good value for your money.
Yahoo! Search Marketing – Although Yahoo! certainly doesn’t get as much traffic as Google, Internet advertising here can still contribute to your bottom line. The tool provides in-depth keyword reports, but the minimum bid is quite high. Conduct thorough testing first before going full blast with your campaign.
It's a fact: A lot of companies underestimate their customers. And the result? Cheesy online advertising. This result is problematic for both parties. On the part of the advertiser, it is a waste of resources while consumers can only roll their eyes in frustration, thinking, “Not another cheesy ad!” Therefore, some reasonable assumptions must be made to advertise effectively on the Internet.
For example, recognize that Internet users are barraged by ads on a moment-by-moment basis. From the time they start using search engines up to the time they’re posting on forums, online advertising campaigns are visible everywhere. Stand out from the crowd by avoiding cheesy advertising. Below are some top tips to consider:
Understand that You May Be Interrupting– Depending on the medium used, it’s important to remember that you may be interrupting readers and consumers. Advertising on Google may not be too intrusive, but it is another matter if you’re posting ads on social media sites and in emails. Always give value to readers in these cases.
Compelling Ad Copy– Whether you’re engaged in direct marketing or pay-per-click advertising, there’s no substitute for good written copy. It can determine whether reader interest may result in conversion (subscription, referral, and even purchases).
Avoid Banner Blindness– If you’re using banner ads for online advertising, it may be a good idea to swap ads regularly. Aside from being a good testing ground to determine what works (in terms of colors, designs, etc), ad changes will also keep readers from getting bored. They will become “blind” to your product if they see the same ads for it all the time.
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How effective are you on the World Wide Web? Are you getting a maximum return on investment? If you think there is room for improvement, take action today. It is important to measure your advertising campaigns' effectiveness. That's the only way to find out if you’re really getting value for your money.
To measure effectiveness, the first question to ask is, "What is the goal of my website?" Most websites have one of the following goals: generate leads, improve sales, provide information, and improve brand recall. Once you have goals in place, it is easier to measure how effective you are in meeting those goals.
Some general ways exist to track the effectiveness of your Internet advertising campaigns. For example, by simply comparing the pre-advertising and post-advertising traffic, you will get an overview of the campaign's results. Aside from comparing the site traffic numbers, look into your sales figures as well.
If you're into pay-per-click advertising (PPC), some factors you need to measure include the click-through rate, relevance of your ads, and return on investment. These statistics are easy to see on the control panel of your PPC account. In Google Adwords, for example, detailed metrics can be viewed.
The importance of measuring Internet advertising effectiveness cannot be denied. The only question is: How in-depth do you want to go in your analysis? Whatever you decide, many tools are available to help.
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Without a doubt, the current economic environment requires businesses to be more careful with and more demanding of their marketing budgets than ever before. If you want your company to survive and prosper, you must maximize your business marketing return-on-investment. So how do you calculate your business marketing ROI? What factors are the most important?
Most forms of advertising and lead generation are invested in terms of how many pieces or leads you receive for your money. For direct mail, it is how many pieces you send out; for pay-per-click, it is the number of prospects that click through to your site, and for Internet leads, it is how many actual leads you receive. When calculating expected business marketing ROI from an advertising campaign, it is important to recognize the difference between leads and revenues. It really does not matter how many leads or calls you get on your toll free numbers if none of them are converting into actual customers. In fact, too many contacts not following through will actually begin to cost you more money. While most lead generation companies will shy away from giving you any hard figures on what you can expect in actual closing ratios, the prospective close ratio is still the most important figure when calculating business marketing ROI. However, smart marketing companies and lead generators, who offer direct marketing like direct mail and use toll free numbers for tracking, should be able to show you real numbers from what similar campaigns have generated in actual prospects and incoming calls. These historic results help close the gap between your marketing pieces and actual business marketing ROI, but in the end, it still comes down to your staff to ensure conversion.
When calculating business marketing ROI, what you really need to look at is cost-per-action. In other words, what is it really costing for each new client and each dollar in revenues? Compare these numbers to your other advertising options; then strive to achieve the lowest cost-per-action possible and hone your campaigns to maximize business marketing ROI. This strategy includes doing a better job of targeting your ideal customers and improving the conversion capability of your phone staff or website.
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Many savvy business owners have found that their unused domain names need not present a wasted expense. On the contrary, a perfect opportunity exists for you to monetize your unused domain names: domain parking. If you’re an active Internet user, it is highly likely that you’ve stumbled upon a parked page before even though you might not have known what it was called. Basically, it is a page that is filled with pay-per-click links. The domain isn’t being used for any particular purpose yet.
Once you have acquired your new 800 number, you will want to get the word out and make your number available so it can start working for you. You will want all the major directories, especially those online, to list your business and your new 800 number. You will also want to make sure your number is not listed for any other businesses by performing reverse look ups as unwanted calls not only can cost you money but tie up your toll free lines and waste labor hours.
Direct marketing companies generate a lot of money from creating fancy ad campaigns for businesses. While that is all well and good, the challenge lies in actually measuring results. How much has your brand awareness increased since the campaign? And did you experience an increase in profitability during the campaign's timeframe? These questions are difficult to answer. In some cases, it takes months to analyze the customer response rates to television, radio, and direct mail advertisements.
