What is:
Contextual. Advertising – the targeting of relevant websites based on the page's content, keywords. • Fully transparent: know exactly where your ads will run on a specific site.
Ad Network – a method of purchasing ads across a select group of sites. Ad networks can be specialized based on demographics and by interest (contextual)
Google is the leader in search. Within Google you can target search results or the content network. A content network allows your ads to run across relevant “partner sites” content vs. Google search you are targeting search engine keyword results.
Placing ads on sites that reach your niche may cost less and deliver qualified traffic to your site. You can get a campaign running for as little as $100 on some specialty websites. Most offer pricing on Pay per Click, Cost Per Thousand or provide retailers with Coupon, Online Sponsorship, and Email Marketing to their database in that coveted niche.
As a former PPC Ad Sales Consultant at Citysearch I can attest to the power of local niche marketing for specific interests. Restaurants, Bars, Nightlife did extremely well on Citysearch which is primarily used by consumers to obtain user reviews, coupons, video, directions and trusted content. Advertisers paid on a CPC to have their enhanced business profiles displayed on Citysearch for keyword and neighborhood searches.
If you are looking for alternatives to search engine traffic or want to be more “engaged” with your prospective customer here's a idea list of sites that offer alternative PPC, banner, email marketing programs and some with local targeting by city:
Local Spa & Beauty Merchants
Spafinder, Spa Week , Pretty City, Citysearch / Spa, SPA-NYC.COM
Travel Business
Travel Zoo, SmarterTravel, AOL Travel , Luxury Link
Medical
Web MD, Health Grades, Good Health Network
Business & Finance Verticals
Marchex PPC Contextual, Business.com, NY Times PPC
Local Living
Yelp, Citysearch ,Superpages, Openlist ( Marchex)
Green Marketing
Sustain Lane Green Ad network, Goodsense
There are plenty of sites to choose from, such as individual sites or ad networks that target diffferent consumer interests.
You know your customer best – what specialty sites and newsletter do they opt-in or use? For a restaurant does your customers use Zagats.com, Menupages or Citysearch to decide on a place to eat? Take their pulse. Then fish in that pond. Sometimes a smaller pond may yield interesting results.
Showing posts with label PPC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PPC. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, November 30, 2009
Proceed Cautiously with Yellow Page Advertising
YP is one of the older versions of advertising and one of the MOST expensive for the small business owner. With so many options at your disposal and today’s economy it does not make sense to put your business under financial stress by making annual commitments.
As an ad sales rep, I have heard too many stories from very nice merchants that feel misled or have been placed in a financial burden trying to honoring a YP contract that has proven unbeneficial to their business. Being sold a “bill of goods” has long been practiced by some ( not all) unsavory sales reps. Its unfortunate to hear stories of businesses that lose their website or forced to pay for bad advertising. Here are a few things to consider before signing on the dotted line.
1 NEVER –especially in 2009’s economy- sign an ANNUAL contract- regardless if what discount is being implied. Major internet players like Google & Yahoo never require you sign a 12month deal…..plans can change, but annual non cancelable YP contracts don’t.
2. AVOID 800 number or call tracking phone numbers provided by YP. A metered phone number is a special number that forwards callers to your real phone number. The phone company then sends you a monthly report on the number of calls you received through the metered line. If you do not renew after 12 months your number expires. People may hold onto older versions of the phone book and will get a disconnect when they try calling (who actually requests YP to send them a new book every year)
3. DON’T PAY FOR ADD-ONS until you actually know it works! Remember you cannot cancel this contract. If you are so inclined to commit 12 months of hard earned money to YP without any guarantees just go for the minimum line listing ( no more than $100/month). That way you will be found in the directory and can assess the calls that come in. That takes me to # 4 & 5
4. ASK- ask everyone how did they got your number- did you see us listed? Train your staff on this as well – and always ask walk-ins. YOU MUST KNOW WHAT IS GENERATING EXPOSURE FOR YOUR BSINESS5. SIZE vs. LOCATION. Bigger is not always better. Your ad sales rep will come in with a discounted ad package with bells &whistles. Will paying for color ink, borders and FP ads make your business more profitable? People searching a service check local first. Thus a small listing – line item even- may be more practical. Recently I needed an exterminator (ASAP) I entered my zipcode + exterminator and started my search from there. I am in Brooklyn…..I needed an exterminator now. I don’t want one from the Bronx when there are three within 15 minutes of me ( even if the Bronx exterminator has a snazzy FP ad). Don’t SPEND money on YP DESIGN ADS……that significant 12 month investment may be better applied to your website design, professional logo, or email software.
If you want alternative PPC traffic there are many good options which I will address in a follow up on Niche PPC. The bottom line takeaway is NEVER EVER commit to a 12 month program without doong some research . Online marketing should be trackable and hopefully transparent ( you know the referral sources) . You should be able to add/cutback or even pause a campaign. 2009 was a very bad year for a lot of businesses. Realize there are many advertising options – some even free- which can provide great value to you business. Do not anchor yourself to a program that may not be right for you
As an ad sales rep, I have heard too many stories from very nice merchants that feel misled or have been placed in a financial burden trying to honoring a YP contract that has proven unbeneficial to their business. Being sold a “bill of goods” has long been practiced by some ( not all) unsavory sales reps. Its unfortunate to hear stories of businesses that lose their website or forced to pay for bad advertising. Here are a few things to consider before signing on the dotted line.
1 NEVER –especially in 2009’s economy- sign an ANNUAL contract- regardless if what discount is being implied. Major internet players like Google & Yahoo never require you sign a 12month deal…..plans can change, but annual non cancelable YP contracts don’t.
2. AVOID 800 number or call tracking phone numbers provided by YP. A metered phone number is a special number that forwards callers to your real phone number. The phone company then sends you a monthly report on the number of calls you received through the metered line. If you do not renew after 12 months your number expires. People may hold onto older versions of the phone book and will get a disconnect when they try calling (who actually requests YP to send them a new book every year)
3. DON’T PAY FOR ADD-ONS until you actually know it works! Remember you cannot cancel this contract. If you are so inclined to commit 12 months of hard earned money to YP without any guarantees just go for the minimum line listing ( no more than $100/month). That way you will be found in the directory and can assess the calls that come in. That takes me to # 4 & 5
4. ASK- ask everyone how did they got your number- did you see us listed? Train your staff on this as well – and always ask walk-ins. YOU MUST KNOW WHAT IS GENERATING EXPOSURE FOR YOUR BSINESS5. SIZE vs. LOCATION. Bigger is not always better. Your ad sales rep will come in with a discounted ad package with bells &whistles. Will paying for color ink, borders and FP ads make your business more profitable? People searching a service check local first. Thus a small listing – line item even- may be more practical. Recently I needed an exterminator (ASAP) I entered my zipcode + exterminator and started my search from there. I am in Brooklyn…..I needed an exterminator now. I don’t want one from the Bronx when there are three within 15 minutes of me ( even if the Bronx exterminator has a snazzy FP ad). Don’t SPEND money on YP DESIGN ADS……that significant 12 month investment may be better applied to your website design, professional logo, or email software.
If you want alternative PPC traffic there are many good options which I will address in a follow up on Niche PPC. The bottom line takeaway is NEVER EVER commit to a 12 month program without doong some research . Online marketing should be trackable and hopefully transparent ( you know the referral sources) . You should be able to add/cutback or even pause a campaign. 2009 was a very bad year for a lot of businesses. Realize there are many advertising options – some even free- which can provide great value to you business. Do not anchor yourself to a program that may not be right for you
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Starting a marketing campaign with- “ I will try it out and see if it works” approach
An interesting article in NY Times asks is Google Adwords is really valuable for all businesses. Got me thinking.....
I have been working with SMB for 15 years on marketing programs and budgets. The two challenges I hear from owners is “how much to budget for advertising” and “Google or PPC doesn’t work”.
PPC marketing can be effective and Google is king, but just because you set up an Adwords account does not mean you will get business. Think of it this way, you sign a lease for a store front, are you guaranteed profitability? Factors such as location, product pricing and variety, staff, competition, can affect the success of your business…..well it’s the same on Google.
Many small business owners with limited PPC/Search Marketing skills opt the go- it alone approach which can be costly. By not understanding keyword targeting, search copy writing and the organic structure of site you may be overlooking or duplicating efforts. The biggest mistake by far is budgeting too little, then improperly managing the campaign and then claiming “Google or PPC doesn’t wok” after your entire marketing budget is eaten away-sometimes in a few days.
Possible pit falls for do-it yourself first-timers:
1.Setting a budget too low . You just don’t generate enough volume for your ad to be productive ( not all clicks convert to customers). Think of a stand alone store front – does every customer that walks by the front door come in and buy? No…you need foot traffic- that’s eyeballs/frequency in the digital word.
2. You have no concept of costs for premium placement. You have no time to manage daily bids. .50 cents to be on Google sounds fantastic! Right in line with your marketing budget ! Dig deeper and you may find out you need to be at $ 1.50-$ 2 + on each keyword bid to see any presence
3. Oops- the Power of Google- Where’s my money? So you stuck with your minimal budget but increased your bids- after all you want to be on page one. But did you set a daily cap? No- well expect that allocated budget to go very fast.
I have managed local PPC accounts at Citysearch, Enhance Interactive and currently for an Ad Network. When I consult with a business I try to give the best advice on starting aggressively, realistically or not at all. I provide budget reccomendations and suggested minimum bids- I do this as I see behind the scenes dozens of paid campaigns and understand the dynamics. I know the ad product(s). I’ve worked with numerous businesses and ad agencies and have learned by their trial and error. But it is the business owners call and 7 out of 10 times I hear “ I’d like to try it out first and see how it works. Then if it works I will add more money”. This is a business plan doomed for failure. Usually 5 days into a PPC campaign I receive a call from the business saying” my budget is almost all gone and its only 5 days”
Moral of the story- research, research and research .When in doubt, don’t plop down money. Hire someone to help you-if only a few hours each month and learn from them as you go along. . Ask what a realistic test budget is. Understand there are other options to Adwords ( improve you site for organic search results, social media, blogs, forums and video). Explore niche PPC or Local Search….companies like Citysearch offer PPC products ideal for the restaurant, nightlife, spa & beauty category. Superpages /Yellow pages .com have PPC . Specialty Ad networks focus on site specific PPC placements by category: Financial.& Business only websites, Travel sites /travel meta- search sites- all offering very targeted PPC placement around specific content, targeting unique audiences/interests
To learn more about setting up a 1st time campaign or how to improve your current efforts feel free to reach out to me via email. Check out the NY Times article- Real-Life Lessons in Using Google AdWords
I have been working with SMB for 15 years on marketing programs and budgets. The two challenges I hear from owners is “how much to budget for advertising” and “Google or PPC doesn’t work”.
PPC marketing can be effective and Google is king, but just because you set up an Adwords account does not mean you will get business. Think of it this way, you sign a lease for a store front, are you guaranteed profitability? Factors such as location, product pricing and variety, staff, competition, can affect the success of your business…..well it’s the same on Google.
Many small business owners with limited PPC/Search Marketing skills opt the go- it alone approach which can be costly. By not understanding keyword targeting, search copy writing and the organic structure of site you may be overlooking or duplicating efforts. The biggest mistake by far is budgeting too little, then improperly managing the campaign and then claiming “Google or PPC doesn’t wok” after your entire marketing budget is eaten away-sometimes in a few days.
Possible pit falls for do-it yourself first-timers:
1.Setting a budget too low . You just don’t generate enough volume for your ad to be productive ( not all clicks convert to customers). Think of a stand alone store front – does every customer that walks by the front door come in and buy? No…you need foot traffic- that’s eyeballs/frequency in the digital word.
2. You have no concept of costs for premium placement. You have no time to manage daily bids. .50 cents to be on Google sounds fantastic! Right in line with your marketing budget ! Dig deeper and you may find out you need to be at $ 1.50-$ 2 + on each keyword bid to see any presence
3. Oops- the Power of Google- Where’s my money? So you stuck with your minimal budget but increased your bids- after all you want to be on page one. But did you set a daily cap? No- well expect that allocated budget to go very fast.
I have managed local PPC accounts at Citysearch, Enhance Interactive and currently for an Ad Network. When I consult with a business I try to give the best advice on starting aggressively, realistically or not at all. I provide budget reccomendations and suggested minimum bids- I do this as I see behind the scenes dozens of paid campaigns and understand the dynamics. I know the ad product(s). I’ve worked with numerous businesses and ad agencies and have learned by their trial and error. But it is the business owners call and 7 out of 10 times I hear “ I’d like to try it out first and see how it works. Then if it works I will add more money”. This is a business plan doomed for failure. Usually 5 days into a PPC campaign I receive a call from the business saying” my budget is almost all gone and its only 5 days”
Moral of the story- research, research and research .When in doubt, don’t plop down money. Hire someone to help you-if only a few hours each month and learn from them as you go along. . Ask what a realistic test budget is. Understand there are other options to Adwords ( improve you site for organic search results, social media, blogs, forums and video). Explore niche PPC or Local Search….companies like Citysearch offer PPC products ideal for the restaurant, nightlife, spa & beauty category. Superpages /Yellow pages .com have PPC . Specialty Ad networks focus on site specific PPC placements by category: Financial.& Business only websites, Travel sites /travel meta- search sites- all offering very targeted PPC placement around specific content, targeting unique audiences/interests
To learn more about setting up a 1st time campaign or how to improve your current efforts feel free to reach out to me via email. Check out the NY Times article- Real-Life Lessons in Using Google AdWords
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