Posts Tagged ‘PPC’

Make Them Click – Interactive Advertising

Friday, August 28th, 2009

I’ve been fortunate enough to have spent the past week vacationing in the Outer Banks (OBX) this past week and as I blog in the back seat while my wife drives us through scenic Virginia I am reminded of some tech adverts I saw the past few days.

Most predominately was a retail surf shops main sign out front which read, “TXT coupon to 4231 ( or whatever the number was – can’t remember right now ) for instant savings.”   I would only assume that the store owners would honor the discount for those who are less tech saavy or for those whose carriers don’t provide proper coverage.

The point being to get prospective customers involved. To make them think or wonder. To provoke interaction. I’ve seen this form of response marketing not just in retail but many other venues of commerce. A hockey game posting trivia on the scoreboard or including the audience by asking them to vote on the next song to be played at the break in action.

The general publics percepion is currently very accepting and does not feel these types of communications to be gimmicky.

I never did text to get that coupon. It wouldve been nice. Surf shops in surf towns are always overpriced – I’m no sucker for impulse, in the moment shopping.

The same interactive approach should be well thought out ahead of any new web development project. What type of information do you want to collect from your call to action? A simple, “Complete this form for an instant coupon code worth 15% on your future order” is a sure fire way to secure that important contact information and improve conversion ratios. Static web sites are so 2003. Don’t get caught up in just trying to get online. Visitors won’t look at a static channel very long and they won’t come back.

Where to Spend My Internet Advertising Dollars?

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

Oh yes, Internet Advertising Dollars. The days of magazine and newspaper ads have been surpassed for quite some time now. Many small business owners have been missing out on the advantages of advertising in PPC campaigns as it far outweighs the “cover your eyes and throw a dart” print campaigns of the past decades.

So, where should one budget those sacred marketing dollars?

Some times the most obvious answers are worth repeating. Google AdWords and Yahoo Marketing SM are operation critical to getting targeted traffic. Over 60% of local patrons begin searches online for restaurants, shopping and services. Have you recently looked at hiring a local handyman, carpenter, plumber or painter? Those contractors who have done their homework and have SEM/PPC campaigns in place will grab more then their fair share of the pie.

I’m a big believer in large format print advertising but it can not be a standalone methodology. It’s practical use is one of brand name recognition only. Many new avenues worth exploring are social network campaigns. I have explored some with low to average conversion ratios. I’m not convinced of the success ratios of Facebook advertisements, however the filtered results from LocalSearch prove more positive.

Within PPC campaigns be certain to test several different campaigns and groups within those campaigns along with several different advertising copy within those. pushStar Multimedia offers SEM/PPC management along with keyword/key phrase analytics that can capture new business within this Internet economy. All budgets vary so email or call with questions on the possibilities of results for your companies campaigns.

Todd
pushStar Multimedia

Social Networking Sites Really Do Help

Saturday, July 11th, 2009

Does your company have a facebook page?  well consider getting one.

Pretty simple thing to overlook yet it is an extremely popular avenue for driving specific traffic to your site and consistently as well.  Building a community page takes minutes but the results are unparalleled.

On the topic of traffic – stay local, local, local…  30% of web searches include a city state or zip in them to find local merchants.  If you haven’t integrated zip codes and cities into your keyword/phrase management then you are missing out on Content Match specific traffic.

While twitter will certainly fade due to its inability to generate revenue (sorry – just being realistic), the almighty facebook will remain king.  So go ahead, get yourself a facebook page and get some fans.

Todd
pushStar Multimedia, llc