It has been my own experience that apart from being a costly exercise, it most often yields poor results, certainly not worth the herculean effort put into it nor the barrage of angry competitors threatening to sue you , no matter how feeble their claims are. The simple fact is that bidding on competitor brands terms is completely legal and allowed on major search engines, provided you don’t mention your competitor’s brand in your own ad.

However competition is all about options and by not bidding on competitor’s brands some may think that you are taking away the consumer’s right to choose. By positioning your ad next to your competitor you are proving that you are offering the public alternative choices.

Competitor brand bidding would work to the advantage of the start up businesses who place their ads alongside their well established counterparts, thus gaining exposure while riding on the coattails of the bigger brand. However you should note that if you are planning on bidding on competitor terms that your own brand’s website is up to standard and that you offer competitive products otherwise you could do more harm than good to your brand reputation.

Bidding on competitor keywords is a practice to follow with caution, and needs to be evaluated depending on the type of product or service you offer.

Happy Marketing!

[car insurance]          “car insurance quote”          [car insurance quotes]

At the moment only these search queries will show ads for the terms stated above.

Car insurance                        need car insurance quote                car insurance quotes

The changes will allow close variants of the search terms to appear as well like the following:

Car inseurnce                        need car insurance quotes              car insurance quote

From mid May phrase and exact match keywords will match close variants, misspellings, singular and plural forms, stemmings, accents and abbreviations.

Based on Google’s research and testing they believe these new features will greatly benefit users and advertisers.

At least 7% of search queries online contain misspellings and the longer the query the higher the rate.

Even with perfect spelling variations occur between users that are searching for exactly the same product such as “climb Kilimanjaro” and “climbing Kilimanjaro” or “mens hiking shoes” and “men’s hiking shoes”.

Google’s organic search systems detect and compensate for misspellings and close variants.

Google has been testing these new changes with advertisers and the participants have seen positive results.

I believe this will help all advertisers as we spend a lot of time making sure that misspelling of keywords and other close variants are included in our keyword lists.  You will still have an option in advanced settings to use the original setting or make use of the new matching behavior.

Try it out and tell us what your findings are.

Dynamic Search Ads target relevant searches, serving Ads generated directly from your website dynamically.  Google is constantly indexing pages on your site, they have now found a new way to use the freshness of content to reach users. When a search occurs, an Ad is generated with a Headline based on the Search Term & Ad Text based on your most recent/relevant landing page. The Ad competes in the ad auction as normal & is displayed if a winner, searches where the campaign has an eligible targeted Ad the dynamically generated ad will not be entered into the auction.

In this way, Dynamic Search Ads offer increased exposure for your product, clicks & conversions are increased on your Ads without much effort & Ad serving remains relevant as ever without interference to your existing keyword campaigns.

16% of searches which appear on a daily basis Google have never seen before, so though your keyword lists might be quite lengthy & well maintained, user behaviour can be a moving target. Dynamic Search Ads now offer a way of capturing these previously un-targeted users.

Dynamic Search Ads like normal ads offer maximum control of ad serving. Negative’s, location settings, network settings, bids & budgets can still be used to control spending, where & to whom your Ads are shown.

Most advertisers saw 5-10% more clicks & conversions in the testing phase of this innovation, so it should show results for your own.

http://www.google.com/ads/innovations/dynamicsearchads.html

The enhanced ad offers the user more choices, for instance if you are advertising a small business such as the local supermarket, your ad could offer the user alternatives such as vegetables, fruits, canned good etc, making it more targeted and more relevant for the user.

Adding sitelinks to your ads has proven time and time again to lower CTR and thus improve quality score.

An Ad with sitelinks also takes up more of the Google real estate, making it more visible than your competitors’ ads, thus enticing users to click on your ad instead.

Here is an example of what an ad with sitelinks looks like on the Google SERP’s

Previously adding sitelinks meant that users would see a set of four links beneath the main ad, but recently Google unveiled their enhanced sitelinks, that has certainly gotten PPC advertisers excited.

Now instead of merely displaying links beneath your ad, you can now feature all your alternate ads, provided that they are located within the account and are closely related. Another criterion is that the ad is ranked number one on the Google SERP’s.

The enhanced Google sitelinks will look like this:

You can be certain that an ad like this will definitely grab the attention of the user and also allow PPC managers an opportunity to optimize their accounts further.

Google has announced that in testing they found that people reported that the ads containing the enhanced sitelinks performed better than those with the traditional sitelinks.

So if you aren’t already using Google sitelinks, you should get started.

Happy Marketing!

The festive period means shops are selling Christmas trees, stockings, advent calendars and singing Christmas collectibles; all of which signals that the countdown to Christmas has begun.

So what should you be doing now in preparation for a lucrative Christmas?

Here are a few things you can do during this festive season:

The first step is to look at your account’s history:

Analyse your accounts past metrics such as cost per click, impressions and conversion rate in order to plan your strategy effectively. One metric that is pretty useful is the average position of the text ads and the related performance, so you will know more or less how to position your “special ads” to achieve the best results.

Choose relevant keywords and match types:

Ensure that you add festive keywords to your keyword list such as “Christmas gifts, Christmas hampers, Wine for Christmas” etc. Be sure to also include variations and misspellings as well, in this case it would be prudent to include search terms such as “Xmas gifts, Holiday activities, Xmas table decor” etc. You could even further improve relevancy, if for example you sold Christmas trees online, you could include keywords that include a clear call to action, such as “Buy Christmas Trees”. This type of keyword is great for your ROI. Another key point is to be aware of match types, if you are operating on a large advertising spend, a campaign incorporating all match types would be feasible, however if you have a smaller budget, you can try limiting the campaigns to exact and phrase match keywords.

Inject some glitter to your ad text:

This is the time of year where the competition is quite stiff, so in order to grab the user’s attention, you need to have ad text that really jumps off the page. Include call to actions, free offers and special discount prices in the ad text and more importantly include the “Christmas” terms as well.

Landing pages and website:

It’s important to keep the Christmas feel and theme on your landing pages and website, Christmas is a significant time for many people and these little touches can make a big difference in persuading users who have clicked through to convert by making a purchase.

Happy Marketing This Christmas Season!

The Next Step: Online Marketing

Blind Designs realised in 2009 that launching an online marketing strategy could have a magnificent impact on their business. They approached SAbest and we launched their Google Adwords (Pay per Click) Campaign in February 2009. Just 7 days after launching their campaigns, they had 192 visits and 20% of the visits were from Google Adwords and 6.67% from non-paid adverts. 72% were new clients visiting their website through Google.

We initially started only with Pay per Click advertising, but after a successful year of Pay per Click campaigns and remarkable return on investment, Blind Designs launched search engine optimisation on their website in conjunction with their Adwords campaign.

We started their search engine optimisation in February 2009. Within 8 months of optimisation, we managed to get them to the top listing on the first page of organic searches when searching their most competitive keyword: Blinds.
SEO especially, builds complete brand trust and awareness, as people perceive companies that rank on the first page of searches as the market leaders and the most trusted in the industry.
This meant optimum visibility online in all searches.

The Proof Is In The Pudding:

You will notice in the block below the difference in visits from 2009 when they started with Pay per Click right through to 2011 when they also added search engine optimisation to their online marketing plan. This also shows the impact the two products combined have on each other, and on customer trust and brand association.

Visits
Campaigns

PPC:Feb 2009 – Feb 2010: +20%
SEO:Feb 2009 – Feb 2010: +6.67%

PPC: Feb 2010 – Feb 2011: +20.58%
SEO: Feb 2010 – Feb 2011: +21.88%

PPC: Feb 2011 – Aug 2011: 24.37%
SEO: Feb 2011 – Aug 2011: 24.73%

This clearly states the value of doing Pay per Click and Search engine optimisation together. The performance of various keywords, and their conversion rates are closely monitored and adjusted according to the results achieved.
Focused landing pages were created for the Pay per Click campaigns, ensuring higher conversion rates as the captive audience got the information they were looking for immediately, with substantial call to action areas. Their average conversion rates from Feb 2011 – Aug 2011 was 12.07%. Other advertising campaigns expect an average of 1% conversion – and the trackability is minimal.

The Future Of Blind Designs:

Due to their online visibility, Blind Designs maintained a steady growth of 5% annually, even through the recession period.
The brand has become trusted as word of mouth is backed up by online presence – and will always be viewed as one of the market leaders for blinds in South Africa.
One last word from Paul O’ Brien is that Google Adwords should form part of every company’s strategy to some agree.

In this article we are going to have a look at how an online seasonal marketing campaign can help you generate more traffic to your website, gain more customers and then finally how to increase your sales.

With seasonal marketing you need to do the same planning as for any party – birthday party, Xmas party or a New Year’s party. First you need to set a date for when to start your marketing campaign. It is very important to have your December calendar in hand to make sure you start with your seasonal marketing in time! You don’t want to start your campaign after your competitors shops are sold out!

After you’ve decided the date for the birthday party, you should start to look at a theme for the birthday party and what invitations to give out. Now with an online seasonal marketing campaign your “theme and invitations” is your website and social media portals. Have a look at your website. Change the images to holiday images or festive season images like turkeys, presents or a company photo of your staff with Xmas hats on. Remember, images are a great way to draw your audience in and make them want to read more about your seasonal products / propmtions. This is the time to have fun and show your company’s creative side.

As soon as your website is “seasonal friendly” and your planning is up and running, you can start with your online marketing campaign. Firstly you need to do keyword research. It is very important to target the keywords which your market will type in the search box to get to your seasonal product/ promotional. A soon as the client types in the targeted keyword, your Adcopy will appear on the search page. In your ad copy, consider a promotional phrase in your title which will catch the client’s eye. If your campaign is live, don’t just sit back and relax, now you need to optimise and maximise your campaign by optimizing the key phrases and keywords, audit the channels, test contact us forms, test coupon cards, look out for 404 error messages and then make sure that most active pages link to your seasonal promotions.

The sweet taste of success with an online seasonal marketing campaign lies in the conversions! You can track your conversions on Adword and Social Media Marketing. You can see exactly where your client came from and how many convert into a sale!

Then after any party you need to clean up the place. It is very important to change the seasonal images to images relevant to your business and update your content to relevant content. It is very bad for a company’s online reputation if it is the middle of the year and the people still see the old seasonal images on your website!

Happy Marketing!

Two prevalent methods have given you the tools to do just that – get yourself known.

The first of these is similar to an online banner marketing campaign, except you can splash your adverts across many websites at the same time.  This we call Google Display Networks (GDN), and the adverts run across all the sites that have opened themselves up to this kind of marketing.  The beauty of GDN is that it creates awareness before people necessarily know about you and actively go looking for you or your products.

Furthermore, Google almost ‘tracks’ the user’s general application of the web, so if they are on certain websites often, and your advert is relevant to them, it will show to them when they go to other sites.  Kind of eerie, but from a marketing point of view phenomenal!

Having had said that, Display Network allows for a lot of awareness and positioning, but not necessarily a conversion to a sale or direct response.  People often see something, and then go in search of it later, which is why the second method is absolutely vital, we believe.

This second method is Search Engine Marketing.  This is also the most effective way of advertising online, as you have a captive audience that are ready to engage and interact with you.  The quickest way to get your product, brand or service ‘out there’ on Search Engine Marketing is by making use of Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising as it is immediate and guaranteed when managed correctly.  Besides this, Pay Per Click is flexible and can be changed and optimized real-time.

That said, however, to have a complete online visibility and presence, and to ‘dominate’ search engines cost effectively in the long run, is by optimizing your website and website content in such a way that your brand will be on the top of all major search engine listings.  This is called Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).  Search Engine Optimisation is done over a period of time, and thus does not necessarily yield immediate success, but in the long run is the most cost effective way to market yourself online.

Our advice, then, would be to start with GDN en PPC, get results and increase the proverbial bottom line, and then proceed to SEO – and eventual online success!

• Effective Analysis – This is imperative as a first step, as the budget is limited you need to ascertain what you would like to advertise, to who and where. If, for example, you own a farmers market store in Durban, it would be pointless to target South Africa as the campaign will receive unwanted and irrelevant clicks. The key point here is to analyse the goals and objectives thoroughly and develop a streamlined strategy for the campaign.
• Build Appropriate Keyword Lists – This is the most important step in the process. In order to effectively tap into your industry market you need to select the right kind of keywords or more importantly the right match type. In this instance I suggest using exact match and phrase match keywords as they are more targeted and therefore more cost effective. Broad matched keywords are unpredictable and can have quite a high cost per acquisition. Ensure that you group similar keywords together under an ad group, as this will help you achieve a higher quality score. A high quality score means that your ad ranks higher on the Google search results pages but you don’t pay as much as you would have if you had a low Quality score.
• Write Eye Catching Ads – When writing ad copies, be specific and informative. Let the user know exactly what you are offering. Avoid vague statements and claims as this will lead to users clicking on your ad unnecessarily in order to obtain more information. Writing tailored and specific ad copies serves to assist in filtering out the unwanted traffic and making sure that you have a higher chance of converting that click to a lead.

Remember though, PPC is not something you setup once and leave, you need to optimise your campaigns daily. Employ effective bid management, keyword management and overall campaign optimisations to ensure that you get the best results for your budget. What’s also important is that, if the campaign indicates a good ROI and performs well, you may consider increasing your advertising spend to expand your business.

Happy Marketing!

Isn’t that a scary thought?

Today, statistics show that only 20% of marketing and advertising still works in its traditional format.
The market is becoming saturated with similar products, services and solutions.  Our challenge today is no longer just being the most innovative producer, but the most innovative marketer in getting our products to the fingertips of the consumer seeking it, and almost more so, making the person who is yet unaware of it, feel that they need it.  You have to be able to get into your customers’ heads before you can get into their pockets.

How, you ask?
Well, the first few things to be cognizant of, is that people are drowning in the sheer volume of messaging out there, as well as the amount of media formats and choices of media formats in which they receive the messaging. Even products previously perceived as luxuries, today, have become commodities.  Most marketing messages will not stick out above others…
So how do you establish your product as trusted and known, a brand that stands out from the rest , a brand people want to associate with?

We say “It’s simple”:  You can achieve these goals by speaking to your captive audience, in their language, and at their time…  Your message will now not only be well received, but also processed well, and you are able to create the initiation of a trusted relationship between your customer and your brand.

You say “Problem”  With all the different ways to communicate at this time, how do I do that?
We have looked at, and found, one large common denominator in when this perfect time is to interact – and that is online, and specifically while people are searching for products or services like yours.

In South Africa alone, online sales broke the R2bn mark in 2010, with a predicted increase of 40% in 2011.  And this does not include the amount of sales done physically or telephonically relating to or following an online interaction.

And what is more, is that it is all tracked and measured – from the moment someone clicks on your advert, right through to them becoming your customer.  The flexibility of online also means that you can fine-tune your campaigns real-time, ensuring optimum results.

The key, thus, is to get people to know about you before learning about your competitors, and this can be successfully obtained by changing your marketing and advertising strategy to include Online Marketing and Search Engine Marketing – and getting more traffic to and interaction on your website.

Make more than 50% of your advertising work…