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Landing Page Conversion ComponentsSo we have a client who has been struggling internally to get their landing page structure launched despite our guidance. The problem is there are dozens of teams and product managers and project managers in the mix and it is very hard to implement an enterprise-wide standard of best practices across the board – never mind a robust A/B or multi-variant testing platform. We are just trying to get the basics implemented. Hi All – just my 2 cents here. Labels: Landing Pages, Paid Search Preparing an RFP for Interactive Media BuyingThis week, I thought I'd deliver a pragmatic column: a sample RFP for online media buying. The idea came to me after a client asked me about my firm's planning process. The discussion centered on the amount of time it takes to do a good plan. The client had been doing its online media buying in-house and to them, it was a quick, simple process of calling the reps, getting the rates, doing the buy, and placing the ads. I politely wondered out loud if that approach to media planning might be the reason the firm's online campaigns could have been doing better and why we were being brought in. I told them that after we utilize all the research tools and processes to create a total universe of opportunities (basically an RFP list), we like to issue RFPs to the properties and give them a fair amount of time to respond. By doing so, we get much more detailed information about placements and, more important, provide media reps more time to come up with something innovative that's more likely to succeed. Click here for the rest of the article and sample Online Media Buying RFP Labels: ClickZ, Online Media eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit – May 5th, San Francisco One of our clients is the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit. This is THE premier event for web and marketing analytics. Attendees can see demos of all the latest web and marketing analytics applications and learn how to better implement fact based decision making and marketing optimization for their organization. This exhibitor and sponsor list is literally an all star roster of companies and experts. For the May 4th, 2008 San Francisco Agenda see: Labels: Events, Overdrive News Is Google’s Universal Search Designed to Improve the Experience of the User or Stockholder?More Relevant Results? Maybe More Google Revenues? Likely As Google continues to roll out expanded universal search listings, it will become increasingly difficult to achieve and maintain a strong natural search presence. The new search results will “incorporate information from a variety of previously separate sources – including videos, images, news, maps, books, and websites – into a single set of results” according to Google. Although Universal Search was rolled out in May, Google will gradually include a higher proportion of its local information, maps, images, video, and news results in the prime natural first page real estate. Although the shift will be gradual, the addition of this content into the natural results means that it will be increasingly difficult to achieve or maintain your coveted first page ranking through traditional natural optimization tactics. Inbound links, metatags, and keyword density will still have their place in making pages pop undoubtedly, but savvy marketers will need to make sure they optimize different types of content as well to ensure continued visibility as the natural results continue to evolve. If maps, videos, images and other non-traditional listings continue to take natural real estate from the standard text listings, it will also be important to develop and optimize this content to at least ensure the opportunity to get the highly desirable above the fold natural real estate. So how will the shift to universal results impact Google? Revenue. PPC will become increasingly important for organizations that are currently ranked in the middle and lower portion of page one on Google for their key SEO terms. Now instead of competing with Wikipedia and more direct competitors within an industry, they are also competing with Google itself for a natural first page ranking. Organizations that typically invest more in natural SEO will begin to shift budgets to the paid side if they see universal results bumping their natural listings down to the second page or beyond for important, high frequency queries. When organizations invest in SEO efforts like keyword-centric content development and link-buying, Google loses out on those marketing dollars, so Universal Search certainly makes sense for Google’s shareholders. The increasing PPC spend from dollars that previously funded SEO, coupled with the increase in the volume of advertisers, means a more highly competitive PPC market, and as a result, click costs will likely increase across the board. Natural SEO and PPC marketers alike will certainly be challenged as Universal Search expands, and the competition for the top paid listings will be amplified. PPC will become an even more crucial marketing tactic as natural rankings become harder to attain. So is Universal Search really all about improving user experience? What do you think will happen to Google’s revenue if CPCs double? $500 a share might still be a good time to buy. Labels: Google, Industry, Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) PPC Marketing and the Customer LifecycleMedia costs for PPC marketing campaigns are on the rise as the volume of advertisers and competition for clicks continues to swell. How can PPC managers cope with increasing costs in conversion-based PPC campaigns? One way to limit the impact of rising click costs is to structure the PPC program within the context of the customer purchasing cycle, or sales funnel. Although there are several iterations of the purchasing cycle, consider these basic stages of the customer purchasing cycle, as outlined in a recent study by Forrester: Reach > Interest > Desire > Convert > Enrich > Retain Prospects enter the funnel at the “reach” phase. The portion that is successfully converted leaves the funnel as customers, or is looped back to continually “enrich” and “retain” depending on the vertical and nature of the product or service- standard Marketing 101. The Forrester study suggests that search frequencies are highest at the initial “reach” phase where potential customers are researching the potential products and solutions in the marketplace. Consumers are actively planning and researching a purchase they have no intention of making at the time. Therefore, it makes sense that conversion volumes and conversion rates are lower for these searches- mostly comprised of broad and expensive, albeit high frequency, “holy grail” terms. Search frequencies also pick up again at the “desire” stage of the purchasing cycle. At this stage, the consumer confirms their previous “reach” phase research and begins to validate their top choices that were previously uncovered. At this point, the searches are much more specific. As a result, the overall search frequencies, advertiser competition, and click-cost for these terms will be much lower. Since the potential customer is closer to the “convert”, or purchasing stage, conversion volume and conversion rates will also be much higher, and cost-per-conversion will be much lower for these queries- which are typically more specific and longer than the searches in the “reach” phase. To be successful, marketers will need to be visible for both the “reach” and “desire” spikes in search frequency; however, the campaigns will need to be structured, monitored, and evaluated differently based on the phases of the purchasing cycle. The evolution of PPC campaign management will involve separating conversion campaigns (lead generation, e-commerce, etc…) from branding campaigns. Typically, broad terms that historically garner solid click volume (and eat up a good portion of the budget), but have a poor conversion rate should be separated out from the more specific, long tail terms. But, being visible for both the broad, early research phase, as well as the specific, research-confirmation stage will be even more crucial to the success of PPC campaigns in the future. Consider the following example:  The broad industry-related terms that are important for product managers and agency clients are usually the most expensive terms from a click perspective, but these terms also often have a poor ROI. Why? In addition to the extremely high cost of these terms (a product of search frequency and competitive factors), the purchasing cycle theories of traditional marketing also apply to online marketing. So why not simply pause the broad non-performing terms? There are a few reasons. First, if you don’t show up in the research phase of the consumer buying cycle, you won’t be on the consumer’s radar when they are perusing the listings that are displayed in their specific “desire” phase searches. As a result, your conversion volume and conversion rates will be lower for specific “desire” phase searches. Second, you will be able to appease product managers or clients that are very concerned with showing up for their broad “holy grail” terms despite the fact that these terms don’t convert with a solid ROI. The juggling act of managing to a low cost per conversion, while being required to generate activity from broad, expensive terms can be facilitated by breaking these terms into two separate campaigns for conversions and branding, and dedicating distinct budgets and evaluation methods to each campaign. Current PPC evaluation methods attribute the conversion to the most recent click, but there is clear evidence that the final PPC click prior to a conversion is often influenced by previous clicks and impressions from PPC campaigns and other online marketing efforts. The concept of click attribution is a hot topic, and even if evaluation methods don’t change, it is important for marketers to consider the value of clicks and impressions that occur prior to the click that results in a conversion. By separating branding and conversion campaigns and dedicating budget to each, a marketer will be better prepared to deal with the inevitable rise in CPCs that will continue to make PPC marketing more challenging. Labels: Paid Search, Sales Funnel, Strategy Superbowl Spots on Agency ComPileI just got this email from Agency ComPile with most of the Super Bowl spots. You will need to sign up for access but when you are in you a) get access to Agency ComPile which is a good thing to have anyway and b) the videos are very high quality. About Agency ComPile Agency ComPile is the most comprehensive, up-to-date and powerful directory of marketing communications agencies on the Web. The searchable directory includes the world’s leading advertising, public relations, direct marketing, interactive, design, sales promotion, yellow pages, recruitment and online media buying agencies. Information that can be found on agencies includes in-depth profiles, work samples and case histories. Email from Agency ComPile: If you haven't had a chance to see last Sunday's Super Bowl commercials, we've got 'em on Agency ComPile! For easy access, just click on the spot below that you want to view. Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light's "Ability to Fly" by DDB Chicago Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light's "Breathe Fire" by DDB Chicago Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light's "Endorsement Ferrell" by DDB Chicago Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light's "Wheel Suck Opener" by DDB Chicago Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light's "Wine and Cheese Party" by DDB Chicago Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser's "Clydesdale Team" by DDB Chicago Bridgestone's "Scream" by The Richards Group Bridgestone's "Unexpected Obstacles" by The Richards Group Careerbuilder.com's "Firefly" by Wieden+Kennedy Careerbuilder.com's "Queen" by Wieden+Kennedy Cars.com's "Stone Circle" by DDB Chicago Cars.com's "Witch Doctor" by DDB Chicago Coca-Cola's "It's Mine" by Wieden+Kennedy Coca-Cola's "Jinx" by Wieden+Kennedy Comcast's "Dinner - Andrea True 'More, More, More'" by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Comcast's "Kitchen - Patty Labelle 'Lady Marmalade'" by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Comcast's "Party - Billy Idol 'Rebel Yell'" by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners eTrade's "Baby Trading 1" by Grey Worldwide New York eTrade's "Baby Trading 2" by Grey Worldwide New York Frito-Lay, Doritos's "Kina Grannis 'Message From Your Heart'" by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Frito-Lay, Doritos's "Mousetrap" by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Gatorade's "Jeter Footsteps" by Element 79 Partners Glaceau, Vitamin Water's "Jockey" by Berlin Cameron United Hewlett-Packard's "Serena Williams" by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Hyundai's "Big Twist" by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Hyundai's "Tomorrow" by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Kraft/Nabisco, Oreo's "DSRL" by Draftfcb Kraft/Nabisco, Planters's "Perfume" by Draftfcb McDonald's USA's "First Step" by DDB Chicago Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)'s "Drug Dealer Testimonial" by Draftfcb T-Mobile's "NBA" by Publicis West Taco Bell's "Fiesta Platter" by Draftfcb The Procter & Gamble Company, Tide's "Interview" by Saatchi & Saatchi Not only are these spots readily available under the credited agency's listing but they are also shown on the Featured Creative section of the new Agency Compile. While you are there, you can see other creative work showcased from the top agencies in the country. Check out the new site coming soon! www.agencycompile.com/new Enjoy! The Agency ComPile Team Labels: Advertising, Industry Monetizing Your Site TrafficSometimes I like to post emails that I send to clients when they ask interesting questions. (Of course I XXXX out their names and contact info. This client is looking into monetizing their site and was seeking some info. Here is what I said: Hi Harry, Hope this finds you well. It seems as if we have some great momentum going right now. I appreciate the time you’ve put in to reviewing our business. The more frequent meetings and analytic reports have been very helpful. I know that XXXXXX and XXXXXX feel the same way. I’m doing some research on a potential project and would appreciate any insight on the following Display Advertising: What are your thoughts about not investing in online (display) advertising until you hit 1M page views per month? Would you say that’s true? H: When you say “investing in online (display)” do you mean setting up an infrastructure to accommodate some kind of advertising on your site? If so 1 million page views per month is plenty and you certainly do not need to be at that level – especially if your visitors represent a targeted high value/high cpm/high cpm audience. What’s usually the minimum amount of traffic (in PVs or unique views) before you can work with a reputable ad network with relevant ads? H: If you do Google AdSence there is no minimum and if your content is attracting a high value audience and ads that have high bids then you can get a lot for a click even with the Google rev share. Some networks will work with anyone, burst requires 10,000 visits per month. However, be careful with ad networks – they have very few B2B or high end advertisers and you don’t want to end up with LowerMyBills.com or Dating Site banners on your site. If you want to monetize your site I would start with Google AdSence – they would have the most pre-sold terms garnering the highest cost per clicks. You can also explore Ad Exchanges that allow you to set the price for your ads and control who advertises there. Start with Right Media: Click Take The Tour: http://www.rightmedia.com/ Determining a starting CPM – any reference material for us? H: Send me the sites that you want to monetize and we can get rate cards from comparable sites. CPMs can range form $1 to $100 depending on how targeted they are. Newsletter and email also command a premium CPM. You can also do site takeover sponsorships which are good for low traffic high-value sites. There is a lot less selling involved to – you just sell them by the day, week or even month. Certainly sites in the XXXXXX space that have the XXXX brand could most likely command a high CPM or CPC. From the companies that you work with where do you see the balance shift between companies with their own inside ad sales group vs. working through a network? H: Typically sites sell as much as they can direct (especially their premium real estate and site takeover sponsorships) and use AdSence and Networks for unsold inventory. Also, there are specialty and freelance reps who can sell just your inventory. That way you get control over who advertises on your site. (I know an independent rep who sells for the American Marketing Association if you want me to connect you with him.) You could also try and bundle your site with other XXXXXX property ad packages. CPC Advertising: What are some appropriate metrics for modeling text ad revenue? For example, what’s an average CPC rate? I would say conservatively .75 but that could be low? H: I think AdSence from Google is the way to go with this as some of the ads can come from very expensive keywords so even with the rev share you may get $.75+ per click. Certainly $.75 to $1.00 is a good average if you are selling direct – if you are part of a network like Google or ValueClick again it is very hard to say – it depends on the value of your audience and traffic volume of your site. Is there anything close to standard ad revenue splits between publisher and ad networks? It is hard to say. Google does not disclose its rev share (see link below) and it all depends on the value of your audience and volume of site traffic. Clearly if you get a lot of traffic and have a high value audience you can command and bigger rev share. https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=32859&topic=8421 Who do you think are the interesting text ad networks (other than Google)? H: You should also think about Intellitxt form Vibrant media – that way you can monetize the actual words with in your copy in addition to standard ad real estate. See info and demo at: http://www.vibrantmedia.com/ Let me know if you need more info. Certainly we could do a more in depth study of what kind of ad revenue you could generate based on factors like audience value, ad unit and placement offerings, CPC vs. CPM and traffic levels. We have consultants we work with that help media properties project ad revenue and create high value advertising products, media kits and rate cards. Labels: Online Media, Strategy Playing the Game With MomBy Harry Gold, The ClickZ Network, Feb 5, 2008 Following up on an earlier column's theme, "Playing the Game," I wanted to cover the other end of the gaming spectrum: the millions who are online and aren't fighting in futuristic battles or driving stock cars through city streets. I'm referring to the moms and grandmas who are engaged in Scrabble and solitaire. I know because my own mother burns through hours and hours flipping through cards in tournaments that have thousands of players. She battles with an equal amount of engagement and zeal as your most avid 17-year-old gamer. After exploring the online gaming industry, I realized there are more branding and advertising opportunities woven into online games than just in-game sponsorships. In a very real, way the program sponsorships, especially for these casual-game tournaments are massive experiential and event marketing programs. People aren't just viewing impressions or clicking on banners; they're truly interacting with the brand, feeling such emotions as fun, competitiveness, excitement, even elation, and they're doing it for hours at a time! Furthermore, these online events have the potential to spill into offline championships to be broadcast on television and Web alike. Read More.... Labels: ClickZ, Online Media Microsoft Offers To Buy Yahoo For $44.6 BillionOk, pretty big news right! Technically I do not predict big changes for online advertisers and search marketers in the short term as I am sure Microsoft will not want to rock the revenue boat. It will be in interesting to see how competition between MSN and Yahoo! plays out though. Microsoft said it had offered to buy Yahoo for $31 per share, which it said represented a 62 percent premium above the company's closing stock price on Nasdaq on Thursday. Microsoft said Yahoo holders would be able to trade each of their shares for $ 31 in cash or 0.9509 of a Microsoft share, pro-rated so that no more than half of the overall purchase price is paid in cash. Pre-market trading Friday sent the stock to: 29.34 +10.16 (52.97%) as of Feb 1 8:36am ET. The deal values Yahoo at 65 times earnings. Currently, it trades at 40 times earnings, according to FactSet Research. Yahoo shares haven't traded at $31 since November. The companies held talks about partnering or merging in late 2006 and early 2007. Those talks included the potential of a merger proposal, but Yahoo told Microsoft in February it wasn't interest in being acquired. On another note Google's shares did not do well in pre-market trading: GOOG: Pre-Market: 526.76 -37.54 (-6.65%) Feb 1 8:51am ET This announcement and yesterday's earnings news from Google really hit them hard: "NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Google reported earnings and sales for the fourth quarter that missed Wall Street estimates, sending the stock tumbling after hours." |
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