Archive for the ‘online advertising’ Category

Improve your click-through rate

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

If you currently run online advertising, it is incredibly important that you are aware of your click through rate (ctr) for a few reasons:

  1. higher ranking for your ad (ctr is a factor in the quality score for ad rank on Google)
  2. lowest possible cost per click (the higher the ctr, the lower the bid can be for that same placement).
  3. more traffic and more sales (no clicks = no conversions)

A click through rate is the percentage of viewers that click on the ad.  The ctr is calculated by dividing the number of impressions with the number of viewers that clicked on the ad.  For example, an ad with 2500 impressions and 45 clicks would have a click through rate of 1.84%.  Here are a few tips to increasing your click through rate:

  1. Don’t use keywords that are too general and broad, i.e. retail
  2. Strategically place your keywords, well performing ads usually have keywords in the headline.
  3. Include specific details in describing your product or service, users will be more likely to click on an ad if it is relevant to their needs.
  4. Use enticing text that will make viewers want to click on your ad, like a promotion.
  5. Include short, hard hitting copy or ask a question.
  6. Create a variety of ads that rotate.
  7. Highlight your unique selling point. What makes you different from your competition?

Although maintaining a high click through rate is important, a high conversion rate is also extremely important. If your ads have a high ctr, with low conversion, revisit your site and see how you can make it more user friendly. Tips on creating a site that converts is soon to come.

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Posted in Google Adwords, Pay Per Click campaign, online advertising | No Comments »

Go viral with an online video campaign

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

From funny beer commercials on YouTube to psa video postings on facebook, viral video marketing, the practice of consumer-to-consumer sharing as a way to distribute a marketing message, is successful through creating unlimited growth potential in the message’s exposure and influence. So how do we create video’s that people want to share?

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when creating your video:

  1. Identify with your audience- tell a story that your target market can relate to- i.e. Heineken’s Men with Talent (over 1.5 million views)
  2. Make content evoke emotion (funny)- i.e. Evian Roller Babies International (over 45 million views)
  3. People like to share good news, like a motivational message or teach viewers how to do something cool-i.e. Nike: The Human Chain (over 400,000 views in a month)
  4. Include a “wow” factor by making it unpredictable- i.e. Toyota’s Swagger Wagon(over 2 million views)
  5. Include an interactive element, like starting a discussion or posting comments
  6. Make it easy for your viewers to share and post

Viral videos are generally created for two main purposes, namely branding and awareness about specific products/services. Unlike traditional media, viral videos are much more cost effective in the long run, due to free distribution through blogs and social media networks such as YouTube and facebook. Along with free distribution, the message has more influence on viewers as they are passed on, or recommended by friends within their network. It is important to note that although the number of views on a video are important, the video must be viral to your target market in order to be effective.

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Posted in Online videos, online advertising | No Comments »