Advertising Campaigns – print, online, response-focused, measurable
Advertising – both online and offline – continues to be a good source for leads, but only if you use direct response ads.
Brand awareness advertising does not generate leads.
Direct response advertising campaigns also give you the added bonus of being able to measure the performance of your ads and media selections.
You can track your leads by lead source and determine precisely which ads and which media are more effective for you.
Print Advertising
Print advertising has been on the decline for many years since the emergence of the Internet, but it’s still here.
And because publications are smaller and advertisers are fewer, when you do advertise in print, you get more exposure than ever before.
Of course, you should never advertise in print just because it feels right. You should advertise only if it is proven to work for you.
When you create print advertising campaigns, you need to measure your ad responsiveness so you can compare it not only to other offline media, but to online media as well.
If print advertising campaigns make sense for you, consider both ad placement and printed inserts. Printed inserts may cost more, but they are more likely to be seen than an ad that is running on the inside of a publication.
Online Media Options
Most print publications today have websites and online email newsletters that offer advertising. If the print publication is right for you in reaching your target audience, look at all of the other advertising options from the same media properties.
Paid Search Advertising (Google Adwords)
Paid search advertising is a proven advertising vehicle for many businesses of all sizes. Even the smallest company selling to a local community.
Google Adwords is the most established paid search platform (with Bing a distant second) that helps you reach people who are actually searching for companies like yours. Search advertising gives you an edge over traditional advertising where the target audience is not searching, but just happens to see you ad.
Adwords uses a pay-per-click model that charges you only when someone clicks on your ad. Prior to the click, you will get certain positioning on a Google search page based in part on how much you are willing to pay per click. Google also looks at your ad relevance and ad quality to determine positioning.
Keep in mind that clicks are not customers and, in fact, are not even leads. You will need the person who clicks to fill out a form on your website or a landing page before they become a lead. And then only a certain percentage of leads will become customers.
Adwords allows you to connect with prospects based on the keyword phrases they are using when searching. If there is a match in the keyword phrases and your bid is competitive, your 3-line text ad will appear in the advertising section of the search page. The advertising section is in the right column of the page and often in the top 3 slots of the main column.
Online Advertising Networks
Google and other major web operators provide advertising opportunities on large networks of websites, blogs, media sites and other properties.
Through these networks you can reach large audiences or very narrow niche industries or interests.
Social Media Platforms
Paid advertising is also available on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media platforms. This is not to be confused with participation and engagement in social media.
Remarketing
When visitors come to your website and leave without filling out a form, they are often gone for good.
But through Google’s remarketing program, you can continue to send them advertising as they visit other sites on the web. Like AdWords, remarketing is a pay-per-click program.
A remarketing campaign can be set up to run automatically for a specific length of time – to hopefully bring back those prospects for a second visit.
Getting Started
To discuss how we might be able to help you with your advertising campaigns, contact Bob McCarthy at 508-473-8643 or bob@mccarthyandking.com