As you already know, remarketing campaigns are a great way to reach out to people who have visited your site but never followed through with a sale. Most likely you are already aware of your landing page bounce rates and shopping cart abandonment percentages. Hopefully you have a system in place for trying to reach those customers, but are you getting specific enough? You can use PPC and remarketing in a more targeted fashion to gain that potential customer’s attention again in the future. Try presenting a series of different offers to spark that precious interest of your customer. Just following up on their initial conversion may not do the trick.

 

You can also use remarketing to boost your cross-selling opportunities. Use feedback from tracked sales in order to remarket related products to your current customers. This is a great opportunity to build new relationships and strengthen existing ones.

 

It is commonplace for a customer to “shop around” when deciding whether or not to make a purchase. Chances are you have a few worthy competitors out there who are also hoping to make a sale. You should consider using PPC tactics to get the upper hand in this situation. Try bidding on your competitors’ keywords for the opportunity to show potential customers how you stack up. Use your competitors’ keywords in PPC ads to inform potential customers about how you compare. You can use landing pages with facts about you versus the competitor, or you can provide special call-to-action offers. Don’t be afraid to get creative in order to get the sale.

 

PPC is also a great way to reach the target demographic of folks who consider themselves “do it yourself” types. It’s tax season, and let’s say, for example, that you offer comprehensive services for folks looking to file their own taxes. Many people may want to take the cheap, do it yourself route. How can you convince these people that your service is worth it? Try bidding on keywords/phrases that are sure to reach this prospective audience. A phrase like, “How to do your own taxes” is something that is probably all too familiar to them while searching on Google. Try using that exact phrase in a PPC ad as a way to snag their attention and redirect them to your unique landing page. Here you have the opportunity to sell them on a special offer, or list out the pros and cons of doing taxes yourself vs. hiring the help of paid professionals.

 

In addition, you should find ways to combine your specific campaign elements to reach your maximum audience. If you use email marketing in addition to PPC, then find ways for these efforts to work in harmony. While exclusive opt-in email offers can be a great way to offer incentives to those who are already loyal, you may be neglecting new customers. When you blast your offer to your email list, try scheduling a similar offer in PPC ads. This will ensure that you are reaching your current customer base, without leaving out new customer opportunities.

 

Now is the time to be clever about your approach to PPC campaigns. Never hesitate trying new ways to reach customers who have shown interest in the past. Get creative when showing how to compare to your competitors, or when combining campaign elements to increase your sales, and reach new customers.

 

In the past, it was difficult to make changes across a series of platforms in regards to negative keywords. The formats were drastically different, so it took careful thought whenever changes were implemented.

 

Google had the widest variety of options for negative keywords, allowing you to use an unlimited number of keywords and apply keywords at the campaign or ad group level. Microsoft’s adCenter presented a more complicated set of limitations. For example, adCenter only allowed one kilobyte of negative keywords, or the equivalent of about 1024 characters, which could be applied at keyword, ad group or campaign levels.

 

Today AdWords and adCenter are more similar than they were in the past. Both platforms allow you to apply negative keywords at campaign and ad group levels, but only adCenter allows negative application at the keyword level. Keep in mind, that if you choose to apply negatives at the keyword level in adCenter you will still be subject to the 1024 character limitation. It is speculated that the negatives at the keyword level may be discontinued in the future.

 

In AdWords you can apply all match types to negative keywords, while adCenter only allows negative match types on the phrase level. Because of this, you will have to be very careful about adding plurals, misspellings and synonyms of the words that you would like to exclude in adCenter. For this reason you also have to be careful to add all specific word orders that you want to exclude.

 

Another thing to be aware of is how adCenter ignores conjunctions and prepositions (words like about, what, on, or, with, of, etc.) when used within keywords. Knowing this, remember that you can choose to exclude prepositional phrases within AdWords, but this cannot be applied the same way in adCenter.

 

Finally, the hierarchical application of negative keywords differs in Google AdWords and Microsoft adCenter. In Adwords, campaign and ad group negatives work in a cumulative fashion, meaning they work in tandem. For example, if you have 25 keywords on a campaign level, and 35 on an ad group level, then there are a total of 60 keywords being effectively excluded for that ad group. They work together so that all keywords cover on the ad group level.

 

As for adCenter, negative keywords are considered to be “cascading,” meaning that the negative keywords will only apply at the lowest level where these keywords exist. This can be at campaign, ad group or keyword level, depending on which of these is the lowest level where keywords have been applied. For example, if you apply 25 keywords at a campaign level, and another 25 at keyword level, your campaign level keywords will be ignored, since the coverage has “cascaded” down to keyword level. You need to be careful to recognize the hierarchical difference in platforms because if you used the same negative keyword application in both AdWords and adCenter, it is likely that your click-thru rates would suffer. This would happen because the negative keywords would be handled differently, and possibly less accurately, in adCenter.

 

The most important thing to remember when managing your PPC campaigns across different platforms is to stay current. Make sure that you stay on top of any changes that may be applied to the rules in AdWords and adCenter. Keep your campaigns up to speed so changes can be made across platforms seamlessly. Using negative keywords across PPC platforms is possible; it just takes a little extra planning and monitoring on your end. The end result of your efforts is hopefully a large number of conversions and healthy click-thru rates.

 

Perhaps the most important question you should be asking yourself now is whether you should invest your digital advertising dollars into display or search advertising. Both have proved efficient in properly executed campaigns. What it comes down to should depend on how you want to snag the attention of your audience. Some advertisers may find it is most effective to use both search and display advertising simultaneously, while others may opt to try them independently.

 

Recent reports on industry trends point to search advertising as being the main contender in this realm of advertising. Paid search revenue increased from 15 to 18 percent between 2010 and 2011, and up to an astonishing 28 percent during the third quarter of 2011. Though these numbers are significant, agency professionals at Forrester Research say that display advertising is also on the grow, with numbers projected to triple by 2016, and search numbers only doubling in that time.

 

There are many deciding factors that you should keep in mind when deciding where to invest your dollars. For one, you should consider how an average consumer spends their time online. For most consumers, approximately 96 percent of their time spent online is devoted to browsing content related web sites, while the remaining four percent is time spent using search engines. This information definitely shows the exposure that display advertising can offer.

 

On the other hand, the Pew Internet Study shows that 92 percent of people use the Internet for access to search engines, while less than 80 percent use it to get their news or engage in social networking. In this respect, both display advertising and search advertising have value to offer.

 

The advertiser should be mindful of how an ad’s appearance can affect performance. The nature of display advertising provides the opportunity for a variety of visuals and animation, while search advertising is relatively static and comprised of only text and links. If you have a flashy advertising message that you want to broadcast, perhaps display advertising will work well for you. However, if you have a very specific target demographic that you are trying to reach with keywords or phrases, search might give you the better advantage.

 

There’s no denying that search advertising is at the top of its game. ComScore reported that Americans were responsible for 19.5 billion search queries in September of 2011. As more of these queries are sent into cyberspace everyday, search advertising gets the first chance at capturing the attention of the user, and this can happen in a highly targeted manner. In a lot of ways, search advertising is a means to an end and many times it supplies a consumer with exactly the things for which they are looking.

 

For now, there’s not really a clear “winner” in the battle between search and display advertising. Both are important pieces of any marketing campaign, and can be tailored to meet your needs. You may want to consider trying both approaches to see what resonates better with your audience.

 

Only time will tell whether display advertising will grow at the rapid pace it is expected to, but in the meantime it is becoming more specialized and can be a great addition to any campaign. Of course, search is highly reliable and has the data chops to back it up.

 

Get 2012 off to the right start by researching your options and finding the best way to utilize your search or display campaigns. If you’re feeling brave, try both. If nothing else, it will give you valuable insights about your target audience, and in time you might find that one of these options has the appeal your campaign needed all along.

 

 

 

 

Those numbers should be an inspiration for you to try to generate new business. In addition to reaching new customers, combining your current advertising strategy with mobile video can help keep your current customers interested. Launching your campaign across a series of platforms, especially mobile ones like smartphones and tablets, has been proven to improve brand recall amongst consumers. Reaching your entire audience with a TV spot is a thing of the past, so it is time to get hip and create some synergy with the help of some other popular mobile sites.

 

YouTube mobile is user-friendly, and gives you a great opportunity to reach a vast audience. One approach to take is to make your ad a promoted video on the mobile homepage. These “promoted videos” can be seen near the top of the video search results on their mobile page.
 

One great thing about promoted ads is that they work on a pay-per-view basis. You will only be charged when a user watches your video. These promoted videos work through an auction-based campaign and you can manage them directly through your Google AdWords account, creating a more seamless process for the advertiser. We encourage you to create separate mobile campaigns in AdWords in order to track and target your video ads more efficiently.
 

Promoted videos are considered to be part of a “TrueView” ad format, meaning you only pay when a potential customer watches at least 30 seconds of your video. In a short while, this format is going to be split into two versions – “TrueView in-search” ads, which are ads that compete in auctions exclusively on the YouTube site and “TrueView in-display” ads, meaning that universe is extended across YouTube as well as the entire Google Display Network.
 

YouTube automatically compiles your views from both desktop and mobile devices, so you will be able to have a running count of how often your ad is being clicked. High click counts will ultimately benefit the “brand channel” that you create on the site. Brand channels boost your online presence, plus you have the ability to outfit your channel with your brand specific messaging and imagery.
 

Another way to spread your message using YouTube Mobile is by investing in YouTube “in-stream” ads or, the 15-second pre-roll ads that run before searchable content on the site. Basically, the audience has to watch your ad in order to get to the content that they are seeking. You can optimize your ads to reach your designated audience based on factors like location and the type of content for which they are looking. The “in-stream” ads are priced on a CPM basis, and you will need to speak with a Google Sales Representative in order to arrange an account.
 

Finally, if you’re looking for a big boost in impressions, you can purchase a YouTube mobile roadblock. These roadblocks give your brand 100% share of voice on YouTube Mobile for an entire day. The format is a mobile banner ad on the home, browse, and search pages of m.youtube.com, and it is available across all mobile devices. Multiple users have tried this approach, and Nielson Mobile data has shown this strategy to increase incremental impressions by 17% for advertisers who opt-in. Additional documentation provided by YouTube can be found here.
 

Now is a great time to take advantage of mobile opportunities that other popular sites are offering. YouTube and Google AdWords have created a great environment to advertise using online video. The addition of mobile makes this even more powerful. Try incorporating mobile video into your campaign to boost brand recognition and recall, and watch your conversions skyrocket as you continue to engage the audience on the go.

 

If you have a smartphone, you should be very familiar with QR codes. A QR code (short for Quick Response code) is a square shaped pattern that can be scanned and interpreted by an app to reveal a special message. The QR codes can store a multitude of data from websites and photos, to phone numbers and more. This technology is fairly new to the US, but QR code usage was up more than 4,500 percent from the previous year. A company that monitors QR code usage called ScanLife reported that nearly 60 percent of the 20 million codes scanned this year were coming from America.

 

With statistics like those, it’s obvious that there is a huge advertising opportunity out there for you. There are several things to keep in mind when launching a Mobile Barcode campaign. First, the code should support a clear business goal such as creating new leads, increasing traffic or keeping current customers interested. The codes should also generate value for the user. Whether it’s a time saver or a money saver, the user should be able to quantify the value of using a mobile barcode.

 

You should never assume that your customers know how to use the codes, so always be sure to provide instructions and direct people where to find the appropriate apps. It’s also important to ensure that these codes are functional across a series of mobile devices. For example, the size should be big enough to be read by older smartphones. Testing is necessary to ensure that your mobile barcode is working correctly, and serving a goal.

 

Use your QR Code as a means to acquire conversions. Once you craft a thoughtful call-to-action, you can sit back and watch the customers come rolling in. By launching a mobile barcode campaign you are giving yourself an extra opportunity to reach people on the go. This is what makes these kinds of campaigns so unique.

 

There are multitudes of ways that you can use these codes to improve your conversion rates. In order to increase sales, include a QR Code on your website and link to a map to your place of business for easy directions. You can also use them to promote coupons and discounts.

 

You should also consider including QR codes with offers for customers to complete surveys. If you are seeking customer feedback, you often have to provide those people with an incentive, and you also need to make it easy for them. QR codes can log information quickly and bring them to a hyperlink extending special offers. You can use a similar approach in order to seek reviews on Google Places. In turn, those reviews can ultimately affect your conversion rates and ad ranks.

 

Another popular approach to take is adding a QR code to guide customers to product installation and help videos. This can help decrease the influx of calls, while still providing support for your customers.

 

QR codes play a huge role in increasing social network presence and ultimately brand/product awareness. Try using in-store QR displays that direct customers to your Facebook Fan page. These codes can appear anywhere from a stand-up display to a product catalog. Having that ready and available on-site will increase engagement in your online channels, while also promoting general awareness. You can also provide codes for people to check-in on Foursquare, another social networking site that allows people to share places or businesses that they have visited. These “check-ins” increase awareness of the businesses, and encourage friends to visit as well.

 

As QR codes become even more popular in America, you should consider using them on general advertisements to promote special offers, on Billboards to drive traffic to your business, on mail pieces to increase your leads, and on sales receipts to encourage customers to place future orders; that’s just the beginning. The easier you can make it for your customers to reach out to you, the more your business will succeed. You are reaching your customers while they are on the go and through their mobile devices. QR codes create a unique opportunity for you to reach consumers on that personal level. Now is the time to take advantage of this advanced technology to improve your business.