Monday 8 February 2010

Online Advertising Tip - The best online ads

If you're involved in an online marketing campaign and online ads are part of it then here's what you need to know.

1. Online ads give terrible click-thru rates 0.1% on average(And they're still falling) Some ads get about 0.04% and less.
2. MPU's (Mid page units - or the big square ads that appear in the middle of the page, normally video or animations) traditionally give the best click-thru's.
3. Don't purchase R.O.S. (Run of site) unless you're just wanting branding.
4. As with all marketing, research where you're target market is hanging out, online and make suer your ads appear there.
5. And always speak to the user, use the YOU word and keep your message BOLD and simple.
6. Networks will try and baffle you with science and numbers, if you get 1,000,000 impressions, then that's only a click-thru of around 1,000 people @ 0.1%.
7. Roadblocking (Taking over an entire pages worth of advertising space, so you're the only advertiser) tends to give the best results.

I'll post another few online marketing tips shortly.

Friday 5 February 2010

A great tip for launching any website


I'm still working on the PlayTalkRead campaign for the Scottish Government. I found out that it's their best launch ever with some astonishing results. By using sound SEO techniques, getting solid links, and utilising an e-mail contact strategy we were able to burst the bubble in terms of previous metrics.

We got results that commercial websites would have been proud off, including an astonishing conversion rate.

All of which I'm immensely proud to be a part of. But the bit I'm most proud of is the content on the site that the team put together. At the end of the day you can have all the marketing you want, you can optimise the user journeys to the nth degree and you can refine and tweak to your hearts content. BUT. If you don't have great content on an information based website like this, Google and more importantly USERS won't care a jot.

So, make sure you deliver the content the user expects from your site. And don't settle for second best.

Wednesday 3 February 2010

Got a goal for your website traffic? Here's a tip.


There are literally millions of websites out there who market themselves very well, through a combination of TV, online ads, Paid Search and affiliates. Then forget about the user once they've arrived on the website.

Poor user journeys cost these companies millions.

Here's a tip. Keep the main thing the main thing. Decide on the number one thing you want the user to do at each stage of the journey and on that page make it the main thing.

Here's the very best example I've seen recently.

http://www.webuyanyhouse.org

Tuesday 2 February 2010

How to make the best Pay Per Click advert.

I'm often asked about Pay Per Click and what's the best way to create an ad for this medium.

Here's some very simple Pay Per Click tips.

1. Always test and measure.
2. Match your TITLE to the key-phrase.
3. Include the key-phrase at least once in the description.
4. Try to include the key-phrase in the display url.

and most importantly....

5. Make sure the landing page you're sending the user to is relevant and optimised for the key-phrase you're targeting.

Get started with Pay-Per-Click.

Monday 1 February 2010

Salesman's missed opportunity.- a quick sales tip.

A wee tip for those who are in sales or who have a sales team.

Recently my mobile phone contract was coming to an end. I literally spent hours deciding what phone to get next. After drawing up a list of features that I wanted and then listed them in priority order, I trawled forums, blogs, review sites for the two phones I'd narrowed it down to.

The iPhone 3GS and the HTC Hero.

I won't go into the where's and how's I came to the decision, but I plonked for the HTC. (I probably would not be disappointed either way as they're both excellent phones for the uses I needed them for.)

I decided that since I'd be tied down to a contract it'd be worth my while heading off to the local shopping mall to have a hands on test of each.

I went into Phones4U as I'm aware they're network neutral and was met with a very young, very enthusiastic sales assistant. Now this chappie had obviously been on every training course Phones4U could throw at him. He asked all the right questions and he made all the right noises.

Unfortunately, he made one mistake, which led me to leaving the shop and finding another place to make my purchase.

He didn't listen to me.

He was concentrating so much on what HE had to say, he didn't hear what I had to say and what *I* needed.

Consequently, I didn't believe that he had MY best interests at heart.

Ask yourself this question.

When was the last time you put the client first and put their needs ahead of your wish to get out what you wanted to say? When was the last time YOUR sales team listened to your clients...?

That applies online too. Does your message SHOUT about your achievements but fail to ask the client what they need?

Craig D Dunn
Scotland's No1 Online Digital Marketing Man