Archives for February 2012

The Must Have Retargeting eBook of 2012

Hey everyone, I have a short but incredibly important post for you tonight! Acquisio has a brand new Retargeting eBook that totally rocks. If you’re like me, retargeting is a huge initiative on your to-do list for 2012. The leverage is really there, it’s the most cost effective way to advertise on display. However, when you’re coming from a search background and your organization does not have a ton of expertise in display, a lot of questions come up quickly. Want to demystify retargeting and get the tips you need for success? Look no further than Acquisio’s eBook. Acquisio’s eBook in a nutshell:

Learn about the market opportunity with some fascinating statistics.
Understand the synergies between search and display, a winning combination.
Learn about the different types of retargeting.
My favorite part: Get four specific and actionable tips to successfully launch your retargeting campaigns.
Check out a neat B2B remarketing case study.

Retargeting is one of the most important online marketing trends of 2012. Whether you are a retargeting pro or brand new to the opportunity, I highly recommend downloading (for FREE) Acquisio’s Retargeting eBook. Once you’re done with their remarketing eBook, I also recommend the other Acquisio eBook’s I’ve reviewed here on PPC Ian:

Building An Attribution Model That Works
Using Remarketing To Drive Increased Display Ad Results (This is Acquisio’s older Retargeting eBook, a great complementary one to their new eBook reviewed in this post.)
Facebook Advertising Tips and Tactics
Choosing A PPC Management Pricing Model
Why Display Matters To Search Marketers

Image in this post © Acquisio

Negotiating a Great Price on SEM Software

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Feb 5 0

Are you in the market for SEM Software? If you’re running a large paid search program, I certainly hope so. SEM Software produces great returns, but it certainly does not come cheap. Today, I’m going to share a few tips that will help you negotiate a super price on your SEM Software.

Tip 1: Compare Prices on SEM Software

Marketing Automation Flow Chart

There’s a lot of different, great SEM Software packages available these days. You can read about a few of them in my post titled, SEM Software – Four Amazing Tools. The beauty of all these options? SEM Software companies are fighting for your business! Audition all of the platforms out there. Make it known that you are doing your homework. Leverage the fact that you are comparing platforms to negotiate prices down.

It’s expensive to build search engine marketing software. That said, it is possible to negotiate prices. Don’t give up and hold your ground. If you’re not a super experienced negotiator, you may even want to include someone from your sales or business development team. They can get a great read on the situation and help you with your negotiations.

Tip 2: Offer Yourself As A Reference

SEM Software companies only make money if they sign up a huge number of clients who spend a large amount of money on paid search. There is no better way to sign up new business than via referral. Tell the SEM Software company that you are willing to be a reference if they offer you and your company a discounted price. Just remember: Once you’re on their platform, make good on your promise. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s a fun way to meet new people in our great industry.

Tip 3: Become An SEM Software Testimonial

This one really ties into the last point. Offer yourself and your company as a potential testimonial for the SEM Software company. SEM Automation companies are always looking for testimonials, case studies, and even video interviews with clients. These help their marketing team drive more new business. Before promising this one, make sure to check with your company’s legal team. Are you authorized to be a testimonial? What are your company’s policies on testimonials? What type of data can you share and what can you not? Testimonials are a win-win, they keep prices down and will even get you some media exposure!

Tip 4: Is a "Lite" Version Available?

These days, SEM Software companies realize that large, enterprise customers have different needs than smaller organizations. Assess your monthly spend and understand if a "Lite" version is available. Many search marketing platforms offer abridged versions (at a cheaper price) that are still incredibly powerful for smaller advertisers.

Best of luck in purchasing your pay per click software and I also recommend reading my SEM Automation Buyer’s Guide Whitepaper for more tips on your big purchase.

Google Local Maps Pushing Down Paid Ads

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Feb 3 6

Check out the screenshot below of the Google search results for the ever competitive query, “auto insurance”. At the top of the right rail, you’ll see a map. If you click the title of the map (“Map for auto insurance”), you get taken to a local results page that includes local brokers. If you’re a local broker, this could be a great way to get more business. However, if you’re a paid search advertiser and show up on the right rail, this means lower CTRs.

The map pushes all ads on the right rail down. At the end of the day, this means it’s more important than ever to show up in the top yellow bar. Otherwise, your ad will get a significantly lower CTRs. Google is supposed to normalize CTRs for position for purposes of quality score, but I wonder if they are factoring in this new map feature. The lower CTRs of right rail advertisers could be a vicious cycle if Google is not taking this new map feature into account.

My advice: Work on your CTRs, landing pages, and overall account structure/efficiency to make sure you show up in that top yellow bar! It’s becoming more important than ever to avoid the right rail, if possible, and show up in the yellow bar.