Archive for March, 2014
Search Engine Ads May Be Redundant
Mar 31
Are Search Engine Ads Worth the Money You Are Paying?
The money spent on digital advertising continues to rise. Some of that money is being sunk into search engine ads. But are these paid search ads really worth the money? A recent study may surprise you.
Ebay was the medium used to conduct the study. Many businesses now sell their products on popular sites like Ebay, Amazon, and others. The study consisted of having a group of consumers that was exposed to ads from paid searches, and one that had the paid searches turned off. So did sales take a nose dive when consumers didn’t see any paid ads? Shockingly, the answer is no; they sold just as much as ever. The verdict? People will find your items either way. If they want your product, they will click on the link whether it is a paid ad or a free search result.
The issue is that very often, the same company will show up in both the paid and the generic ads for a certain search. Thus, even when the paid ads are turned off, sales do not change. Therefore, the company is paying for a service that isn’t making them any extra money. Why pay for an ad and then also be the top search result?
A second test was performed to ensure that the results were accurate and this experiment too showed the same conclusion. Of course, this study was only conducted within the confines of Ebay, but consider this: Why spend money to rank number one for certain keywords, and then also pay for an ad?
It seems that many people don’t even notice that the paid ads are gone when they are removed. Others just skip straight to the generic ads without paying attention to the paid ads. Whatever the case is, the results clearly show that it isn’t the paid ad that was making companies extra money on Ebay.
Of course, the variable that was left out of the study is this: What if your paid ad was replaced with a competitor’s? Would that affect your sales? Maybe companies are wisely paying for ads just to keep someone else from getting the spot.
| No comments | This entry was posted by EIC Social Media Team on March 31, 2014 at 5:48 pm, and is filed under Branding, Business Tech, Content, Digital Advertising, GPS, Information Tech Law, Internet Research, Legal, Marketing Strategies, Mobile Marketing, Online Advertising, Online Personalization, Online Privacy, Online Sales, Sales, SEO, Smartphones and Apps, Social Media, Startup Research, Tablets and Apps, Technology in Society, Usability. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site. |
Marketing Mobile Apps
Mar 24
Mobile App Marketing 101
Mobile apps are a part of our daily lives. Search any app store and you will find dozens of apps that do whatever you are looking for. The combined app stores hold well over a million different apps. Of course, more than half of those apps have never been updated, left in app store limbo. How can you ensure that your app makes it in a competitive market? Here are some tips for mobile app marketing.
First of all, you need to optimize your app for the app store it will appear in. With many mobile app store users relying on the search feature to find the app they need, your best shot at getting downloads is to appear towards the top of the list. Just like SEO is necessary to draw traffic to a website, app optimization needs to be part of your marketing strategy. The title of your app and the keywords you use to describe it will determine how often it appears in searches. Then, selecting the right icon will get someone to take a closer look.
Many also learn about new apps via social networking. If you promote your app on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and Instagram, you are more likely to find new users. Make the availability of your app known, and when people make inquiries, respond promptly. Then encourage users who enjoy your app to share with others across social media their good experience.
You also need a good description of the app and some screenshots that show why someone should want to download this app. Remember—these screenshots and descriptions are usually all someone has to go on to make a decision about an app unless it has been recommended to them. If your app costs money, consider having a free trial version.
| No comments | This entry was posted by EIC Social Media Team on March 24, 2014 at 5:45 pm, and is filed under Branding, Business Tech, Content, Digital Advertising, GPS, Information Tech Law, Internet Research, Legal, Marketing Strategies, Mobile Marketing, Online Advertising, Online Personalization, Online Privacy, Online Sales, Sales, SEO, Smartphones and Apps, Social Media, Startup Research, Tablets and Apps, Technology in Society, Usability. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site. |
Technology Can Personalize Ads
Mar 17
The Future of Marketing Is Not Far Off From Sci-Fi Movies
In one popular sci-fi film, an automated voice asks Tom Cruise’s character how he liked the clothing he purchased last time he was in the store. The technology involved was a simple retina scan and an automatically looked up order – two technologies that exist today. While this may not be the way companies intend to use the technology, there are certainly many marketing methods available today that would have been considered science fiction just a decade ago.
Consider another example. Your friend Tweets about a great new tablet. Logged into your account with a certain company, you save the item for later. Then you are walking by the company’s store on your way home from work. Suddenly, the item you saved is on your phone and you are being offered a one-time discount if you go in and buy it right now.
Here are some technologies that are making this a very real scenario.
Customer relationship management software can automatically collect data, such as which products a potential consumer has saved for future consideration.
GPS tracking data can be used to provide real time marketing opportunities, such as offering a coupon to someone when they enter or pass a store. Combining these two technologies can allow a company to sweeten the deal with a personalized offer based on products that the consumer has already shown interest in.
Social media also plays a role in marketing. Allowing users to share a product with friends and followers with just the click of a button can help businesses to get a better idea of what their customers are interested in. This, in turn, allows them to customize coupons and other incentives.
As businesses continue to try and personalize ads and engage consumers, technology will allow them to be able to market products in a way that would have been unthinkable just a decade ago.
| No comments | This entry was posted by EIC Social Media Team on March 17, 2014 at 5:43 pm, and is filed under Branding, Business Tech, Content, Digital Advertising, GPS, Information Tech Law, Internet Research, Legal, Marketing Strategies, Mobile Marketing, Online Advertising, Online Personalization, Online Privacy, Online Sales, Sales, SEO, Smartphones and Apps, Social Media, Startup Research, Tablets and Apps, Technology in Society, Usability. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site. |
TV Ad Innovations
Mar 10
Why You may Want to Stick With Standard TV Ads Instead of Innovating
There are all sorts of ways to take your television ads to the next level nowadays. You can engage viewers on a second screen, personalize ad spots, jump on board with social TV, and more. But is this the right way to take your company’s television advertising? Here are a few reasons to keep producing regular ads for TV—at least for now.
The first mistake that companies are making with these types of innovations is that they are trading creativity for a gimmick. The ads that capture people’s attention do so because they either do something we haven’t seen before, or they build on something that we have seen and make it better. Very often, trying to connect an ad to the device in a person’s lap just results in a boring ad being on two screens. Ads that tell a story and reach emotions are going to have a greater impact than ones that just show off your ability to use technology.
Yes, a problem TV ads often face is that when a program goes to commercial, the viewer looks down at their phone or tablet. But is multiscreen marketing really the solution? The fact is that they looked away from the screen for a reason. The right ad should pull them back, not accost them on a different screen. This is especially true since effective marketing methods differ from device to device.
Just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should. Innovations in TV marketing may prove beneficial for your business, but there’s no need to rush it simply to be the first in your industry to engage consumers in a new way. New is only better if it is done right. So focus on good, engaging, creative TV spots while you consider whether making the leap to new TV marketing innovations is right for your company.
| No comments | This entry was posted by EIC Social Media Team on March 10, 2014 at 4:41 pm, and is filed under Branding, Business Tech, Content, Digital Advertising, GPS, Information Tech Law, Internet Research, Legal, Marketing Strategies, Mobile Marketing, Online Advertising, Online Personalization, Online Privacy, Online Sales, Sales, SEO, Smartphones and Apps, Social Media, Startup Research, Tablets and Apps, Technology in Society, Usability. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site. |
Time To Rebrand
Mar 3
Should You Scrap You Brand and Start Over? Some Warning Signs
Rebranding doesn’t work for everyone, but it can have some exceptional benefits. The insanely popular Miley Cyrus took a huge chance in scrapping her already-popular Hannah Montana persona and tossing it away to become a sex symbol. But Maxim voted her the most beautiful woman in the world in 2013, and she’s more popular than ever, so apparently it paid off. Gap, on the other hand, tried to change their logo and company image, only to switch back within the year. So what should you do with your brand? Here are a few things to look for that might tell you whether it’s time for a change.
Every company has to have a target audience. It’s a great dream to have a product or service that appeals strongly and equally to men and women of all cultures, ages, education levels, and economic levels. But it’s only a dream. If your brand doesn’t target a particular audience, then you may need to consider fixing the brand.
A staff that doesn’t believe in or even know what your company stands for is a good sign that you need to rebrand. If your employees don’t get it, your customers certainly won’t. Try polling the staff to see if they know the core values your business stands for or how they feel about the corporate mission statement. That will give you a good indication of whether or not the company branding is working.
Your brand needs to be clear in the message that it send to the public. You need to be consistent across the board, including social media. If consumers don’t see your brand as constant in sending the same message across all of your marketing campaigns, then it may be time to rethink the brand strategy.
It’s also possible for a brand to evolve over time. Perhaps your organization has outgrown its previous image. Don’t be afraid to reinvent the image of your business if it needs to be done.
| No comments | This entry was posted by EIC Social Media Team on March 3, 2014 at 4:38 pm, and is filed under Branding, Business Tech, Content, Digital Advertising, GPS, Information Tech Law, Internet Research, Legal, Marketing Strategies, Mobile Marketing, Online Advertising, Online Personalization, Online Privacy, Online Sales, Sales, SEO, Smartphones and Apps, Social Media, Startup Research, Tablets and Apps, Technology in Society, Usability. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site. |
