Latest Search Marketing - Paid (PPC) content from Econsultancy

Search engines attract 2.3bn UK visits in January

2012-02-09T10:45:00+00:00

Microsoft and Yahoo sites saw their market share drop by 0.21% and 0.54% year-on-year.

However, thanks to Bing, Microsoft sites retained second place overall with 4.16% of search engine traffic.

Experian Hitwise market research analyst James Murray said search is one of the most crucial elements of online marketing and is clearly an expanding industry.

As search continues to grow marketers need the right tools at their fingertips to understand how they can maximise their search campaigns, to get traffic delivered to their website.”

Yet despite Google’s dominance of search, one of its employees suggested this week that SEO is bad for the internet.

Googler Jon Rockway posted comments to Hacker News stating: “It's a bug that you could rank highly in Google without buying ads, and Google is trying to fix the bug.”

He quickly tried to play down his comments, but it does raise interesting questions about how Google feels about companies trying to manipulate search rankings. You can read the expert view on Rockway’s comments here.

JUMP 2012 London

2012-02-07T15:59:14+00:00

JUMP, now in its third year, is a one-day conference for senior marketers looking to join up on and offline data, technologies, campaigns, agencies and creative. If the last decade was all about figuring out digital, the next is about integrating it, dissolving it into the mix and finding new hybrid strategies that combine on and offline.

JUMP brings together over 1500 digital and offline and marketers who are not just learning to speak the same language, they are their sharing data, insight, strategies and successes.

JUMP is a fast-moving, content-rich symposium packed with exciting new insight from top marketers across every industry wanting to learn about how to join up online and offline.

Photos from JUMP

JUMP is all about more effective marketing across channels...

Using search marketing to improve TV campaign effectiveness
Doubling catalogue sales using insights from web analytics
Driving call centre improvements with web metrics
Generating media coverage via online buzz (and vice versa)
Optimising marketing budgets with the right mix
Leveraging customer insight from all channels
Driving up ROI

See what happened at JUMP

The Digital Ocean: how to market to fishers and swimmers

2012-02-06T13:01:00+00:00

So, fellow marketers, we are all likely beyond the trial and error phase of digital and realize that an intelligent, synchronized and aligned plan is needed to maximize our digital investment.

Start with your prime objective: for example in the B2C world it may be the collection of marketable contacts (via coupon/offer) or for B2B it may be lead generation with a primary call-to-action of a signup for an online trial.

Next, how are you going to connect with the targeted audience? This is where the digital ocean analogy is helpful. The ocean represents all the possible online channels and locations (e.g. search, websites, blogs, social communities, ads, articles, email, text ...) where your audience could be reached.

Now consider whether you are only trying to reach targets who are actively looking for a product/service/offer like yours (fishers), or those who are not actively looking but may respond to a discussion, or an ad, or blog related to their interest (swimmers), or both.

Take a look at the graphic below:

If your audience is fishing, what are some of the digital mechanisms and places they would go to identify, research and evaluate. What is the likely journey they would take to select your product/service/offer?

You need to create the appropriate fishing bait comprising content, search results and outbound campaigns to attain consideration. Your content and tactics will be oriented towards that fishing model as you can see from the (B2B) example.

The tactics used to attract swimmers can be very different, and are more educational rather than promotional in nature. Social media plays a bigger role here, as that is where your target audience 'hangs out' and engages with people/content related to their interest.

Creating or engaging in conversations is an obvious tactic, adding value and opinion without overly promoting. Advertising on social and industry sites is effective, as pinpoint profiling and targeting is usually possible.

Search keywords that you should orient towards can also differ whether your targets are fishing or swimming.

Fishers tend to use more action/competitive oriented search terms aimed at a product or service type (e.g. cheapest airline ticket to London, best performing mutual fund), whereas swimmers are usually more interested in education and discovery related to their topic of interest (e.g. mortgage industry best practices, diabetes discussion groups).

As a next step to work on this concept yourself, try printing and filling in the graphic above which is a worksheet (this one for B2B models) to help you identify locations and search terms based on audience intent.

Once you have these locations and likely search terms identified for SEO planning, determine the 'customer journey' from discovery through education through engagement through selection of your product/service/offer.

In some cases that journey might be short, even immediate (e.g. B2C coupon signup), but for B2Bs that journey may have several steps requiring a combination of fishing and swimming tactics and content made available along that path towards selection.

Bottom line, don't create content or invest in inbound or outbound tactics that are not aligned with both the intention and location of your target audience.

Integrating Search Marketing - Organic (SEO) and Paid Search (PPC) to maximise sales and profit - Dubai

2012-02-05T13:30:54+00:00

It’s now well known that SEO and PPC are the extremely effective methods of driving traffic to a website. Integrating both natural search engine optimisation and PPC search can make a site dominate search engine positions. Being top in search engines can be a powerful and profitable way to build your business and increase your profit if done well.

This training course combines both disciplines of SEO and PPC and shows you how each integrates and supports the other. The training course consists of two distinct but overlapping areas created to show you how to make a high return on investment in organic (SEO) and paid search (PPC).

Search engine marketing is not a mystery; it’s about attracting the right customers at the right time. Completing this training course will equip you with the necessary understanding, technical know-how and insight to build an integrated search engine marketing strategy that will stand up in today’s fiercely competitive online marketing sector.

Throughout the day there will be a series of hands on workshops giving attendees the opportunity to build their knowledge. Links to multiple resources will also be provided to attendees to access after completing this one day training course which will provide a wealth of opportunities and information long after the course has finished.

Internet Statistics Compendium

2012-02-03T17:00:00+00:00

Econsultancy’s Internet Statistics Compendium is a collection of the most recent statistics and market data publicly available on online marketing, e-commerce, the internet and related digital media.

The compendium is available as eight main reports, split across different geographical regions:

Updated monthly, each document is a comprehensive compilation of internet, statistics and online market research with data, facts, charts and figures.The reports have been collated from information available to the public, which we have aggregated together in one place to help you quickly find the internet statistics you need, to help make your pitch or internal report up to date.

There are all sorts of internet statistics which you can slot into your next presentation, report or client pitch.

Those looking for B2B-specific data should consult our B2B Internet Statistics Compendium.

Areas covered in the main compendium include:

10 amazing Google infographics

2012-02-03T10:49:00+00:00

Google's 2011 revenues (via scoop.it)

How big is Google? (via smashing apps)

Google algorithm changes of 2011 (via infographics showcase)

What does it take to get a job at Google? (via Search Engine Land)

Is Google making us e-tards? (via Daily Infographic)

How to search Google more efficiently (via Mashable)

The constantly connected customer (via buzzintechnology)

Google's most expensive keywords (via StateofSearch)

Who's using Google+? (via flowtown)

Intelligence on Google apps (via Cloud Infographic)

Companies boosting digital marketing budgets - new report

2012-02-01T12:09:00+00:00

Econsultancy's Marketing Budgets 2012 Report, published by Econsultancy in association with Experian Marketing Services, shows increasing levels of investment across a range of digital channels and disciplines.

According to the research, based on a survey of more than 500 companies and agencies, more than two-thirds (68%) are increasing their digital budgets for 2012, compared to 45% of companies increasing overall marketing budgets but only 16% saying the same for 'traditional' marketing budgets.

Three-quarters (74%) of companies are investing more in digital marketing technology this year, up from 67% who expressed similar intent a year ago.

The research also shows an encouraging commitment to address the skills gap within many companies, which we have previously described as 'a ticking digital time bomb'. More than half (56%) of companies say they will recruit more people into their digital teams this year, up from 52% a year ago.

Despite this progress, 'lack of staff' is still cited as one of the most significant barriers preventing further investment in digital marketing.

The chart below shows the proportion of companies planning increased investment for specific areas of digital, with more than half of organisations planning to boost budgets in almost every area. (Groupon investors should look away now.)

What best describes your budget plans for the following digital marketing channels or disciplines in 2012?

Commenting on the findings, Mark Zablan, Managing Director, Experian Marketing Services, UK & Ireland, said:

While spend is increasing, it is little surprise that much of the dynamic growth has been in companies trying to understand, interpret and measure customer behaviour within this increasingly complex marketing ecosystem.

The key to success is turning huge quantities of data into insights which show behaviour not only across channels, devices and platforms, but which also span both the online and offline worlds and drive customer engagement.

Marketers are therefore investing in the tools, technology and people to allow them to deliver greater returns on their campaigns and present insight and results back to the business in a meaningful and incisive way.

The report also looks at levels of investment in offline channels such as printed media and direct mail. Television is the only 'traditional' marketing channel where investment is holding steady rather than declining.

The research shows significant investment in mobile, as businesses seek to engage with the vast numbers of people now consuming information on devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Zablan added:

While social networks may dominate media headlines, and are gaining ever-increasing shares of marketing budgets, strong performances by channels such as mobile and TV highlight the vital importance of a multichannel strategy.

Marketing Budgets 2012

2012-02-01T10:10:00+00:00

The Marketing Budgets 2012 Report, published by Econsultancy in association with Experian Marketing Services, looks in detail at how companies are allocating their online and offline marketing budgets in 2012.

The report compares spending trends - and ability to measure ROI - across different 'traditional' and digital channels.

More than 500 companies, mainly from the UK, participated in this research, which took the form of an online survey between December 2011 and January 2012.

The report includes the following sections:

Marketing budgets
Investment in technology and resources
Marketing effectiveness and ROI
Barriers to further investment

We have identified six key trends:

Digital continues to be a key priority for marketers in 2012
Companies are recruiting more staff, but shortage of talent is still preventing them from fully harnessing digital marketing
More companies embrace digital marketing technology, with a focus on measuring and optimising business performance
The big paradox: social media marketing is the fastest-growing channel in terms of investment, but remains the hardest to measure
Television remains one of the most enduring media for brand advertising
Mobile penetration and engagement have reached a tipping point, but ad spend still lag behind

Executive Summary and Highlights
Foreword by Experian Marketing Services
About Econsultancy
About Experian Marketing Services
Methodology and Sample
1. Methodology
2. Respondent profiles
Findings
1. Marketing budgets
  1. Proportion of budget spent on digital
  2. Proportion of revenue derived from digital marketing spend
  3. Plans for overall marketing budget
  4. Increase in overall marketing budget
  5. Plans for digital marketing budget
  6. Increase in digital marketing budget
  7. Plans for traditional (offline) marketing budget
  8. Increase in traditional (offline) marketing budget
  9. Change in budgets for digital marketing channels
  10. Change in budgets for offline marketing channels
2. Investment in technology and resources
  1. Investment in digital marketing team
  2. Plans for digital marketing technology spend
  3. Investment in digital marketing technologies
  4. Investment in mobile channels or technologies
3. Marketing effectiveness and ROI
  1. Understanding of ROI from digital channels
  2. Understanding of ROI from traditional marketing channels
  3. Ability to measure ROI from digital channels
4. Barriers to further investment
Appendix 1: Respondent Profiles
1. Geographic location
2. Job roles
3. Type of companies – supply-side respondents
4. Industry sector
5. B2B / B2C focus
6. Annual company revenue
7. Annual marketing budget
Appendix 2: Marketing Budgets by Region

Brands are finding new budgets for Facebook advertising

2012-01-30T11:25:20+00:00

Last week, eMarketer issued a report saying that online advertising in the US is set to overtake print for the first time in 2012. In the UK, online spend has grown consistently (the IAB reported a whopping 13.5% growth in the first half of 2011).

Our own analysis of 2011 search and social media ad spend makes interesting reading. Search advertising bucks the spending trend every quarter: search spend has increased by 19% over the same period last year in the UK (slightly lower in the US at 14%). The majority of this, of course, is on Google (around 80%).

But the really interesting thing I think is the growth in social media advertising. Although brands are still spending a relatively low proportion of their online advertising budgets on social media (and for social media, read Facebook), at around 2.7% of total online spend, the budgets are growing significantly.

We expect Facebook advertising to make up 5% of total online spend in 2012. And what’s more, the money for Facebook advertising doesn’t appear to be cannibalising other online budgets. Brands are finding separate budgets to fund Facebook campaigns.

Brands are still very focused on Facebook fan acquisition. The bigger brands expect to increase the number of engaged fans by around 9% each month, and to double their fan bases in 2012.

But there is a real shift towards meaningful engagement with those fans, rather than simply collecting numbers: improving engagement strategies and creating campaigns that keep fans coming back to and interacting with the brand’s Facebook page.

Mobile search is also on the up. Around half of us in the UK have a smartphone, which means better mobile internet access, which means more mobile search. (Interesting fact: around 40% of new smartphones sold are iPhones, according to a Comtech report.)

As a result, mobile search now accounts for between 7% and 8% of search spend, an increase of 2.7 times since December 2010. Around 50% of this spend is specifically geared towards tablets. We expect to see this increase to between 16% and 22% of search spend by the end of 2012.

I think ‘this is the year of mobile’ has been a stock phrase for about the last seven years, but if brands are prepared to spend between a fifth and a quarter of their search budgets on it, that’s a pretty good indication that the UK really is going mobile in 2012.

So, in summary:

Search: budgets up by 19%, mostly spent on Google.

Facebook: new budgets being found for the right campaigns, nearly doubling in spend in 2012.

Mobile: more than doubling in 2012, and it’s all about search.

State of Digital Marketing in Australia

2012-01-29T00:00:00+00:00

The State of Digital Marketing in Australia report, published by Econsultancy in association with Marketing Magazine, looks in detail at the current level of spending across different traditional and online marketing channels across Australia.

More than 500 companies participated in this research, which also looks at how companies are measuring marketing effectiveness, examines the barriers to digital marketing and e-commerce in the region, as well as assessing the existing levels of industry skills and knowledge.

The 50-page report includes sections on:

Marketing budgets
Use of marketing channels
Use of marketing technology
Barriers to digital marketing
Barriers to e-commerce
Measuring marketing effectiveness
Industry skills, knowledge and support benchmarking

There are six key findings apparent from this research:

Marketers are shifting their focus towards digital
Established disciplines are being complemented by emerging channels
Barriers to increasing digital activity go beyond the financial
There is a digital skills knowledge gap
Senior managers are failing to lead from the top
Consumer online behaviour is widely underestimated and misinterpreted

Executive summary and highlights
Introduction by Marketing Magazine
About
1. Econsultancy
2. Marketing Magazine
Methodology and sample
1. Methodology
2. Respondent profiles
Findings
1. Budgets
2. Use of marketing channels
3. Outsourcing digital activity
4. Use of technology
5. Measuring marketing effectiveness
6. Return on investment
7. Barriers to digital marketing
  1. Issues affecting digital marketing and e-commerce
  2. Local barriers to increasing digital revenue streams
8. Knowledge, skills and support
Appendix

Download a copy of the report to learn more.

A free sample is available for those who want more detail about what is in the report.