Posted by Marty Weintraub on September 6th 2007 in Conversion
Lately we’ve experienced a humbling surge of inquires from potential clients, exceeded only by StumbleUpon traffic to our blog 
. It should be no surprise for any reputable web 2.0 search marketing agency to receive daily cold calls from interested SEM shoppers who have been referred by existing clients, an advertising agency, or simply found one of our websites.
Some callers are curious grazers. Many are experienced marketing professionals carrying cow flop from previous SEM relationships. Some used to be sitting pretty in the organic SERPs but now are the proverbial deer caught in headlights as competition and Universal Search gradually plow them under. 
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Posted in Conversion | 5 Comments »
Posted by Marty Weintraub on July 11th 2007 in Paid Marketing, Conversion
Promises, Promises
Advertisers by nature tend to tune messaging in PPC ads to drive focused traffic from keyword searches closely related to the product being sold. However at times we all take a little liberty and weave harmless hyperbole into ads to help insure a good click through rate (CTR). It’s crucial that promises made with PPC ads are fulfilled, not only in ad copy and on landing pages, but with truths surrounding the reality of the products we’re selling.
Focused traffic that results in conversion is the objective. Misleading site visitors with ad verbiage, even in subtle shades, can hurt landing page conversion because site visitors quickly discover that the ad copy was a setup. There are classic misdirection techniques which drive traffic, not immediately predisposed to a sales pitch, in an attempt to ply visitors towards purchasing a product they might otherwise not have explored.Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Marty Weintraub on June 27th 2007 in Paid Marketing, Conversion
Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing can be extremely effective. Think about it: the reason Google and Yahoo make so darn much money is because they sell ridiculous amounts of advertising, one click at a time. The reason real advertisers (like you) buy PPC in droves is because it can be a win-the-lottery marketing tool if wielded properly. Alternately PPC, for any number of reasons, can be a disappointment or a ramp up money pit to avoid.
As a rule, our agency’s historic conversion rates have been fantastic. Over time “fantastic” became the measure of success for us to the extent that we’re not happy about “good”or even “industry-standard results” for the product we’re selling. That’s a mistake because it leads to over promising clients who then perceive good results as poor.
There is a sane middle ground, neither feast nor famine, where the success of PPC ticks along at an acceptable and sustainable rate in terms of profit. What’s important is to keep PPC conversion expectations realistic in light of the product you’re selling and the cost of selling it in the “physical world” by traditional means.
A utterly fantastic result, albeit possible, should not be the only measure of success. We’ve learned that preparing clients to have realistic expectations is in everyone’s best interest.Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Paid Marketing, Conversion | 8 Comments »
