Google Adwords sent out a newsletter today listing the top 5 myths about using Google to drive consumers and sales for your business.
Myth 1: “Online advertising is not for local businesses.”
Actually, research says 89% of people in the US search online for products and services before they make a purchase - even when the purchase is made at a business in their area1). What most people don’t know is that with Google AdWords you can set your ads to show only to people in your area whether that’s your city, state, or just your zip code.
Myth 2: “If your business is already on Google; advertising on Google can’t help you.”
Sure, your business may already appear in the natural search results on the left side of the page. But test it: Does your website appear on the first page of search results? 2nd? 10th? Does it come up for all possible search terms that your customers may be using when they are looking for what you have to offer? Even if the answer to both questions should be "yes", studies have proven that search advertising can still increase traffic to your site. In fact, appearing both on the right and on the left side of the page at the same time increases the perceived relevance of your website and as a result even increases the number of free clicks you get to your website2).
Myth 3: “Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is better than paid search.”
Google strongly encourages you to optimize your site for search engines by applying webmaster best practices. However, paid search such as Google AdWords has a few key advantages: It is easier and quicker to setup, it offers much more control over when and where your ads appear, and its impact is easier to measure. We recommend that website owners do both apply good SEO practices and advertise online.
Myth 4: “Google AdWords costs too much, I can’t afford it.”
Long time AdWords advertisers consider Google AdWords an investment, not a cost. You only pay per click so there is a direct return on however much or little you spend. How much you spend is entirely up to you. There’s no minimum spend requirement and you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. You can even set a maximum that you are willing to bid per click and you can start and stop your advertising at any time. “With every dollar I spend on AdWords, I make $3 in sales.”– Dakota Routh, Body Renew gyms
Myth 5: “You need to be an expert to get started.”
Actually, getting started is easy - no expertise is required. You don’t need to start out with the perfect set of keywords or ads; after getting started you can see what works and what doesn’t. From there, it’s easy to adjust and fine tune your campaigns based on results.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Groupon to Launch Groupon Now - Realtime Deal Mobile App
Coming in April, Groupon will be launching a new game-changer: Groupon Now, a mobile app that will allow you to find nearby deals under two categories, "I'm hungry" or "I'm bored."
With this app, users will be able to find deals by the hour.
It's like near field communications (which uses proximity sensors to get more specific with location), but for daily deals! Merchants will be able to specify exact time frames for their deals so that, for instance, restaurants that normally don't get customers between 2 pm and 5 pm can specify that window of time for their deals to get more traffic. But what they're really bound to love about it is the fact that they'll have more control over the onslaught of Groupon users they're bound to encounter. One of the complaints merchants typically have about Groupon is the fact that they might run a deal for a day, but if the expiration date is four months off, they're going to face unperdictable swarms of Groupon subscribers leaving bad tips around the clock for months.
With the new Groupon Now app, merchants can designate exact windows of time for when they're open to Groupon customers.
And then of course there are the subscribers, themselves. Think about the millions of times you've left your home without a plan for lunch--maybe you go on a day trip to visit your sister who lives three hours away. You get there, you're hungry, you want to go out, but you don't want to spend a lot of cash. Now you can have nearby Groupon deals ready for on-the-spot use at all times.
This new App means that after inventing the social commerce space, which has since been flooded with Groupon copycats, Groupon Now will finally launch it out of the water to set the company apart from the clones. Of course, one could argue that other daily deal sites can just create real-time apps of their own, but the service is so time-specific that Groupon's Andrew Mason believes that merchants will only be able to use one or two services, max.
With this app, users will be able to find deals by the hour.
It's like near field communications (which uses proximity sensors to get more specific with location), but for daily deals! Merchants will be able to specify exact time frames for their deals so that, for instance, restaurants that normally don't get customers between 2 pm and 5 pm can specify that window of time for their deals to get more traffic. But what they're really bound to love about it is the fact that they'll have more control over the onslaught of Groupon users they're bound to encounter. One of the complaints merchants typically have about Groupon is the fact that they might run a deal for a day, but if the expiration date is four months off, they're going to face unperdictable swarms of Groupon subscribers leaving bad tips around the clock for months.
With the new Groupon Now app, merchants can designate exact windows of time for when they're open to Groupon customers.
And then of course there are the subscribers, themselves. Think about the millions of times you've left your home without a plan for lunch--maybe you go on a day trip to visit your sister who lives three hours away. You get there, you're hungry, you want to go out, but you don't want to spend a lot of cash. Now you can have nearby Groupon deals ready for on-the-spot use at all times.
This new App means that after inventing the social commerce space, which has since been flooded with Groupon copycats, Groupon Now will finally launch it out of the water to set the company apart from the clones. Of course, one could argue that other daily deal sites can just create real-time apps of their own, but the service is so time-specific that Groupon's Andrew Mason believes that merchants will only be able to use one or two services, max.
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