Onsharp manages approximately 30 Search Engine Marketing (SEM) campaigns at any given time. The following are assumptions we’ve heard.

1. If I get results one month I will get the same results the next.

Unless you have a completely demand-proof product or service, you will notice fluctuations in your results. One client offers summer services and also after-school services. Obviously people will not be searching for both of those services at the same time of year or in the same frequency every month. The most important element to remember about your campaign is that Humans are the ones searching and making a decision to click on your ad - and they are unpredictable!

2. It’s really expensive.

One month you may experience a cost per conversion (or lead) of $100 but the next, your cost per conversion is only $5. Overall, you have to be sure you have determined your target ROI (return on investment). “If I had a qualified lead in my pocket to give you, how much would you pay for it?” asks Onsharp President Joe Sandin, to explain the value of a lead. If you sell your services for $500, a lead for $25 might be a great deal! How much does a lead from your other marketing efforts cost?

3. I will get leads immediately.

Some campaigns will but others won’t. When you start a new campaign it takes time to gain ranking. A lot of it depends upon demand and the urgency of the geographic area you are showing your ads.

4. You can just create your campaign and check on it once a month.

Your campaign requires a minimum of weekly “check ups.” Some campaigns require daily monitoring. Management frequency depends upon the demand, presence of competitors, your budget, and the average cost per click among all the other elements. The longer the period of time between accessing and analyzing your account, the more risk you are taking in losing leads.

5. I have to be in the top position (or top 3) to get any leads.

Google has said there is less than a 5% difference in the conversion rates between different positions. The difference is even less as you move down in position. Your ad can be successful further down the list and use a smaller portion of your budget. Here's the article.

The most important concept to take away from this article is that SEM offers more measureable elements than the majority of other marketing efforts. It’s easy to get obsessed with the numbers. Keep a level head by asking “how much is the lead worth and how qualified is the lead?” and “what is my ROI?”

 

 

If you've been reading this series of blog posts, you've made some progress with your web marketing strategy. You have a web site. Your customers can find your web site. They have a reason to come and visit your website repeatedly. Now, harness the power of hyperlinks to help your site reach its full potential. Hyperlinks -- usually just called "links"-- are words or phrases like the ones underlined in the previous sentences, which you can click on in order to visit another site that's related to the subject you're reading about. In this case, our links are heading to Parts I and II of this series of blog posts on "Making the Most of Your Online Investment."

Links are the internet's energy source.  Search engines use them to decide which sites are most trustworthy and important, and even to confirm the subject of a site. Perhaps even more important, they can bring traffic to your web site. When another site links to your web site, visitors to that web site can click on the link and visit yours. And, since a web site that they've already chosen to visit has suggested to them that they should visit you, they're likely to do so.

How can you gain links?

The easiest way is just to ask for them. People who do business with you can often give or trade links with you. Your suppliers, your vendors, and your customers will often be glad to offer you a little space on their web sites. Be ready to explain how your web site can be interesting or useful to the people who visit their web sites. And you might want to add a links page or section to your web site, too, so you can include links that will be helpful to your visitors. That allows you to swap links with businesses which share your target market.

Sometimes you can create links yourself. Do you have an account with any social media or business network site? Most of them allow you to post links to your business web site.

Here are some to consider:

• Facebook
• MySpace
• LinkedIn
• ZoomInfo
• Twitter
• Care2
• CafeMom
• Multiply
• Ryze
• Spoke
• Yelp

The thing to remember about social network sites is that they're for relationship building. You probably can't really build strong relationships at all the possible social media sites -- at least not if you still have a business to run. Set up a profile at each, with a link to your website, but don't try to keep up with all of them. Choose one or two and spend time there and get to know people. This will give you the maximum traffic -- and it can be fun and useful for networking, too.

You can also add your website to local directories in your area. Go to your favorite search engine and type in the name of your town and “local business directory” to find the truly local ones. Also consider these national sites with local pages:

• Hotfrog.com
• ShowMeLocal.com
• MerchantCircle.com
• MyHuckleberry.com
• Brownbook.net

It's time-consuming to add all these links, but worthwhile to establish your web presence. Choose your most tech-savvy staff to take on the job. If you'd rather not divert staff from essential tasks, contact Onsharp to learn how easily you can have our specialists take care of it for you.