AdOn Blog

Where did my conversions go? – 5 Helpful Tips to Take the “T” out of Stale and Make it a Winning Sale!

There is one phrase that every ad network customer service rep is familiar with: “Where did my conversions go?” and “I was converting great a few months ago; Why isn’t my ad converting now?” Do these sound familiar?

Too often advertisers forget the most important aspect of marketing to a consumer: keep it fresh, keep it simple and always be engaging.

Before we get to my 5 helpful hints to freshen up those stale conversions, ask yourself the following questions:

• How long do you see Coca-Cola run the same TV commercial?
• How often does that billboard change on the freeway on the way into work?
• If you saw or heard the same advertisement over and over again - how long would it take before you no longer noticed it?
• What is your favorite commercial?

Tip 1: Don’t be Afraid to Change Your Creative - Treat your online consumer like you would in any other advertising medium (magazines, newspaper, billboard, radio, etc). Overexposure to a single ad can cause the consumer to become numb to your message, so freshen it up! Changing your creative can be as simple as using new colors or fonts.  Remember that any online source you use to get in front of consumers will typically give you a high percentage of repeat users, so change at least once every month to help get them to notice your ad again.

Tip 2: Engage Your Consumer! – Online ads that not only show a product or service, but must engage their consumer and include a call-to-action intended to bring the consumer to your website. Simple lures of “Click here”, “Limited Time Offer”, “Find Out More” help drive the consumer to move from just looking at your online ad to being engaged on your site.

Tip 3: Leverage Your Resources – Many networks have resources within their account management section that enable you to fine-tune your campaigns and improve your results (i.e. traffic source selection, frequency caps, time and date ranges, targeting options). Small changes can produce big returns. If you feel you are overexposing your campaign to the same user base and losing  effectiveness, simply use some of these tools at your disposal and create a winning recipe for success!

Tip 4: Track Your Success – Make sure you are not only tracking results through your own tracking system or a third party system like Google or Omniture, but utilize any tracking tools the ad networks offer as well. From ROI tracking pixels to tracking codes you can include in your URL, I recommend using every tool at your disposal to help make more informed decisions. Keep in mind that each traffic measurement system is unique in how they track and measure results so they will not all provide the same data. You can, however, compare the data to create a clear picture of your results.

Tip 5: Communication is Key – If the ad network you work with has Sales or Account Representatives at your disposal, take advantage of them! Leverage their in-depth knowledge of their ad management system to get the most out of your campaigns. If conversions are declining, ask your sales or account rep to offer suggestions or to try different tactics.

by Geoff Gieron, VP of Operations - Advertiser Services

Choosing the right keyword is like picking out the perfect shoes…

Catchy title eh?  Truth is, this is a very valid comparison when you break it down in its most simplistic terms. So let’s divide up keyword selection by shoe type and see how the analogy fits.

Type 1 – The Cheap Shoe

 

The cheap shoe is the pair you buy at Wal-Mart or Payless when you just need a sneaker that will do the job. You know it won’t last too long, can be used for many purposes, is mildly comfortable, but will fall apart in time and you’ll need to go out and buy a new pair.

The cheap shoe can be compared to Run Of Network (RON) keywords. Advertisers often select RON keywords because the price is very attractive and they offer the best option for getting out in front of as many eyeballs as possible at a lowest-possible cost. This approach leaves much to be desired when it comes to quality and durability over time (like the Wal-Mart sneaker). As a result, RON keywords have a limited shelf life as their performance drops off in a short period of time.

Type 2 – The Running Shoe

So now you have moved up, you want a little more “bang for your buck”. You want something that is both well made, yet affordable, can be used on the weekend, after work with friends or even when going out. I would equate this to your Nike or Adidas shoe. The durability is much better than the cheap shoe, but over time will end up just becoming another shoe you wear to the gym.

The running shoe is comparable to category keywords. If you are choosing category keywords, you know the types of sites and publishers you want to be in front of so your approach is more targeted compared to using broad reaching RON keywords. The price is still affordable and your ads are more targeted towards your consumers, however, like RON kewyords the durability of category keywords will get shaky over time due to your inability to optimize your campaign.

Type 3 – The Dress Shoe

The dress shoe looks great, feels great and probably costs more than you think most people should spend on a shoe (I think the ladies can identify here most).  This would be your Kenneth Cole or Mark Nason’s shoe. It has high quality and craftsmanship, is very comfortable and stylish (your friends notice immediately). This is the shoe you were on a date, to an important business function or just when you want to look and feel your absolute best.

The dress show equates to contextual keywords or URL selections. You pay more than you would with RON or category keywords, but you are positioning yourself front and center with your ideal consumer. You selecting the exact keywords or website URL to place your ad in front of those looking to buy your product or service. This approach offers longevity because you maintain and optimize your keywords to increase your campaign’s effectiveness.

In summary, all three options are valuable depending on the goal you intend to accomplish, from the low cost, high volume approach to the high cost, low volume, highly targeted approach. 

Each method has its own positives and negatives that should be weighed by every advertiser when approaching their online advertising campaigns and keyword selection.  My opinion (whether selecting keywords or buying shoes) is to try a combination of all three types as there is value and use for one. When working together, the varied approaches definitely allow you to enjoy the benefits of all three!

Geoff Gieron
Director of Advertiser Management & Services


Local Targeting – How can you turn increased targeting into sales!

A number of ad networks have introduced local targeting into their mix of advertising solutions in recent years. However, many online retailers have yet to embrace the power of advertising to their consumers on a local level. I thought I would take a few minutes to provide a few ways local targeting can work for you!

Living here in sunny Arizona, we have the fortune to experience t-shirt and short weather for a majority of the year. In fact, you can see people here in Phoenix strolling around in shorts well into December. 

So how does this tie-in to local targeting you might ask? Retailers, both online and offline, begin taking summer clothing off the shelves as early as August when temperatures in states like Arizona are still in the triple digits. As a result, you will see long sleeve shirts and jackets on the shelves of Abercrombie & Fitch or Banana Republic when the thermometer in Phoenix reads 110 degrees.

Email notifications and online ads support this strategy as they tout fall and winter lines of clothing, all the while consumers in warmer states struggle to find clothes that meet their immediate needs. This results in lost opportunity to segment their market and target different products to different geographical regions.

The introduction of Local Targeting allows online retailers, who have warehouses filled with summer clothes, to begin directly targeting metropolitan areas and their respective consumer bases. While coats and scarves might be good for those living in New York or Seattle, ads that highlight sales on bathing suits and shorts can still be leveraged to those warmer cities like Phoenix, Dallas and Albuquerque.  Treating a consumer the same at a national level is, in my opinion, a huge loss of opportunity and potential retail sales.
You can also leverage the power of Local Targeting by tying it to consumer data that you already collect. For example, if your data shows that people in New York City and Los Angeles tend to buy more electronics like iPods and computers, while customers in Chicago and Omaha purchase more big-screen televisions, adjust your marketing campaigns for those products to target those specific geographic regions.

Simply put, you have the information on your consumers to make smart decisions on your advertising and turn the ability to target these consumers into immediate sales. Consumers want to be catered to and Local Targeting is one more tool to help you achieve your revenue goals.

Geoff Gieron
Director of Advertiser Management & Services