**Note: Over the next few weeks The Marketing Spot will examine some of your local online advertising options.
For 2012 online ad spending will increase 23%. Local online ad spending is projected to be about 20% of total ad spending this year. By 2016, eMarketer projects that online will comprise one-third of all media spending. How does that compare with your online advertising budget? It’s time to consider online advertising for your marketing mix.
But consider where?
Local Online Advertising Channels
Where to advertise online? Let’s start big, and the biggest is Google.
Google Adwords
Sometimes also referred to pay-per-click, PPC, and search marketing.
Google is not just a search engine it’s the number one visited website on the internet. It’s also an advertising machine, and for good reason. People searching on Google are looking for something, and that includes things to buy. Statistics suggest that anywhere from 60-68% of all searches happen on Google and Google’s own research says that 20% of those searches have a local intent. Local intent on mobile searches is 40%.
Any size business can afford Google PPC Advertising because you control the exact amount you want to invest. This video from Google shows how easy it is to get started on Google Adwords.
For more see: Getting started with Google Adwords Campaigns
Before you launch your campaign, see: PPC Starter Tips
To dive in, you can get started here: Advertise your business on Google
Facebook Advertising
Facebook now has a reported 845 million users. Wow! And those users spend an average of 7 hours per month on Facebook. Wow again! Half of Facebook’s users log on every day. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Everyone should advertise on Facebook. But not so fast.
People go to Google to search for stuff they’re interested in buying. People use Facebook to socialize. That could be the reason that click-through-rates (CTR) are lower for Facebook ads than for Google. In fact, Facebook’s CTR is about half the industry average. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use Facebook, just be aware that you may have to work harder to get a click.
Like Google, any size business can afford advertising on Facebook, because you control the exact maximum amount you want to invest. However, small businesses have fewer options than big business on Facebook. The much-touted new Facebook Premium Ads are only available with a minimum investment of $25,000.
Still, there are a variety of ways to advertise on Facebook with typical display ads as well as sponsored stories (soon to be known as “featured stories).
Before starting, check out this free PDF eBook from Facebook:
(Right click and “save link as”)
Then log on to your Facebook account and begin creating your ad here:
Facebook Ad Campaign Creator
To learn more about using Sponsored Stories:
Using Facebook Sponsored Stories
**Facebook Advertising Tip:
You will be asked to either choose pay-per-click (PPC) or pay-per-impressions (CPM) when you create your Facebook ad. I have personally tested both in a side-by-side ad and PPC performs better. It looks more enticing, and cheaper, to do CPM, but I recommend you use PPC.
What tips do you have?
Related Posts:
New Webinar: The Three Big Guns of Marketing Your Small Business Online
What’s the Best Time to Post on Facebook?
The Science and Art of Your Facebook Posting Strategy