Google Archives - The Marketing Spot

Local Online Advertising: Where do you go?

Written on March 13, 2012 by Jay Ehret in Facebook, Facebook Advertising, Google, PPC

**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?

How to Create a Profitable Adwords Campaign

Written on December 9, 2011 by Jay Ehret in Adwords, Google

Guest post by Nickolay Lamm Don’t miss out on free marketing advice. For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or subscribe in a blog reader. How can you make your Adwords campaign profitable? Anyone with a website can get an Adwords account and instantly start getting traffic. However, whether or not

Google+ = Brand Failure?

Written on July 3, 2011 by Jay Ehret in branding, Google, Google+

Want to be able to quickly judge the potential of a new brand? Take it through the brand discovery sequence: Can the brand grab the attention of potential customers? What’s the brand’s answer when people ask: “What is it?” When they know what it is, they ask: “Why should I care?” The strength of the

Pay Per Click (PPC) Starter Tips for Small Business

Written on January 20, 2011 by Jay Ehret in Advertising, Bing, Google, pay per click, PPC

This past weekend I was at ProductCamp Austin and caught Shawn Livengood’s excellent presentation on Pay Per Click Advertising Campaigns. After his session, Shawn and I got together in the lobby to discuss PPC and some starter tips for small business owners. Dustin Donham was there to capture Shawn’s wisdom on video. Email Subscribers and

How to Maximize Your Google Places Page

Written on September 27, 2010 by Jay Ehret in Google, Google Places, local search, tutorial

Google Places is the modern day version of the yellow pages, with a few big exceptions. The biggest difference is that everyone gets a display ad, cleverly called a “Page” (Google is smart, but no one ever accused them of being creative), and the other big difference is that Google Places is free. Your business

Local Search Results: Getting Listed in Google’s Local 7-Pack

Written on February 19, 2010 by Jay Ehret in Google, local search, website

It’s becoming increasingly important to be found in the local search engines. People prefer to find information about local businesses through search engines rather than in the yellow pages. In this Spotlight on Marketing Video, we look at how the local search engine results work, and how you can increase your chances of making it

The Future of Yellow Pages and Your Marketing Budget

Written on March 3, 2009 by Jay Ehret in Adwords, Google, marketing budget, website, yellow pages

As you consider how much money to invest in Yellow Pages, consider this: Consumers now use search engines over Yellow Pages. The details can be seen in this article detailing the study. Yellow page directories already know this. Some are combating this truth by commissioning their own studies reflecting positively on the yellow page industry.

Pay Per Click (PPC) Demystified: Power to the Small Business Blogcast

Written on March 20, 2008 by Jay Ehret in Adwords, Google, pay per click, PPC, search engine marketing, Yahoo

Episode #8 of the internet show about small business marketing. Pay Per Click (PPC) Demystified Amber Benedict of Hanapin Marketing and co-author of the PPC Hero blog says it’s easy to get started with search marketing. All it takes is $5, fifteen minutes and Google Adwords. But that doesn’t mean you should do it. Like

Websites: Un-Sexiness Works

Written on November 1, 2007 by Jay Ehret in Google, website, Yahoo, Youtube

Stephen Denny tells us how Bringing Un-Sexy Back is good for your marketing. I think the same principle also goes for your website. This is one area where small businesses can actually get a good lesson from a big business (website). Like we did with our logo lesson (see: The Importance of a Logo in

Category Archives: Google

Local Online Advertising Channels

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