Programs Details
Developing a steady stream of new customers
is a key goal for every business. There are thousands of ways
to meet this goal, and the correct approach can differ greatly
from one business to the next. Some companies choose to advertise
broadly in the mass media; given enough money this technique
can be effective. Other companies field large sales forces,
or develop indirect sales channels through intermediaries.
Still, many businesses find large-scale efforts such as these
far beyond their reach.
Fortunately, several emerging techniques
are making customer acquisition more effective and cost efficient.
One of the most promising is Search Engine Advertising. With
Internet usage growing steadily, search engines such as Google
or Overture have become a primary way for consumers to find
products and services. It’s now possible to deliver a
message to these prospective customers at precisely the moment
they’re most interested in hearing about your company.
MarketingWorks developed such a campaign
for PortBridge, a local Internet Service Provider serving
customers in central and eastern North Carolina. Unlike traditional
advertising’s pure focus on crafting messages, the best
search advertising programs ‘close the loop,’ creating
infrastructures that also capture and manage responses. In
PortBridge’s case, since the company did not maintain
a full-time sales force, MarketingWorks created a simple,
Web-based system to generate leads around the clock without
the need for staff intervention.
Search keywords relevant to PortBridge’s
services and geography were researched and identified. MarketingWorks
then wrote text ads relevant to those terms and placed them
through the Google Adwords program. Then, to close the loop,
special Web landing pages were created for each keyword group.
When prospects click on a PortBridge ad, they are taken to
one of these custom pages, complete with a sign up form. Once
the form is submitted, an email containing the prospect’s
contact information is sent to a PortBridge staffer, allowing
the final sale to be quickly completed.
The campaign, which is still underway, has
been averaging a strong 3.7% Click Thru Rate (CTR), with certain
keyword groups hitting response rates as high as 25%. In addition
to its effectiveness, the program’s low maintenance has
proven very beneficial to PortBridge’s busy staff.
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