360 Degrees of Online Advertising
Nowadays, it seems everyone is searching for that one interactive marketing tool that proves to be the most effective? Is it display? Email? SEO? Mobile?
The answer is none of the above.
No single marketing tool, by itself, will yield the best results. Yet marketers continue the hunt for that holy grail of ROI: Wasting time and energy, when the solution is right in front of them. Step out of that one-size-fits-all mentality. Instead of none of the above, focus on all of the above.
To reach consumers on their level, you need to implement 360 degrees of online advertising.
Stop thinking like marketers and think like the consumers we all are. Are we persuaded by the same methods? Do we have the same needs? So far, marketers have only scratched the surface of online marketing possibilities. Use that to your advantage.
Utilize multiple tools to reach consumers.
Display advertising, though considered doomed by many, is an effective tool when used correctly, in the right setting, for the right consumer. In the past month, I have integrated value add display advertisements across our suite of online grocery retailers. The ads are useful and relevant to consumers searching for recipes, browsing weekly specials and creating shopping lists. The result has been astounding: An average click through rate of 0.41 across the network. Display works in the retail setting when providing relevant content to consumers. In less than a month, our retailers have increased customer retention and engagement has skyrocketed.
Harness the power of email marketing and SEO to increase sales, drive traffic and acquire new customers. Retailer emails sent across the MyWebGrocer network generate an average 0.26 click through rate. Email, like display, must be relevant to avoid consumer burn-out. If you don’t have a relevant email, it’s better not to send anything and wait until you do.
And, draw on SEO as a powerful customer acquisition tool. Spend time narrowing your keyword bids to what is most effective for you and test, test, test. A 12% click through rate for SEO, our network’s current performance, is considered very good.
Don’t limit yourself to the interactive tools mentioned here. The goal in implementing 360 degrees of advertising is discovering the right atmosphere in which certain tools perform best, and mixing and matching across your network. There are many tools we use that I have not mentioned, including e-commerce keyword targeting, sponsorship opportunities and merchandising. The key to remember is: to maximize ROI, target consumers in a variety of ways. You will see better results.
Rachel
