5% of All Internet Activity Is Spent on Search Engines. What About the Other 95%?

	\| Contact Us

Return to MWJ Home

August 2009, Issue 66

Featured Article
5% of All Internet Activity Is Spent on Search Engines. What About the Other 95%?
By Jim McKinley, Founding Partner of 360Partners

How to Use Google and Yahoo Content Networks to Generate Qualified Sales Leads

Marketers have discovered they can use search engines such as Google, Yahoo! and Bing to generate qualified sales leads. Because potential customers use search engines when researching a problem or evaluating buying options, savvy marketers use pay-per-click search engine ads to get their message in front of prospects and direct them to specific assets on their Web site, thus beginning the engagement process.

While pay-per-click search ads are indeed quite effective, research shows that only 5% of all Internet activity is spent on search engines. What about the other 95%? How can marketers reach this elusive bunch?

Both Google and Yahoo! offer marketers a way to do this through a product called a content network. A content network is similar to search engines except the text ads show up on content Web pages instead of search engine results. You may have seen content network ads on sites such as CNN, Weather.com, or Amazon.com. However, content network ads can also show up on niche sites such as FundRaiserHelp.com and ForgetMarketing.info.

Content Networks Are Hot: Here's How Not to Get Burned

Content networks use highly developed algorithms which match ads with relevant pages on the Web, creating a highly targeted advertising experience. While many BtoB marketers have seen huge success using content networks, beware. Like fire, if you know how to use it properly, you can cook a fine meal; if you don’t, you'll likely get burned.

At 360Partners, we've developed five best practice techniques that help businesses successfully advertise on a content network and not get burned.

Separate content and search campaigns. Content network campaigns behave differently than traditional search campaigns, and should thus be handled differently. Separating these types of campaigns will give you greater control and ability to manage the content network independently from the search campaign.
Create catchy and unique ad copy. Content, as always, is key: Compared to a search campaign, the potential customer mindset is different for a content campaign. In search, customers are seeking an answer to a specific question. On a non-search site, they are most likely reading about a topic relative to your business, but not necessarily thinking about buying a product at that moment. In order to entice a potential customer to click on your ad, the copy has to be compelling in order to attract attention.
Bid lower. Content campaigns attract potential customers who may not be in an immediate buying mode, thus creating opportunities to get clicks that do not necessarily generate sales. Factor this into your bidding strategy and budget. 360Partners recommends initially setting your bids at 70% of your search marketing campaigns to compensate for this difference.
Create tight ad groups. In our experience, content campaigns should have ad groups of 15–30 tightly knit keywords based around a defined theme. If an ad group contains too many keywords of varying themes, Google and Yahoo have a difficult time determining what pages are appropriate for the ads. The effect downstream can be disastrous.
Block unrelated sites. The nature of the content network has incentivized some Web sites to only focus on clicks and not actual content. These "spam" site clicks can cost a lot of money and result in very little return. We recommend being very proactive and monitoring a content campaign closely. To see the best results, regularly run the placement report in Google or examine your Web site analytics. Use the report to identify "spam sites" and other low-return sites and block them from showing your ads.

At 360Partners, we firmly believe in the potential of content networks. When properly managed, they are a strong asset for any marketing initiative. If your business could benefit from a well-structured content campaign, reach out and let us know at sales@360partners.com.

Return to MWJ Home

Jim McKinley is the founding partner of 360Partners.

About 360Partners: 360Partners is an ad agency which specializes in online lead generation. The company focuses on pay-per-click search engine advertising and website conversion optimization. The company is located in Austin, TX.

Marketing Watchdog Journal is a monthly newsletter from Bulldog Solutions, a lead optimization and lead management company dedicated to helping our clients generate more, better leads and turn them into revenue. We welcome your feedback on this newsletter's content and design, and encourage you to share your ideas for topics you would like us to cover in future issues. Please send your comments or questions about Bulldog Solutions to Amy Bills, Director of Field Marketing.