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Is it time for your business to go mobile?

January 19th, 2012
by Jonathan Dunkley

Global smartphone penetration is rapidly rising and demand for information on the go is at an all-time high. A 2010 Gartner report suggests that by 2013 more people will use mobile phones than PC’s to get online and a study by Marin Software shows a 49% increase in mobile click share on search engines in 2011. This year then is perfect time to start investing in mobile advertising and make the most of all these handheld consumers, but what steps should a business take to create a strategy?

1. Is your website mobile friendly?

For a site which isn’t optimised, the difference in conversion rates between desktop and mobile users can be huge. Some of our clients have seen a 50% drop when targeting mobile users with an ordinary website. To check out what your site looks like and if any changes are needed go to How To Go Mo, a Google website which will show you how it looks on a portable device and suggest whether changes need to be made.

2. Create a bespoke mobile PPC account

Copying an existing desktop account just won’t cut it. Users search differently on handheld devices, so mobile specific search terms must be researched to capture traffic which is more likely to convert. Ad-copy must be created which phone users will better respond to, with phrases such as “shop on your mobile” used to increase CTR. Also, carefully consider account settings such as the devices you are targeting and the time of day the ads will show. These will both be different for a mobile search campaign.

3. Track and optimise independently

Ensure that you are able distinguish between PC and mobile traffic within your tracking and reporting. Performance differences between devices mean that optimisation should be bespoke. For example an ad-copy change due to performance on desktops may not work across a tablet device and vice-versa. The key to getting good performance is to review the devices as individual accounts whilst still recognising the role each one plays in the conversion funnel.

All of the above steps are the key to getting good ROI and converting customers through m-commerce. If you need advice or strategy, Minute Steak offers bespoke mobile campaign management so please get in touch.

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eCommerce & Search Insights for 2012

December 19th, 2011
by Camilla King

What to watch out for in 2012:

The economy. Undoubtedly a time of uncertainty for the global economy, coupled with speculation around a breakdown of the Euro zone, this will be a focus on the outlook of 2012. The Advertising Association and Warc, earlier this month, downgraded UK adspend for 2012 to a 3.8% growth from a previous forecast of 4.7%.

That said, 2012 adspend as a whole will be £15.9bn, not something to be sniffed at. And while technology isn’t completely decoupled from the state of the global economy, it does stand in relative strength as an industry. The recent downgrades are most likely to reflect sharp downturns in print and supplements, particularly following closure of New of the World.

Google. No surprise here, but with the search giant owning 90% of the market globally and rolling out over 100 innovations in 2011 alone, we can expect its influence on trends in the next year to be huge.

More critically Google has 98% ownership of the mobile search market worldwide, over the likes of Yahoo! and Bing which have struggled to make even a dent on their competitor. “After years of false predictions, it looks like 2012 really will be the year of the mobile”, says Efficient Frontier CEO David Karnstedt, who’s recent study found mobile search in the US could account for 22% of online adspend next year, a significant increase from 6.5% currently.

Insights. Improved technologies such as Google Analytics and their widespread adoption have meant that consumer insight is easier to access than ever. Analysis of the search funnel, for example, will allow advertisers intelligent multichannel attribution. Minute Steak will ensure to invest in complete multichannel views of customer journeys for all channels. Using this advanced analysis of this data we can implement tailored strategies and improve overall marketing effectiveness.

More savvy users online now rely on social networks, customer reviews, video demonstrations, discount vouchers and apps to influence their purchase decisions. Today’s technologies now need to support a multi-touch presence to engage with and convert customers, providing the insight into behaviours allowing appropriate strategies to be executed.

Customisable Experience. IAB recently reported that over 50% of tablet usage took place between 7 – 12pm, making it the most widely used devise for accessing the internet in late evenings. Associate director of technology at YouGo, Russell Feldman also suggested that 24% of tablet users browse the interest from bed – supporting the IAB’s description of the devise as the ideal “downtime device”.

We’re already seeing newspaper and magazine publications focusing on tablet-specific versions, note the BBC homepage redesign back in September, now created to look and work more effectively from smartphones and tablet devices.

Only 4% of UK population actually own a tablet at the moment. Steve Koenig, director and industry analyst at the CEA describes how 2011 saw consistent growth in tablet sales reaching 207% growth. However forecasts of growth for 2012 have been cut to 59% and 22% for smartphones. Partly this is down to the “customisable experience”, whereby we’re using apps to personalise our devises, and therefore less inclined to make the upgrade. As a resilient market that saw sales drop only 8% worldwide in 2009 following the recession, the CEA still predicts the market to hit $1 trillion next year.


 

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Click to Call – A big advantage for small businesses?

October 28th, 2011
by Camilla King

Adwords has this week introduced the new bid-per-call functionality, allowing advertisers to bid for phone calls as well clicks when targeting PPC traffic on computers, tablets and phones. This is a significant move for many advertisers, particularly for those who rely on a stream of incoming leads via the phone, but even more critical for brands who focus on local business.

It’s no secret now that analysis of your customers’ online journey will ensure your search campaigns are an appropriate fit for the users. Moneysupermarket is already seeing 10% of overall traffic from mobile and tablets. So mobile paid search ads for local businesses, with bid-to-call campaigns could have a significant impact on advertisers,where arguably a call is more value than a PPC click.

As J Thomson argues, the trend in Digital Marketing has been for Mobile to overtake laptop and desktop computers for “the last million years”. I’d suggest this move by Google will be an important catalyst for this trend and heighten the need for campaigns targeted at appropriate devices.

So while locally focused businesses can benefit from potential new leads via the phone, does this pose a threat where small businesses can’t justify costs associated with a call centre? This is where the conversion rate and basket value would have to be considered.

It’s also worth considering the limitations of the new feature, while Adwords will report on call volumes and charges against the call function, at this time it’s not able to report on conversion or revenue data, making cost justifications difficult. Using a phone number specifically for PPC traffic only will allow some insight into conversion rates, but again requires some manual support at the call centre or business which could add complications.

Although, at this stage, there are are no functionalities for keyword level reporting, meaning optimisations on the activity are not possible. This development is still going to be a big contender to existing phone tracking solutions, and only more so are the feature advances.

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What devices should you target with your PPC campaigns?

October 7th, 2011
by Graeme Carlisle

The answer is all of them! The key however, is tailoring campaigns specifically to get the most out of your advertising in the search channel. Recent research from Google gave a great insight into search by device and at what time of the day.

We can see that not only is there significant volume on all three devices, desktop, tablet and mobile; but also that the user behaviour is different on all three. Let’s start with the desktop computer, the original searching device. There is very little traffic throughout the night, however there is a significant peak at around 9am when people get into work, or settle into their daily browsing of the internet. Traffic is maintained at a fairly stable level throughout the working day before starting to drop off and re-stabilise at a lower level in the evening and finally slowing right down as people turn in for the night.

In comparison to this the mobile search data shows that the traffic starts to increase earlier in the day. Before work, at around 7am more people are searching on their mobile than on their desktop. This begins to stabilise as the working day begins, however we can see an interesting peak during lunchtime, just after midday. Traffic then continues to increase incrementally throughout the evening and peaks late on in the evening, before searches then drop off dramatically as people again turn in.

Finally I would like to draw your attention to the newest device available for search, the tablet. We cannot see a dramatic difference in search behaviour in the morning. Traffic builds up from around 6am and then stabilises throughout the working day. The biggest change in behaviour is seen during late afternoon and evening, where traffic then starts to ramp up at a rate much greater than that seen on mobiles. There is then a more significant drop-off than any of the other devices as the evening draws to a close.

  • So what does this all mean for advertisers?

Specific targeting is key. Do not use Adwords to ‘target all devices’ and hope for the best. Create structured and specific campaigns for the different devices, ensuring you are optimising for device specific ad copy and keywords. Make copy engaging for the device, use terms like ‘on your mobile’, ‘on your iPad’ or direct clicks to downloadable apps not standard landing pages. Don’t forget about the WAP market either, remember ad copy has a different format to PC and devices with full browsers and users also tend to use shorter tail keywords. Finally use device specific ad scheduling and bidding, what times should you focus your budget, at what times should you raise your CPC bid? These factors are different for each device. Be meticulous and thorough and you will be rewarded!

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Google ‘Mega-Sitelinks’ – Good for Everyone?

August 18th, 2011
by Katie Saunders

I feel it’s about time for another Google update, and this one just cannot be ignored. In the last couple of weeks, a Google results test from earlier in the year has been rolled out on a larger scale. Searchers now come across an abundance of sitelinks on the Search Engine Results Pages. This has implications for both Paid and Natural search.

Over the year Google has increased the number of sitelinks appended to PPC from 4 to 6. This has been beneficial from my point of view for two reasons. My clients are able to take advantage of more space on the page as well as giving consumers more options to navigate to different parts of clients’ sites.

Apparent more recently, the Natural results now include what we are unofficially terming “mega-sitelinks”. When a user types in a specific company name or brand the usual PPC ads appear at the top of the page. The Natural results show as before, however with the addition of sitelinks. While we have been seeing more SEO sitelinks within the Natural listings, the new format shows up to 12 sitelinks.

As you can see from the above example, the brand in question is positively dominating the whole of the results. In this example there is competition on the PPC side, which means that the Paid box at the top of the page is larger than on other searches. This combines with the SEO listings in such a way that there is actually only one Natural result on my screen.

This raises the question about competition. Yes, Google now allows bidding on competitor brand terms, this was in an effort to keep competition healthy.  As a user, about 75% of what I am seeing on the page is from one company. This is potentially a set-back for Affiliates or resellers, making it a lot harder for them to appear above the fold.

At the moment, this is only something that we are seeing on company names. There is one grey area though, and that is for companies that have generic words as their name. I searched for “watch shop”, unaware that this was indeed a company’s name.

Google will have to be careful here with the intent behind the search. It is fair enough to show me a whole page of results dedicated to a brand search, but it is only the Paid Search in this example that offers me a variety of watch outlets.

On a more positive note, additional sitelinks on branded searches allow the consumer more choice, and options to go directly to the right part of the site without having to use navigation. From that perspective, search becomes faster and easier, this should result in a happier consumer.

 

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Minute Steak recently attended the Sheerluxe eCommerce Conference and it was a great opportunity to hear the issues that luxury retailers are currently facing when implementing digital strategies.  Alongside concerns on how to adapt these strategies to suit their customer demographic, it seems that understanding performance and devising cost effective growth strategies causes issues for many.  Here are some key issues that were raised on the day:

  • How do I better understand my web-site performance?

Understanding the performance of your web-site is critical to optimising your online revenue.  Google Analytics is a free tracking solution that can provide you with key metrics if it is implement correctly.  Ensure that your site is tagged correctly, e-commerce tracking is implemented and goals and events set-up.  If you have these key factors in place you can tag online activity and monitor results from one platform including the linking of your AdWords Account.

  • I’ve get lots of traffic, but customers aren’t buying?

This could mean that the wrong traffic is being directed to your site or alternatively you may find your site needs to be reviewed.  If your web-site is not clear and easy to use, any budget applied to driving the right traffic will not generate the potential return.  It is important to get people that aren’t familiar with your web-site to provide feedback and test, test, test.

  • How can I increase online sales aside from increasing marketing budget?

Following on from the previous point, it is essential to plan ongoing testing and optimisation on your web-site and marketing activity.  Ensuring that activity is integrated and consistent messaging is displayed throughout the customer journey will reassure the user.  This supported by directing them to the most relevant landing page with clear product information and an easy to use purchase process will enhance your ROI.

  • Most search traffic is generated through my brand?

The first step is to look at search query processes and identify if a series of generic searches occurred before a purchase on brand.  Secondly you need to develop a search strategy that focuses on driving generic traffic to your site as these searches will often be made by new customers.  Reviewing your top selling products, USPs and Google Analytics reports will enable you to identify the generic terms that are most likely to lead to sales.  In many cases generic rankings can be costly and it can be worth testing generics in paid search before committing to a longer term natural strategy.

  • How do I devise a social strategy?

The most important first step is to complete an audit of the social landscape.  This will enable you to understand where and how your customers engage online and the activity of your competitors.  This process ensures you avoid social for social sake and instead develop a strategy that is in-line with how your customers wish to interact with your brand.  It is essential to provide a reason for your customers to engage with your social activity and dedicate time internally to produce targeted and relevant content.

The above provides an overview of the types of discussions had on the day.  Many of the businesses asking these questions were experiencing great success online, but acknowledged that they often didn’t have time to review reports and performance in the detail that they would like.  In these cases a simple online health check can be an effective way of ensuring that the basics are in place and marketing budgets are being utilised as effectively as possible.

If you’d like help with a health check or any of the above issues sound familiar, please feel free to contact us and we’d be happy to provide further advice on your digital strategies.

 

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What does the Royal Wedding mean for retailers?

April 20th, 2011
by Jeremy Thomson

Interest in the Royal Wedding has already reached fever pitch but is there scope for brands to benefit from the occasion? The level of searches for the term ‘Royal Wedding’ and many relating terms has dramatically increased in the last month.  These searches have not just come from the numerous British residents that will be flocking to London on the 29th but also a large worldwide audience highlighting the incredible level of interest the wedding.


The vast level of searches and worldwide interest has led to YouTube announcing that they will be broadcasting the entire wedding live on the Royals’ official YouTube channel so all the world will be able watch.

But what does this mean for brands, if anything at all? Is there scope to capture some of the search traffic currently being populated for this event? When we look at the popular searches revolving around the Royal Wedding there appears to only be a few search terms that have the potential to generate a return:

Term such as ‘Street Party’ and ‘Royal Wedding Ideas’ already have a number of paid search ads appearing for them looking to capture consumer interest but is that as far as it goes?

A recent poll carried out by JWT Marketing revealed that a majority of consumers would not let their purchasing behaviour be affected by the royal wedding and over half consumers asked thought it was inappropriate for brands to try and increase their sales using an association with the Royal Wedding.

Companies like Schweppes have used the Royal Wedding to create new products such as their limited edition Royal Wedding bottle for a number of their drinks. But Schweppes have also created a Facebook initiative in the form of an online card that people can sign to send their best wishes to the couple in order to use the occasion as a branding exercise.

T-Mobile used the occasion to create a new viral ad showing Kate and William lookalikes dancing down the aisle in their attempt to use the wedding to get people sharing their video and gaining some brand exposure.

Yet it seems that to drive an increase in sales and capitalise on this increased level of interest it is not the Royal Wedding where the connection must fall but in a much more subtle approach. The higher interest in Kate Middleton and, in particular, what she is wearing does seem to have had a direct impact. For example, she has recently become associated by the public with Burberry which led to the particular trench coat she wore last month selling out in a single day.

So it seems that in order to gain any advantage from this historic occasion brands must think carefully about their strategy – whether to use this as a branding exercise or a much subtler sales strategy. Unless of course you make British flags or mugs with people’s faces in the centre of them in which case business is probably booming.

 

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Google Launches New Media Ads

April 13th, 2011
by Camilla King

Over recent years we’ve increasingly seen Google test the water with new paid search ad formats, of which one of the latest has been Video Extensions. Using the same targeted keywords, copy and URL link as traditional PPC ads, users can expand a plus box to view a relevant video.

The feature creates clear opportunities for customer engagement with sight, sound and motion all within the comfort of the SERPs. It also allows extensive branding opportunities for marketers, far and beyond a standard paid search ad of the past. Primarily these extensions were beta tested in the US for movie trailers, product demonstrations or previews. The user could watch the first 10 seconds of the video without incurring a cost for the advertiser, after which a standard CPC charge would apply, and the user could click through to the site free of charge.

More recently, however the use of Video Extensions has matured, with Google announcing a new version of AdWords known as Media Ads, specifically for marketers of big movie releases. Now when a user searches for a film title or variation, a large light box will appear, dimming the rest of the screen while the video is played. The difference; there’s no keywords, no bidding, instead the verified studio behind the film will appear top, paying a standard flat rate for each click. This is all part of the Adwords New Ad Formats Initiative by Google, which was launched a year ago to improve the rich types of information within ads.

Currently on limited release for major motion picture studios only, there is some threat of monopolising the industry by disabling smaller players. Google has also indicated that the Media Ad formats will soon be available to other industries, helping to promote their videos through PPC. While the branding and engagement prospects here are exciting, we will have to wait to see the full impact on smaller players across these industries.

Google describes the offering as a “theatre-like experience”, but in reality is the full screen too invasive? And what if the user is searching for cinema showing times or film reviews?

We hope the Media Ads prove themselves to truly deliver rich format ads to the customers who want it, and do so without compromising the fair competition of PPC advertising.

 

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Can we really ever measure offline sales from search?

April 8th, 2011
by Jonathan Dunkley

Google’s AdWords blog this week features a piece of research they’ve called “Online to Store Experiments” which attempts to bridge the gap between online advertising and in store sales:

Google have done this by setting up a variety of campaigns in markets across the U.S focussing on specific products and then measuring the impact of in store sales of these products. These results were then compared to control markets where no online advertising was shown.

Online advertising, just as any other form of promotion has an impact on driving sales in store, but can this really be ever measured in the same way an ecommerce transaction can be? The variables between the test and control markets that can’t be fixed are enormous:

• Location
• Weather
• Income levels
• In-Store staff training
• Other marketing activities

… and this list could go on for some time. The simple fact of the matter is that experiments like this will never be completely fair. There are however several ways to try and track these consumers on their journey from online to offline:

• Vouchers – Driving customers in-store using vouchers has long been used by offline marketers to track sales and in the last few years exploded online with retailers and restaurants alike benefiting. These vouchers are getting smarter now, and the ability to track back to an individual advert, url or keyword is not too far off from becoming mainstream. Once this becomes the norm, tracking and optimising where these vouchers are placed becomes a whole lot easier.
• Reserve and collect – The likes of Argos and co have been doing this for years. By allowing consumers to make the transaction online and then come in to store, means it is traceable in the same way as a full on web purchase with the added benefit that you’ve got them in-store where sales staff can take over to try and cross/up sell as well as showing them the rest of your product range.
• Local Shopping – A product currently in Beta from Google, Local Product Search allows retailers to link their CMS to Google search so consumers can find specific products that are in stock and available to purchase nearby. Once they’ve found the right product at the right price, a map, phone number or e-commerce site is presented to complete the transaction. Tracking the customers once they come in to store then becomes a little trickier, but a reserve sytem or e-voucher will help this.

Progress is therefore being made to address the online to offline tracking conundrum, and whilst Google’s research is by no means perfect it certainly highlights that steps need to be taken to improve measurability in the near future.

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With just over a week to go until Mothering Sunday it’s not too late to capture searches with Google Insights showing a steady increase in the level of searches from mid Feb, but the peak is still expected towards the middle of next week.

In terms of search trends, the term ‘mothers day gift’ continues to receive considerably more UK searches than ‘mothers day present’, but overall ‘mothers day gifts’ is the key volume driver.

Last year saw an increase in the search term ‘mothers day offers’, but we have not seen a repeat of search volumes this year and the following terms are seeing the highest rises:

Seeing the rise in searches for ‘when is mothers day’, and the below graph displaying the increased volumes of searches for this term in 2011, there is a potential opportunity to gain lower CPC exposure for this highly competitive period.

If we complete a search for the term ‘when is mothers day’ we can see that only four paid search ads appear in the listings.  It might be worth testing the term in your AdWords account along with some clever messaging such as ‘Mothers Day 3rd April – Don’t disappoint your Mum this year and order her card & flowers today ‘.

This is just one simple example of how monitoring search trends and being cleverer than your competition can enable you to compete against larger search budgets.

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