Archives for August 2013

Importance VS Urgency in PPC Advertising

August 28, 2013 by Justin Miller 2 Comments

A few years ago I had someone explain to me the difference between urgent and important. From what I can remember from this conversation, urgent matters were those that needed a decision within a short period of time. Important things were those that are crucial and must get done to accomplish a goal or task. This was explained to me so that I would 1) understand the difference and 2) not confuse the two. In today’s world of instant gratification, it seems that urgency is being given more and more importance, and the two are being blended and confused. One area where this is becoming increasingly evident is in advertising, specifically Online Advertising. Ads are written in a matter to entice the user to not only click, but to convert (buy, sign-up, or another desired action) after the click. As the writer of PPC ads it is up to us as to how to entice them. Should they be pressured into making a rushed decision or shown the benefit and importance of what they could get?

Urgency within PPC Ads

Urgency in PPC ads is easy to spot. All one has to do is look for the call to action – Buy Now, Sign-up Today, etc. Although creating a sense of urgency in a user may lead some to quickly buy, it may also push others away resulting in a loss of a sale. In some cases a sense of urgency already exists, like for repair services. For instance no one wants to wait forever to fix a leaky pipe. So an ad copy that reads “Call Now for a Plumber” creates urgency, but it matches the already urgent situation. Whereas “Buy Shoes Today” is creating urgency just to create urgency. A new pair of shoes is rarely, if ever an urgent matter.

Showing Importance in PPC

Rather than cresting urgency, the Ad Copy could tell the importance of purchasing the product or service. Focusing on the importance tells the user of the benefits of your product/service. Instead of creating urgency in the call to action in the shoe example above, explain that the shoes are the latest style, cheaper, more comfortable, or any other feature and/or benefit. Give the user a reason to click the ad and take a look at your shoes, instead of trying to pressure them into a rushed purchase. Below are examples of urgency vs. importance focused Ad Copy.

The first Ad Copy is very pushy. Focused heavily on price and getting you to buy and buy NOW. The second on the other hand is more tailored to the use of the shoes and the importance/purpose of the purchase of the shoes.

Is Urgent or Important Better for Your PPC Ads

Neither is wrong or right, rather there is a time and place for both types and focuses. And of course they can be a combination of both focuses within the character limits. The question is which focus and tactic is best for your product/service. The only way to know is through continual testing of PPC ad copy.

Here are a few questions to ask to help discover which focus might work best for your Ads:

Is there a natural time crunch with your product/service? (i.e. resolving a leaky pipe for plumbing services.)
Is your ideal customer concerned with features/benefits or speed/timing?
Are impulse sales sustainable for your company?
How long is your sales cycle – does it make sense to try to rush potential customers?

Try focusing ad copy on both urgency and importance, and let us know the results of your testing in comments. Is urgency needed to generate clicks and conversions? Or are people searching for features and benefits of your products/services? Whichever may be the case, remember to stay focused on your customers and give them what they are searching and your PPC will help increase your sales (today – if you are looking for urgency.)

Debunking the Myth of Multitasking

August 21, 2013 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

First Things First: You Cannot Multitask

This isn’t ‘new news’ by any stretch, but it’s terribly easy to forget—our brains are only truly capable of focusing on one thing at a time. According to Earl Miller, a neuroscience professor at MIT, rather than being able to focus on multiple things at once, we’re simply shifting our focus at a very high speed. Another neuroscientist, Daniel Weissman, of the University of Michigan, points out in the same NPR article that we “frequently overestimate our ability to handle multiple tasks”. The real question here is—what do we do about it? How do we meet deadlines while knowing that we can’t truly juggle a million things at once?

Get Organized

While it’s tempting to continue to think that we can “do everything all the time,” it’s best to move forward and figure out a better method for managing our workloads.

There are several methods for getting organized, so find what works best for you. Do you use Outlook to keep track of tasks, deadlines, and a journal of your time spent? Do you prefer good, old-fashioned pen and paper to do lists? From a structured method for planning your meetings to prioritizing your tasks, being organized will serve you across the board as it applies to accomplishing your goals.

Communicate with Co-workers

A great tip I acquired at a SkillPath Seminar entitled, “Managing Multiple Projects, Objectives and Deadlines” (which is where the myth of multitasking was truly driven home for me) was to enlist the help of others to stay organized. Ensuring that your communication is clear and understandable allows for all members of the team to be aware of your goals. If you don’t clearly communicate to your team that you’ll be devoting your afternoon to finishing up documentation for a project, they may continue to (lovingly, of course) push you toward working on a different project. Use your newfound organizational techniques to share your plans with your team and encourage them to get organized as well—it’s a win-win situation.

Don’t Forget to Breathe

Transitioning from believing in your ability to multitask to an organization-based method of operation can be stressful—don’t forget to breathe! While you certainly can’t expect perfection from yourself, you can consistently work toward bettering your personal system for managing your workload. Get organized, communicate with your co-workers, and experience your focus and productivity levels increase exponentially.

Have you made the mental move away from believing in multi-tasking? How’s it going? Let us know in the comments!

The Pitfalls of Isolating Digital Marketing

August 7, 2013 by Dabrian Marketing Group 1 Comment

What is Digital Marketing?

For years, traditional marketing was the primary form of communication between businesses and their potential customers. It helped these businesses to create brand awareness and get the word out to potential customers about their product or service. Although traditional marketing continues to play a huge role in the business world, digital marketing has become just as, if not more, important. As the use of the Internet continues to soar, so does digital marketing. For the most part, digital marketing provides an inexpensive alternative to traditional marketing. When it comes down to it, business professionals are looking for “instant gratification,” two words that are not necessarily associated with the traditional side of the house. Digital Marketing gives businesses better insights into what marketing tactics are working and if those investments are contributing to ROI.

How Can Digital Isolation Affect Your Business?

When it comes to engaging in digital marketing, decision makers too often think that a single service is going to drastically impact their business and instantly change the competitive landscape. The fact of the matter is, looking at digital marketing in its entirety and developing well-thought-out digital strategies are what lead to success. When you isolate digital marketing, it can open the door to reckless budget spending on campaigns with no way of accurately measuring performance. Failing to see digital as a whole can greatly reduce your chances of reaching your target audience and leave you looking up at your competitors.

Putting the Pieces Together

Digital marketing can be very puzzling to some. It’s important to realize that digital marketing is not a solo act; it is performed in unison. Only when you begin to look at digital marketing as whole instead of one element or service, will you begin to see better results. For example, while social media is a great way to increase brand awareness and manage brand reputation, it does not often directly impact conversions and sales. However, increased brand awareness can help drive more site traffic and improve search engine optimization–related metrics. Ultimately, the more site traffic you gain, the more likely you are to generate conversions and see increased ROI.

Conclusion

As we move throughout the 21st century and beyond, digital marketing will continue growing and become a vital step toward a business reaching its organizational goals and objectives. Building and developing long-term relationships and strategies is what digital marketing is all about. The sooner you begin to realize that digital marketing is not just as simple as a one off service, the better off they will be.