Online Advertising Strategies

Today is our birthday—ten years! A decade. It’s crazy.

We’ve changed a lot over the past 10 years, growing from a small SoCal search marketing company into an international organization serving over 100,000 customers in 14 countries. And of course Search Engine Marketing itself has changed completely. How?

Growth

This is kind of obvious, but it’s the biggest change. Used to be, search marketing was explored with the leftovers of companies’ marketing budgets. Humble beginnings for a now $20 billion dollar industry. These days companies are shrinking their display and TV marketing budgets to buy more online ads and…

Online Videos

When we started, we didn’t offer online videos. Back in 2001, there was no real reason to. But today, online videos are the fastest growing ad medium. We went from no videos, to extremely low-tech videos made in PowerPoint, to partnering with professional automated video production company Stupeflix. Then, this June we began accepting live footage from customers to incorporate into these videos.

Marketing Style

Marketing styles are constantly evolving. Currently, we’re moving away from interruptive marketing and towards an informal exchange between business and consumer (like blogging). The goal is to create trust. Consumers are skeptical of traditional marketing messages and want transparency so they can make informed decisions. This is especially important when marketing to millennials (people ages 18-34).

Social Media

Yelp. Facebook. Twitter. Social media has become a huge force in marketing. Recently we began offering a reputation monitoring service. We track and provide an overview of reviews and ratings, what’s being said on networking sites and how your reputation compares to your competitors.

Mobile Search

This is probably the biggest change happening currently. More and more people are searching for products/services on their mobile device. Your website or landing page may look great on a computer screen, but how will it look on a phone?


SEM has grown a lot over the past 10 years. And, for the small to medium business owner, this is good news. No longer does one need a big budget to create a strong, effective marketing campaign.

So good luck marketing! And Happy Birthday to us!

-Written by WebVisible’s Austin Sheeley

I came across a story recently that I wanted to share, as it is about something very dear to me—milkshakes.

Wanting to improve their milkshake sales, a fast food company segmented its market “by product (milkshakes) and by demographics.” They then surveyed each demographic to find out what characteristics they liked in a milkshake—thick, thin, fruity, chocolatey, etc. The company adjusted their milkshakes accordingly and…

Nothing happened.

Sales did not improve.

Enter Harvard professor and marketing guru Clay Christensen. He believes in marketing according to "jobs-to-be-done" and advised thinking in terms of customers “hiring” their milkshake to do a “job.” To figure out what job this was, he staked out one of the fast food company’s restaurants and recorded “Who was buying milkshakes, when they bought them and whether they drank them on the premises.”

Turns out, 40% of milkshakes were bought by commuters first thing in the morning. The next morning, Christensen returned and asked the customers “What job they had hired the milkshake to do.” After receiving many a blank stare or raised eyebrow, he learned that the customers had a long, boring drive ahead of them and needed something to do—such as sucking a thick milkshake through a thin straw. Milkshake drinking was a more interesting activity than, say, doughnut eating, not to mention tidier and deliciouser.

And so, with this new information, the fast food company concocted a milkshake better fitting their customers’ need—a thicker and more interesting (i.e. chunky) milkshake—and the day was saved!

Why do customers “hire” your service or product? If you run a business transporting vehicles, do they hire you to save them a boring trip? Or to save wear and tear on their car? Maybe you sell windows. Do your customers “hire” these windows to save money on energy bills or to make their home more beautiful? Or some other reason entirely?

Knowing what “job” customers “hire” your service/product to do can help you market more effectively. To learn how we can help you market online, check out our fancy new website. Good luck!

By: Austin Sheeley

Some business owners skeptical if the long-term payoffs are worth the cost

You’ve seen the emails and heard the radio ads. Internet-based “daily deal” coupons are becoming a large part of the online advertising industry. But are such offers worth the cost for an auto repair shop or other small to medium-sized business? Some say no, while other business owners report they are gaining new customers–and profits–from the venture.

A June 2011 survey of small businesses by MerchantCircle finds that the leading reason companies like daily deals is customer acquisition (58%). At the same time, the top reason for not offering a daily deal again (42.4%) was their failure to attract new customers. Hmmm, perhaps more data will help answer our question.

Two surveys back up the belief that daily deals attract new customers. The first, a survey conducted by Utpal M. Dholakia at Rice University, found that new customers made up more than 77% of deal buyers. All of them spent over the value of the deal offer and, on average, about 20% became repeat customers. The second study, done by ConsumerSearch.com and The About Group, discovered that an overwhelming majority of those who had used a daily deal returned– even without another discount. Fifty-three percent of redeemers went on to become regular customers.

Businesses who were skeptical about the value of daily deals expressed concern about giving discounts to consumers who would have patronized the establishment anyway. According to a ForeSee Results survey, there is some basis for this concern. The largest share of daily deal users – thirty-eight percent—said they were already loyal to the business offering a deal. However, nearly a third of those taking advantage of a daily deal special were new customers, and the same percentage were customers who had either visited only occasionally or had stopped patronizing the establishment altogether.

So what’s the answer? Are daily deals worth it? Looks like the jury is still out. But one thing is certain. As this graphic demonstrates, an on-going search engine advertising campaign will put in front of people who are ready to buy, when they’re ready to buy – not when your “daily deal” happens to hit their email box. This is especially important in the auto industry, where people who need services or products typically need them right now.

WebVisible has more than 10 years of experience helping local businesses establish an effective online marketing presence through fully-managed online search advertising programs that generate predictable results. Contact WebVisible today for more information on how search advertising can help grow your auto-related business.

As a small or medium-sized business owner, it can be difficult to differentiate your business from competitors who are marketing a similar product or service. In order to attract new customers, begin to think mobile! Mobile phone users rely on their phones to provide them with the services they need. By taking advantage of mobile technology, you can stand out from your competitors and target potential customers in your immediate area.

Mobile local search use continues to grow. In January 2011, 77.1 million mobile subscribers accessed local content on a mobile device, up 34 percent from the previous year. Local content users accounted for 33 percent of mobile subscribers, with 87 percent owning a GPS-capable handset (up 9 percent from the previous year).

To take advantage of mobile search, make sure you are meeting the following requirements:

• Make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Mobile phone users are unlikely to view documents such as product brochures or menus  if they have to be downloaded.
• Content and images should load quickly in mobile browsers.
• List your business on search engine maps so customers can easily find you .
• List your business on free local search sites, such as CitySearch and Yelp.
• Register your business location on free mobile search apps, such as Foursquare and Facebook Places.

The search engine marketing professionals at WebVisible can help your business utilize mobile search technology. We offer cloud-based landing pages, which are easily accessible from mobile phones.

By: Elizabeth Smith

At WebVisible we want to do everything we can to add more value to our solutions, so we’re always keeping a close eye on how users interact with search engine marketing messages and online advertising. While ad text and landing pages continue to gain traction with users, online video is a medium that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention in the search engine marketing space until recently.

The good news is that it’s growing, and growing quick! According to a recent study by Visible Measures, viewership choice-based videos (videos the user chooses to watch) is on the rise. Online audiences saw as many as 600 million online video ads in Q2 of 2011, which translates to a 15% increase over the previous year. Online video ads are on track to surpass conventional television advertising! That’s impressive growth for a medium based on optional viewing, and Webvisible is capitalizing on that growth through our online video offering.

Video ads are proven to be a highly compelling advertising medium. Included in our landing page packages, our video product helps give our customers’ businesses a unique voice and a face. Whether it’s a dental practice or a law firm, we will put together a 30-second narrative or live action video tailored specifically to the needs of the business, complete with voiceover, eye-catching visuals and a script that emphasizes the best and most distinct aspects of the advertiser. And with our video team accepting live footage directly from customers, our videos have become an even better opportunity to speak for any advertiser in any industry.

Internet users are watching more online ads than ever before, and Webvisible’s there to ensure our advertisers reap the benefits. If you’re looking for new ways to get in touch with new users and potential customers to increase your bottom line, get in contact with WebVisible today!

By: Philip Betz

The notion of promoting local businesses is the foundation upon which WebVisible was built on. We eat, sleep and breathe local. And at a recent meeting, we literally ate local. At the request of one of our QA engineers, Mack, we ordered from a pizzeria across the street from our building. Before the meeting, Mack spoke about the delicious quality of the New York style pizza, but more specifically he spoke about the importance of supporting local businesses. Many of the popular pizza companies are owned by larger companies. Pizza Hut was a previous subsidiary of PepsiCo and is now a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. Dominos Pizza is owned by a private equity firm that was founded by former Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney. Why give those other guys our money when we could be supporting a company on our own block? Buying local is our motto and should be put into practice more often. Instead of pumping money into these large businesses, consider the benefits of investing in your bucks in your own backyard.

Community Prosperity

Locally owned businesses help strengthen community bonds through social and economic relationships. Suddenly, you and your neighbor have something to talk about besides property lines.

Spurs the Local Economy

Unlike large companies, locally owned businesses convert much of their revenue back into their local economy. By shopping local, you’re helping locally owned businesses help you. Talk about paying it forward.

Good for the Environment

Looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint? Instead of fighting traffic to get to that wholesale store, walk to your local market or town center. Local businesses tend to gravitate around lively compact shopping centers. Instead of driving to three different stores, walk around your local shopping center. It will help reduce gas usage, pollution and possibly your stress.

Increases Competition, Lowers Prices

A wide range of local businesses in one area helps to increase competition, which in turn ensures low prices. Bargain hunters, unite!

Reduces Cookie-Cutter Products

In a world where more products are mass produced, a little variety can be a good thing. Local businesses have the flexibility to select products and services based on their own interests and community needs. A broader range of product choices are made available. Whether you want an original pair of shoes or quality New York Style pizza, the choice is yours.

By: Melody Gandy

WebVisible is a leader in paid internet advertising, and our leadership continues to grow as we drive greater improvement and innovation. As we add to our products and bring quality advertising solutions to our customers, we've been able to make some great strides in the way we use videos on our Landing Pages. We've adopted new and flexible software, streamlined our techniques to get videos out in a faster timeframe, and we have continued to improve the processes we use to create videos that add real value for the customer. Our single most exciting improvement, however, is the addition of a live footage option to our video offering.

While we do produce our own in-house videos complete with voiceovers and compelling visuals, we've found that many of our customers already have video footage of their own available and would love to get it out there for users to see. So, whether it's a law practice or a dental office, we've given customers the option to submit their footage and have it incorporated into the video that comes with their Landing Page. From footage of a normal business day to testimonials from customers and employees, if it's a video, we may be able to use it!

We're excited to use customer-submitted video primarily as a way to further separate each of our customers from the competition and highlight the greatest aspects of their business. Our objective, as always, is to drive more user connections through phone or email to increase our customer's bottom line, and our new live footage initiative is yet another tool WebVisible can use to meet that goal. If you're interested in other ways we can show off the best parts of your small or medium-sized business, contact us today!

Most people understand the need for a refresh in life every once in a while. After two years,

WebVisible has decided to hit the refresh button and launch an all new www.WebVisible.com. The new Web site is more user-friendly with fewer pages than the previous one, showcasing the new products and services we are offering to our customers.

We have taken on a new approach in how we aim to help our customers be found online. Our low price introductory product, Web Presence, includes enhanced Landing Pages, a Video Spot, Mobile Landing Pages, Call Tracking Numbers, and Profiles and Directories, including custom profile listings on the major search networks such as Google, Bing and Facebook. It's extremely essential to keep track of your brand's online reputation, so in an effort to help our customers accomplish that, we have released our newest product, Reputation Monitoring. To learn more about all of our products and services, take a look at the Product Tour.

Visit www.WebVisible.com and click around. We would love to hear your feedback about the new Web site!

According to a recent Affinity Express survey of small to medium businesses (SMB), it appears the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is often overlooked. As shown in the following chart from the survey, 77% of SMBs are using websites and landing pages to market their businesses, but only 31% are using SEO to assure customers will easily find them online.

There are probably many reasons as to why the use of SEO is rather low in comparison to website and landing page usage (ie. limited resources, lack of knowledge, or perhaps businesses feel their products or services will speak for themselves). Whatever the reasons, SMBs need to realize that in today’s market, SEO is an integral part of any online marketing effort. It is not an option, it is a necessity.  Since most consumers today are searching online to find potential products and services available, a business must optimize the chances of their website being found on major search engines by using SEO.

SEO can be challenging for any business, especially smaller ones with limited resources since keeping up with the competition, popular search terms, and the ever-changing algorithms search engines like Google and Bing use is a continuous process. To meet this challenge, many businesses find out-sourcing this task more efficient. WebVisible is a Software as a Service (SaaS) company and leading name in local online advertising, known for being a true expert in bringing the Internet as an advertising and customer acquisition medium to small businesses around the world. WebVisible’s award winning Geneva software platform (named 2008 Internet Product of the Year by the American Electronics Association) contains a powerful optimizer – a rules-based campaign management algorithm that continuously learns and improves the placement and results of our clients’ advertisements. With over ten years of experience, WebVisible offers proven SEO results.

To learn more about how WebVisible can provide SEO solutions and other Internet marketing services, please feel free to contact us.

Millennials (18 – 34) are a huge demographic. When it comes to online marketing, this is both great news and a challenge.

The good news? They are on the internet. Constantly. In a recent survey looking at how young adults change spending in a recession, the two things millennials were least willing to sacrifice were “Internet connection” and “Mobile/smart phone” use. Over 50% wouldn’t even downgrade their internet connection in the face of recession.

Compare this to the more than 90% who were willing to downgrade or get rid of “Dining out,” “Magazine subscriptions,” or “Going out to the movies” and you see just how important internet use is to this demographic. No doubt online marketing is the way to reach them.



But there’s a challenge. According to eMarketer, millennials as a whole are “skeptical” and “distrustful of traditional marketing messages.” As a millennial myself, I agree wholeheartedly. If an advertiser tells me their product or service is amazing, this means nothing. Of course they would say that.

So who will millennials trust? Aside from the advertiser—anyone. When making a purchase, millennials rely “on the advice of friends, family or even strangers in the form of online reviews.”

I do the same thing whether I’m looking for an auto mechanic or simply trying to find a good movie to watch—I look up reviews/testimonials. Preferably brief ones. And the more there are the merrier. I want to know what other people thought of the service/product. Their testimony I trust. The advertiser’s testimony I don’t.

Case in point, I recently had to choose a new dentist. There were numerous dentists conveniently close to me covered by my dental plan. But one guy had a lot of strong, positive reviews. He’s now my dentist.

As eMarketer says, when it comes to online marketing “What appeals to them [millennials] is authenticity.” Therefore, to a large percentage of the population (specifically the online population), testimonies can be one of the most effective conversion tools.