The Importance Of Online Search To Small Businesses
Since 70% of US households utilize the web shopping locally, and 25% of surfers search for local information, whether for businesses or for searchers, the Internet is a very powerful tool. This trend will continue to grow rapidly as broadband connection is becoming faster than ever.
Search engines have become the new platforms to find local and international products and services. However, large n ational and international brands typically dominate the Internet search marketing. Unfortunately, only they have the manpower and the resources to plan and implement an online search advertising program. But, this doesn’t mean that small players can’t join the internet marketing game too.
Why must your company join the Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising game, together with the big players? US Bancorp Piper Jaffray tells you why. In his study, he indicates that the average lead from a search engine costs $0.29; Yellow pages and direct mail leads cost $1.18 and $ 9.94 respectively. So, search engine advertising delivers four leads at the price of one Yellow page lead and 34 at the cost of one direct mail lead.
That’s not everything PPC advertising can do for your business. It can expand your market like you’ve never imagined. It targets more, higher income consumers, and money-wise, it is measurable and cost-effective. Don’t be like some companies that will reason out why they shouldn’t take this great opportunity. If there is a will, there is a way. To answer your marketing queries, you can work on Google, Yahoo and MSN’s PPC marketing programs. They would disseminate your adverts across multiple websites, if you have Pay Per Click campaigns from either one of them. However, you still have to manage much of the program itself.
There are new services that let small and local businesses to effectively and efficiently touch clients on the Internet and only in the specific geographic areas where there businesses operate. Some services select the sites on which your ads appear, manage keywords across advertisers, optimize your keywords on a daily basis and even provide a free site for those businesses without one. Yet again, these services all make your leads measurable and cost-effective. You get daily reports on web visits, emails and telephone calls generated by your campaign.
PPC search advertising is perfect for high cost local transactions such as home purchases, mortgages, or medical services. If you don’t have the manpower and the resources to compete with national and international companies, go local instead. PPC internet advertising will definitely be a valuable help to your online advertising investment