The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article:
April 2007, Volume 6, Issue 4

Dressing for Success: Integrating Your Paid Search Campaign with Other Marketing Initiatives

by Jacqueline Gill, Paid Search Specialist, iProspect

To put it quite simply, I love to shop. Although some people are “shoe people” while others may be “purse people,” I consider myself an equal opportunity shopper. I truly believe the perfect pair of shoes deserves to be paired with the perfect purse.

A similar type of synchronization should be present within your marketing efforts. If you truly want to gain the most from your advertising dollars, it is important to utilize every avenue to its full potential. For example, if you work with one marketing vendor who handles your television advertising and another who runs your online paid search campaign (which is most often the case) it’s critical that you communicate effectively with both partners about what each is doing so that the two campaigns are integrated.

Communicate and Integrate

To illustrate this, imagine that you are a retailer and you are planning to announce a new line of summer sandals that will be available in-store and online, via television and paid search marketing. Here are a few things that you should do immediately:

Inform your paid search marketing vendor as early as possible about the new product, its features, and any special offers that may accompany the launch. This may seem like simple advice, but the sooner you let your vendor know about a new product or promotion, the more comprehensive your campaign will be.

If your product is only available in certain markets, let your paid search marketing vendor know! With geo-targeting and even demographic targeting opportunities available in some of the major engines, you can target your potential customers more directly.

Make sure you’re not just targeting the major search engines, like Google, Yahoo! and MSN, with sponsored listings where you have the ability to have your ads appear immediately. Look into some of the major shopping comparison engines like Froogle, NexTag and Shopping.com for other ways to get your message out.

What most marketers may find obvious, others still sometimes overlook – make sure your website’s URL appears prominently in your television ad.

Talk to the copywriting and design teams from both vendors to ensure the look, feel, and messaging (tagline, unique value proposition, etc.) is clear and consistent. Consistency across channels promotes loyalty among customers and prospects because they will easily recognize online advertisements and their landing pages if they have just viewed a television commercial with the same messaging, look and feel.

Run creative tests within your paid search campaign and you may also be able to translate this information back to other elements of your marketing mix.

If you are offering free shipping on all summer shoes over the next few months, a bonus that some prospects will immediately respond to, make sure this message appears within your television advertisement as well as your paid search creative. If you are already running keywords and creative that targets summer shoes, you may not realize the true impact a special offer will have on your click-through and conversion rate. And, having it appear with two different channels reinforces your message.

Just like a perfectly matched outfit, your paid search initiatives and other marketing endeavors deserve to work well, and compliment each other. By presenting a consistent image across all channels, you are taking full advantage of your marketing efforts.

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The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article: April 2007, Volume 6, Issue 4

Dressing for Success: Integrating Your Paid Search Campaign with Other Marketing Initiatives

The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article:
April 2007, Volume 6, Issue 4