keep hearing the term sponsored search. What does it mean?
Sponsored search is just another term for search engine pay-per-click advertising. It happens to be what Yahoo calls their program. Google calls its AdWords and AdSense, Microsoft calls its paid search program adCenter, but they are all essentially the same thing.
Search engines are how we find what we want online. Without them, navigating the Internet would be impossible. So obviously everybody wants their site to appear near the top of the rankings, but that's easier said than done. Even with great search engine optimization, prime placement in the organic or free listings is a crap-shoot. There are too many uncontrollable variables that can cause search results to vary wildly. Paid search is one option for site owners to consistently get their listing in front of more eyes. It has earned a reputation for satisfying users' need for relevant search results and advertisers' desire for qualified Web site traffic.
Do you feel that buying mailing lists for your "target" market/clients is cost effective?
I'm not an advocate of buying lists. If the list you buy is a dog, you're stuck with some expensive garbage. Renting a list costs a bit more but it's less risky. Either way, you can't weigh cost or any other metrics until the conclusion of the campaign when the results are in.
Somehow, I think your bigger question is. "Is direct mail cost effective?" The answer is yes. Mailings are still a very effective and cost-effective way to reach the people you want to sell to. The stigma that direct mail doesn't work or that it's just a numbers game is bunk. I have yet to see a good campaign fail. Sadly, good campaigns happen about as often as my teenage son volunteers for chores.
When you do your mail campaign, please don't over-focus on the list and gloss over the mailer itself. A good list is important but it's not everything. Most of what arrives in mailboxes today is a waste of paper, ink, postage and my time. No wonder the response rates are so grim. It doesn't have to be that way.
Done right, direct mail is tough to beat for results. A strategically sound campaign and a so-so list will blow the socks off of a run-of-the-mill campaign with a top-dollar list. We designed a mailing once that pulled a 29 percent response rate and resulted in a record-breaking promotion for the company. I've seen quite a few others that beat the odds as well. The secret is thinking it through.
Strategy is what makes the difference between a money-maker and a bank-breaker. Tip the Success-O-Meter in your favor with a big idea, an irresistible offer and great messaging. When they're on-point, your phones won't stop ringing.
In my blog today I'll share Seven Tips for Direct Mail Success. Read it by logging on to the business page of The Bradenton Herald (www.bradenton.com/business) and clicking on the graphic for Attention Marketers.
Cindy Ritchie is the principle of Confluent Creative Marketing & Web. She can be reached by e-mail or at 722-9120.
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Got a marketing question? Get it answered here by e-mailing CindyRitchie@ConfluentCreative.com. She is the principle of Confluent Creative Marketing & Web, 717 Manatee Ave. W. in Bradenton. She can be reached at (941) 722-9120.
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