The Trada Blog

[PODCAST] Internet Ads Update: Increase Your PPC CTR

February 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The excellent Brad Geddes, Google-approved AdWords Seminar Leader and Friend-of-Trada, published an article in Search Engine Land this week: 8 Quick Ways to Increase Your AdWords CTR.

Lionhearted world travelers Anna Sawyer and Matt Hessler were so impressed with the article, they called in from their trip to Brooklyn, NY, home of groundbreaking rapper Biggie Smalls.

In this episode of Internet Ads Update, Matt and Anna comment and offer additions to Brad’s tips and (respectfully!) disagree with one of his CTR-boosting methods.

EXCITING BONUS FEATURE! Subscribe and listen to the podcast for a chance to win a $25 Amazon.com giftcard!

As always, we want to rap our love for your questions and topic suggestions. Leave them in the comments or email us at podcast@trada.com!

For the latest internet advertising news delivered straight to your iTunes…

Have questions about Trada? Sign up for our webinar this Tuesday. One lucky attendee will win a $100 gift card!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Google AdWords Study Guide

February 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Guest post by Marianne Pratt

More and more businesses of all types are taking advantage of pay-per-click advertising. But it can be daunting, especially if you’re trying to go it alone. You need to learn the language, the mechanics of how it all works and – most especially – the nuances of each step that will help you put PPC to work most profitably.

So maybe you’re just starting out. Or perhaps you’re already working in the PPC environment and have hands-on experience with AdWords, in which case it’s time to delve deeper or learn about the latest AdWords updates direct from the source.

Wherever you are in this continuum, you can gain the knowledge you need by studying toward Google AdWords Professional certification. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

10 Tips for Bringing Your A-Game to Tradeshows

January 31, 2012 By 1 Comment

If you’ve ever been to an industry tradeshow, you’ve seen them. Those booths that look like they have an interesting product you’d like to learn more about, but the booth set-up and staff say, “go away, we have more important things to do.”Tradeshows are a high stakes gamble with your precious marketing resources. Where else do you spend $20,000 in 2-3 days and take multiple people out of the office who could be working on other things, with virtually no opportunity to course correct once you’re there? If you’re going to make tradeshows a profitable marketing program, you have to bring you’re A-game or your risk blowing a bunch of money with nothing to show for it.

Here are 10 tips to make your next tradeshow a success:

  1. Have a goal, and hold everyone to it.

In my view, tradeshows aren’t a branding tactic. Sure, there is value in having your brand visible to your prospects attending tradeshows, but at the end of the day, all of our marketing programs at Trada are about generating qualified opportunities that lead to sales.  So before you decide to attend a tradeshow, determine what it’s going to cost you, what your target cost per lead or close is, and then set goals for leads and qualified opportunities for the show. If you don’t think there are enough attendees at the show to meet that goal, skip it.

Everyone working the booth should know what the goals are and be held accountable for meeting them. It will set the tone for everyone working with the booth and keep them focused on the task at hand. Your booth team should track their progress to goals hourly throughout the show to be sure they’re on pace to meet the goal. [Read more...]

Filed Under: SMB Marketing

What is Retargeting and How Can I Make It Work for my Business?

January 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Guest post by Marianne Pratt

“Retargeting advertising” is a phrase that may seem rather mind-boggling at first, but it’s actually a subject you should get to know better.  “Retargeting” refers to using  sophisticated online targeting technology to repeatedly put your brand in front of searchers who have already shown an interest in your products or services but who have not yet become paying customers.

Because retargeting advertising campaigns are behavior-based and extremely refined, this relatively new marketing technique is growing in popularity with all types of marketers – both publishers and advertisers, especially retailers.

How retargeting advertising works.

  • You visit XYZ website to investigate a product, maybe even go so far as to put something in your shopping cart, but you don’t buy anything.
  • While you’re there, the XYZ website marks your computer with a “cookie” it then uses to track your online activity for the next several days or even weeks.
  • As you continue to search, you see ads appear for XYZ’s product that you viewed.
  • Is this a coincidence?  Not at all — you’re being retargeted.  It’s a very deliberate effort by marketers to stay visible and available to prospects.  Using retargeting keeps your brand and products top-of-mind, to attract browsers back and ultimately convert them to customers. [Read more...]
Filed Under: Uncategorized

How to Determine Keywords for PPC

January 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Guest post by Marianne Pratt

Figuring out just the right keywords to use for your pay-per-click advertising can seem as elusive as finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. The good news is that there’s more than one needle out there, and there are plenty of tools to help you find the sharpest ones. You just need to conduct a little keyword research.

The best keywords for search engine optimization (SEO) and PPC are not necessarily the same, so you need to think differently and research specifically for PPC. Success depends on selecting the words and phrases that will be most effective and also cost-effective.

It’s all about ROI. Your ads need to be seen, but they also have to attract clicks and generate sales. Betting on the wrong keywords can be extremely costly, a total waste of advertising resources.

Your keyword research goal is to find choices that are specific enough to your business and products to separate you from your competition. Using a variety of specific keywords can help maintain ad display frequency while keeping cost per click (CPC) lower. Look for even more specific “niche” keywords, as they can be even more valuable. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Keywords

Marketing Tools: Optimizely

January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever wanted to change something on your website because you have a hunch that it will perform better? But maybe you aren’t a developer, and you’re unsure if it will ACTUALLY improve your conversions or for whatever goal you’re aiming.

Optimizely to the rescue! Simple, fast, and powerful. Optimizely is a dramatically easier way for you to improve your website through A/B testing. Create an experiment in minutes with their easy-to-use visual interface with absolutely no coding or engineering required!

Why You Need It

1. Super Easy

Enter the URL, create versions of the page you’re testing, and test! It REALLY is that simple. You can choose the element you want to change, (font size, color, the message, etc) and see which version performs best!

2. YOU Can Do It!

“It’s awesome!” says our Marketing Manager, Anna Sawyer. And that’s because SHE can do it herself! With Optimizely, there’s no need for a developer or coder to change the page. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Marketing Tools

How to Market Your Business With Email Marketing

January 25, 2012 By 2 Comments

Check out Trada’s other posts in our online marketing series: How to Market Your Business on Twitter, How to Market Your Business on Facebook, How to Market Your Business with a Blog, and  How to Market Your Business with Video. Leave us a tip of your own on marketing with email, and the best comment will win a $25 Amazon gift card. Comments must be made by Sunday, January 29 at 11pm ET.

E-mail marketing is an extremely effective tool — if used correctly. I learned from the lessons of hard knocks on what to do and what not to do. As with everything, it’s always better to ask the experts. This time we asked experts from Marketo, SendGrid and social media agency Room 214 for their thoughts on how to use email marketing, understanding regulations and how to create email marketing lists.

Meet the Experts:

Tim Falls, a Community Manager for SendGrid, an email delivery system that simplifies the process and produces better results. Check out his SendGrid’s blog and follow him on Twitter @timfalls.

 

Maria Pergolino, Sr Director of Marketing at marketing software automation system, Marketo.  Check out the Marketo blogs and follow Maria on Twitter @InboundMarketer.

 

Ingrid Getzan, Group Practice Director at social media agency Room 214. Check out the Room 214 blog, Capture the Conversation and follow Ingrid on Twitter @igetzan.

 

 

Email marketing is one of the most heavily regulated online marketing components. What do companies need to know before getting started with email marketing?

Ingrid Getzan: Companies need to know the very basics;  go with a trusted email software company, don’t buy lists, don’t use certain words in the subject line that will be marked as spam, know an acceptable frequency to send emails, and most importantly, know your plan.

Too many businesses send out emails because they think they should, without having a clear agenda of what they would like to communicate. There is no better way to get blacklisted then sending out irrelevant or spammy emails – a sure way to kill your email marketing efforts immediately. Sit down and figure out at least a 6 month plan of what you want to tell to your subscribers. Figure out why they want to receive your email and make the information within your email valuable to them. Don’t just pick a template or extend promotional offers to them – make it exclusive and worth their time.

Maria Pergolino: Get familiar with Can-Spam Laws – this goes far beyond the laws in your country, extending to anywhere you market.  Just because you are in the US, doesn’t mean can ignore laws in other countries you sell your goods.  To learn about Can-Spam Laws, check out this great guide by the FTC.   [Read more...]

Filed Under: SMB Marketing

Top 10 Industries in AdWords Spending

January 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Google’s 2011 earnings were announced recently as “disappointing,” but they still made $37.9 billion in advertising revenues. Have you ever wondered which industries are contributing the most to that number? Our friends at Wordstream have put together a stellar infographic detailing who spent what in Google AdWords, as well as the top five biggest spenders in each industry. Check out the infographic below, and head over to Wordsteam’s blog to see Larry Kim’s analysis of the results.

Interested in more paid search news and tips? Subscribe to our blog!

Filed Under: Advertising

How to Get Started in PPC

January 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Guest post by Marianne Pratt

Are you finally ready to give pay-per-click (PPC) advertising a try? Maybe you’ve dabbled in PPC but your efforts need a boost. Or perhaps you’ve put your proverbial toe in the water and now think PPC may be a career opportunity for you. Knowing how to get started in PPC will ensure your next steps take you where you want to go.

Used properly, PPC can make your marketing more efficient, producing greater search engine visibility, more traffic, higher quality leads and quickly quantifiable results. Just being able to track and control your advertising can do wonders for your ROI.

Follow these basics on how to get started in PPC:

  • Do your homework. Google is the easiest place to start, because they offer lots of help. You can even earn an AdWords certificate.
  • Set goals and identify metrics to analyze results. [Read more...]
Filed Under: Paid Search, PPC Tips

[PODCAST] Internet Ads Update: Search Plus Your World

January 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Search Plus Your World is causing quite the kerfuffle since its US release last week, and we’re being bombarded with burning questions! How does it work? How can I, as a marketer, capitalize on Search Plus Your World? And is this just a slippery slope toward a dystopian alternate-universe future where the education we get from the internet is inconsistent with that of others’ and is subject to factors outside of our control?!

In this 8-minute podcast, intrepid world-travelers Matt Hessler and Anna Sawyer call in from their trip around the world to offer practical advice for digital marketers. This week, they’re in orbit above New Zealand in the International Space Station with a macro view of the potential effects Search Plus Your World will have on Planet Earth. They cover:

- How does Search Plus Your World work?
- What does it mean to marketers?
- What are steps marketers can take to protect their place in the organic and paid search rankings?

As always, your comments, topic suggestions and compliments are like the rich oxygen that fills our lungs. Leave them in the comments or email us at podcast@trada.com!

For the latest internet advertising news delivered straight to your iTunes…

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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