Geofencing Advertising: Contextual Search

 

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The business owners you meet have probably done a search engine marketing or pay per click campaign.

They may currently have monthly search engine optimization services being done.

These are very good things.  They are important.  Ranking on Google should be a priority for any business.

Google owns about a quarter of the Internet and we know it is the number one place people go when looking for a business.

This is the reason business owners should be working hard to rank well.

The strategy of search engine optimization focuses on making your website rank well in the organic section of Google.

This is accomplished by creating informational content with targeted keywords and search terms.

Search engine marketing is a strategy of bidding on keywords to rank high in the paid section of google.

Let’s talk a little bit about search engine marketing or pay per click.

Search Engine Marketing and Pay Per Click

When you speak with business owners, you must educate them that ranking well is not the only path to success online.

Let’s go back to pay per click.  Some businesses are great for paid search, like plumbers or electricians.  When someone needs a plumber, they probably go to Google and search clogged toilet, or need local plumber.

A big challenge with pay per click is that it can be very competitive.  Google currently shows 3-4 paid links at the top of the page.  They sometimes list a couple of paid links at the bottom of the search results page as well.

So, if you have more than 4 businesses in the local area that want to rank on the front page for the same keyword, they are going to have to outbid their competition.  It can be very competitive.

When I say competitive, what I really mean is expensive.  In an online search landscape, business owners bid for higher positions.  The more competition, the higher the cost per click.

You can see how quickly costs can escalate.

How Geofencing Advertising Solves this Problem

Now, let’s get back to search engine optimization or ranking high in the free section.

This is a very challenging strategy because the playing field is always changing.

Here is a fun little fact, Google changes its ranking algorithms 500-600 times a year.

Let’s talk about contextual search.

Contextual search features the newest artificial intelligence available.

In the past, contextual search was based on keywords.  Someone would do a Google Search.  Google would match up the keywords on a website.  Then Display would deliver ads relative to those keywords.

This process has gotten so much more refined through innovations in artificial intelligence.

Now… Programs are Scanning Websites for Meaning and Matching that up on Predictive User Intent.

This is search on steroids.  Identifying user intent allows for placement of relevant ads.

That’s exactly what we are trying to do.

Contextual search is a powerful marketing tool for getting relevant ads in front of the user.

Remember to use a mix of strategies.

Contextual search should always be a the top of the list.

Now let’s get back to the business owner.

Businesses that are struggling to rank should consider targeted display.

Let’s say we are talking to a business owner who has a business ranking well on Google.   How do we get them to see the value of a targeted display ad campaign?

First step is to let the business owner know how little time users actually spend on Google.

If someone is doing 4 searches a day and each search takes about 10 seconds, the average user is spending about 40 seconds a day on Google.

The same average user is on the internet about 3 hours a day.  It’s about an average of 2 hours, 59 minutes and 20 seconds that the average user is not on Google.

This is known as the rest of the internet.

Users are surfing websites, using apps, playing games, checking ball scores, planning trips, researching breathing habits of the Tahitian fruit fly… is where display ads appear.

Business owners are missing out on vast opportunities if their sole purpose is to rank during that 40 second window.

Geofencing Advertising Impacts Prospects Throughout the Complete Sales Process

From top of the funnel brand awareness to direct response.

Let’s go back to search for a minute.  As people surf and leave digital breadcrumbs, they do a few keyword searches and start seeing ads.

They read content related to the business’s product and services, they start seeing ads.

Visit the businesses website, then leave, they start seeing ads.

Then, visit the businesses physical location or one of the physical locations of their competitors, they start seeing ads.

Seeing these ads along the sales process has a real impact when they are ready to buy.

What does the person who has seen a lot of relevant ads do when they are ready to buy?

They search the name of the business that was featured in the ads.  It’s called a branded search.

Because the search is for the business name, the business probably ranks #1 in organic search.

Even if they are bidding on their own name with paid search, it is usually a very inexpensive keyword.

Remember this.  Targeted Display influences the shopper at all points in the buying cycle.

When they are ready to buy, they look for the business by name.  The business can easily capture the lead.

Targeted Display and Search go together like crackers and cheese, like peanut butter and jelly.  I will let you come up with a couple of other things that go together.

Here is a final point I need to make.

Search doesn’t like to share credit with targeted display

Remember, only about 8% of people click on targeted ads.  Shoppers will have the ads following them around the internet.  They will go back to Google and search for the business by name.

This means the ad worked, even if the shopper didn’t click on it. Quite simply, geofencing advertising works in a passive way.  It creates familiarity with brands.

So, if you are keeping score, search gets the credit when all the heavy lifting was done by targeted display.

Don’t be fooled into thinking display isn’t working because of a low click thru rate.

Remember, a targeted display campaign will yield:

• Increased brand searches

• More traffic

• Increased calls or store traffic

• Increased sales

Know that display is doing its job.

Christopher Seminatore is the owner of GetGeofencing.com

He is a frequent guest lecturer at UC Irvine Masters Division, teaching hyper local marketing techniques.  Chris became familiar with location targeting technology serving in the US Naval Military Intelligence during the Gulf War.  His passion is geofencing advertising and motorcycle enthusiast.