A client recently engaged us to help with their online marketing. As part of that process, I reviewed their Google Adwords account and found that their ads did not really speak to their target audience. This explained why they were having trouble converting traffic into leads.
Their message was very broad and their offering was very specific. It’s like advertising that you sell vegetables when all you are really selling are tomatoes. That meant that many of the people coming to their website would find a landing page that was not really what they were looking for.
That is a huge waste of advertising expense when you are paying per click. Not to mention that you are frustrating searchers. Unfortunately, this is a problem that I frequently see, particularly with search engine advertising. Companies want to cast a wide net, but they are wasting a lot of their advertising dollars in doing so.
To make your advertising more effective, you really want to create a message that resonates only with your target market. For example, we are planning a pay-per-click campaign for a client who is a mortgage broker. While we could advertise the lowest rate, that does not match with how they serve clients.
Instead, we will create ads that focus on why just looking for the lowest rate is not the best approach. You need someone to understand your specific situation and how much loan you can really afford to find a loan that is the right fit. That type of ad will bring in the right kind of prospect versus someone who is just rate shopping.
It’s easy to focus on traffic from advertising (and that is what many reps want you to focus on). However, it is much more important to ensure you are attracting the right kind of traffic. Because prospects that are a great fit are much more likely to actually become clients.
So look at any marketing messages you are using. Ensure that your messaging specifically speaks to the people who are your ideal target market. That will deliver more prospects who are the right fit for your business.