Pay Per Click Marketing (PPC) can be a time consuming and daunting task for an advertiser. There is no sure fire way to guarantee success, but keeping in mind these essential principals will get you a lot closer to that ever elusive goal.
1. Select the right keywords - When creating a PPC Marketing campaign, keyword selection is often the first task at hand and is all too often not given the proper consideration by advertisers who target only the obvious high volume keywords. Complex keyword combinations of three, four, or more words often receive the highest click through rates and have the highest site conversion rates. These precisely targeted search terms may have lower search volumes than some of the more generic search phrases for your product or service, but lack of competition on these not so obvious terms not only means fewer competing sites for your potential visitor to click on, but often means lower pay per click costs as well. Also, don’t forget the common misspellings of those keywords, as the same benefits apply.
2. Choose the best search engines - Not all search engines are created alike. Depending on your market, some search engines may work better than others. For example, some studies have suggested that Google Adwords commands the lion’s share of volume for B2B search. Although this may be true, one must be careful not to ignore the lower volume, but high quality traffic that may be obtained through other engines such as Yahoo in this case. Second tier engines, although often disdained, may also be a source of high quality, low cost traffic. One should take the time to carefully test and monitor a variety of these secondary engines to find that “diamond in the rough”. Blogs and message boards are full of opinions as to which engines work, and which do not. Although they can be a good source of information, one should always exercise prudence and carefully test these engines for one’s self. You may be surprised at what you find.
3. Write effective ad copy - Although obvious, it cannot be overstated enough, write good ad copy. Beyond improving your writing skills, a technique that is often over looked is the evaluation of the effectiveness of the ad copy once published. After carefully adhering to every known proper copy writing technique, advertisers too often will proudly submit their ads, never to look at them again. Take the time to evaluate the click through rates of each of your ads. You may be able to identify offers, buzz words, or descriptions that seem to work better than others. You may find that the gem of an ad you spent so much time creating may not be attracting the attention of that tried and true ad you scrapped for it.
4. Select the proper landing pages - Okay, this is an obvious as well, but how many times have you clicked on a paid ad only to be left wondering why in the world you were sent to the page you find yourself on. Searchers are an impatient bunch, and if they can’t immediately find what they are looking for, you’ve lost them. Your website may change often, so when it does, don’t forget to think about where you are sending that paid traffic.
5. Establish success metrics - Whatever the desired action is for your site visitor, make sure you establish a success metric for it. Whether it is to generate email registrations, produce leads, or sell widgets, each action must have a metric established to determine success. What are you willing to pay for that lead? What is your target ROI for the sale of that widget? Without precise metrics, you have no way to evaluate the success of your Pay Per Click (PPC)campaigns at large, down to the effectiveness of the particular search engines they are running on, or the keywords you are using.
6. Track and measure everything - This is really a compilation of all the previous principals mentioned. Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing success is a combination of a variety of complex factors. Without diligent measurement and tracking of each measurable, identifying what is working and what is not amounts to nothing more than guess work. Test, measure, evaluate, and repeat is the mantra of the day in the online marketing world.
It sounds like a lot of work you say? Well it is, but spending the time to carefully test, measure, and evaluate your campaigns will be well worth your time. If you simply do not have the time, inclination, or expertise to tackle the process, then your best bet is to hire a Pay Per Click Marketing professional to do it for you. Either way, the returns will be well worth it.
Brad Snedden is the founder and President of Sawtooth Marketing http://www.SawtoothMarketing.com - a provider of paid search engine marketing solutions.
Opal has been treasured throughout history from the early Aztecs and Romans to Queen Victoria, who loved opals so much that she gave them away as wedding presents. They have adorned the crowns of the Holy Roman Emperor, and are set in the crown jewels of France. Josephine was given an opal with brilliant red flashes called “The Burning of Troy” by Napoleon. Roman historian Pliny described the beauty of opals as the combination of the beauty of all gems.
“Natures Fireworks” and “The Queen of Gems” are some of the superlatives that have been used to describe opal. The word itself - “opal” - may have several origins and differing suggestions as to its first use: One is that it comes from a Sanskrit word “upala,” simply meaning “precious stone.” Another is that the Romans knew it by different names
- “opthalmus,” from the Greek word for “eye,” and “paederes,” meaning both “child and “favourite.” Whatever the actual name origin; opal has been a favoured, valued stone throughout a long period of history.
The Australian Aboriginals believe that they have lived in Australia since the Dreamtime, the beginning of all creation. Over time, their culture has produced a rich variety of mythologies in hundreds of different languages. To the Aborigines, opals, like other minerals, have a spiritual value because they represent something a Dreaming ancestor left behind as a sign of their presence. The aboriginal Wangkumara tribe recount a legend of how their people gained fire from opal stones, with the assistance of a Muda - a creator who switches from human form to pelican:
“Long, long ago the Wangkumara people decided to send a pelican (Muda) to explore the Northern Territory, so he could return and tell them what was there. After a time, while still in Queensland, the pelican felt ill and landed on top of a hill. While resting, the pelican observed the ground beneath him, amazed by its magnificent array of colours. Being curious he began to peck at the coloured stones with his beak. Suddenly, a spark flew out and lit dry grass nearby. The flames rose and spread across long distances, approaching a group of Wangkumara who were camped near by. The people were able to cook their meat and fish for the first time, grateful for this new gift brought by these precious stones”.
Throughout history, early cultures credited opal with magical properties, believing it to possess the healing properties of all the gemstones, due to its multitude of colours.
The ancient Greeks believed the opal gave the wearer protection from disease and was a sought after gem for its gift of prophecy and foresight. Greek astrologers, mediums and soothsayers also used the stone for divination. As well as its mystical significance and psychic vision properties, opal was also thought to aid in digestion, stomach disorder, and to cure all disease associated with the eyes. It was believed that when a person was to suffer a minor illness, the stone became dull and grey; it would turn a sickly yellow when an injury or accident was about to occur.
Superstitions associated with opal continued throughout the Middle Ages, when opal was widely believed to be beneficial to eyesight, while others thought wearing opal would render the wearer invisible to the eye. It was for this reason thieves held opal in such high regard, using it as their symbol, due to this superstition. Blond haired women wore necklaces of opal to protect their hair from loosing its colour, while opal amulets were worn to attract happiness, love, good fortune and favour.
In the 19th century, opal was considered unlucky in Europe, due to the plot of a popular novel of the time written by Sir Walter Scott, while in Asia it has always been considered to bring loyalty and hope to the wearer.
In part 2, we will discover where opal has been mined around the world. You may be surprised as to some of the locations were it is found.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about the Myths,Legends and Folklore associated with opal and I look forward to your company again in Part 2.
Best wishes and have a great day.
Stuart Bazga
Kulpunya Opals
I established Kulpunya Opals several years ago to provide the UK and Europe with a specialist supply of opals.
We import directly from key suppliers in Australia with whom we have developed strong and long-term relationships.
Most brochures that businesses put out today end up doing little to impact the sales of that business. By applying the 6 must-have elements listed below you will transform you brochure from trash can lining into a powerful sales tool.
1. A Benefit-Filled Headline. On the cover of most brochures you’ll usually find nothing more than the company name, logo, and maybe a quick slogan like “committed to excellence”. This isn’t horrible, but there is a much better way to enhance your brochure. If you want to turn your brochure into a powerful sales tool you need to grab your prospects attention immediately. You do that through a benefit-loaded headline.
A benefit-loaded headline is a headline that clearly and powerfully communicates a desirable benefit that your product or service offers your customers. For example a benefit-loaded headline for a heating and cooling company would be “How the New XYZ System Can Shave $800 Off Your Utility Bill This Year”. This headline is clear, specific, and powerful. If a customer were in the market for a new heating or cooling system this headline would draw the prospect into the brochure.
2. Educational Content. Prospects read brochures because they want to make the best possible buying decision. Usually when someone reads a brochure, they are hungry for knowledge about your product or service. Make sure your brochure is written in such a way that your prospects will know more about your product or service after they read the brochure than they did before.
3. Unique Selling Proposition (USP). A USP is something that separates you from your competition. To be ultimately effective you want your brochure to cause prospects to lean toward your company instead of your competitors. Your USP is a statement that either your competitors can’t, or aren’t saying. A popular old USP that you’ll recognize is “Delivered in 30 Minutes or It’s FREE!” This USP was effective because nobody else was saying it.
4. Proof. Anytime you make a statement regarding the benefits that your product will bring, you need to back that statement up with proof. Testimonials, quotes, charts, graphs, pictures, endorsements, and articles are great ways to prove your claims and cause your prospects to believe what you are saying. Remember that most people are skeptical initially, but you can overcome that skepticism with proof.
5. A Low-Risk Offer. After a customer has read your USP, your educational content, and your proof, you need to encourage them to take the next step in the buying process.
The next step could be to make a purchase, to call for more information, to set an appointment, or whatever. Whatever the next logical step is you need to invite your prospect to take it, and make them feel comfortable about taking it. If you want them to make a purchase, mention a money-back guarantee. If you want them to call for more information, reassure them that they won’t be pressured. You need to try and remove all of the possible barriers that would prevent a person from taking the next step.
Incorporate as many or these elements as you can to ensure your brochure leads your prospects closer to making a buying decision.
Brett Curry is a Marketing Consultant and Marketing Director for Brochures.com. Brochures.com is the home of top quality, full color brochures, business cards, postcards and more at up to 70% off of retail.
http://www.brochures.com
marketing@brochures.com
