Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 4: 3rd Party Website Advertising

Posted on April 22, 2011

Many third party websites offer online advertising opportunities. These include professional organizations, online directories, blogs, newsletters, online magazines and journals, news sites, and a variety of informational sites. Online advertising programs for these types of websites are varied and may include banner only (i.e. graphics), text only, or a combination of media which may also allow for video.

In Part 4 of this series, Online Advertising and User Intent (see Part 1: Intro, Part 2: Social Media Advertising, and Part 3: Search Engine Advertising), I hope to show how to apply the concept of user intent to online advertising on third-party websites.

3^rd-Party Website Advertising

Your understanding of the intent of your targeted audience groups, or the reason they visit these third-party sites in the first place, provides you with the information you need during your campaign selection, planning, and development process. With some programs, such as Google AdSense, the content network is so vast and diverse that your selection process for where your ads will appear is somewhat restricted. Nonetheless, it is imperative you evaluate each advertising option carefully to avoid wasting your budget and to ensure you meet your goals.

Just as you have profiled your targeted audience groups to identify the characteristics and interests that allow you to develop an impactful advertising message, you must also profile the third-party websites you are considering to ensure your message reaches your intended audiences.

During your evaluation process, here are a few questions to help you along:

What does the website offer?
Who would be interested in what it offers? (Look at the substance of the content presented.)
What type, or types, of audiences are attracted to the content: consumers, business professionals, engineers, purchasing agents, etc?
In what age range might visitors be?
What may be the education level of visitors?
Are they sophisticated readers, highly educated on the subjects offered, or new to the material?
Does what you offer logically fit with the content on the site?
Could the content detract from what you offer?
What do visitors generally do at the site? (i.e. post comments, ask questions, research, relax, play games, etc.)
Is there a particular page or type of content most likely to attract your targeted audiences?

By carefully evaluating these considerations you can make assumptions about the intent of site visitors who frequent the sites you want to place your ads on. With a profile of both the advertising venue and the intent of the visitors it attracts, you have the information you need to select the right sites and to develop your highly focused advertising message. Make sure you are clear about:

Whom you are addressing
What they will be doing while you are trying to attract their attention

To summarize, advertising on third-party websites follows the same logic as advertising on social media sites. In order to attract the attention of your targeted audience groups, you have to understand and respect why they came there in the first place. By making accurate assumptions, you can develop an effective ad that:

Addresses your target audience groups’ known interests
Addresses their assumed interests as they relate to their known interests (e.g. “You’re reading about kitchen and bathroom remodeling so you may be interested in the decorative glass I sell for cabinets.”)
Taps into their emotion as it relates to their known interests
Gets them to take the action you desire without having to abandon why they came to that site in the first place

Read posts in this Series:

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 1: Intro

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 2: Social Media Advertising

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 3: Search Engine Advertising

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 4: 3^rd-Party Website Advertising

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 3: Search Engine Advertising

Posted on April 20, 2011

Many of you are familiar with search engine ads, and may even have engaged in an online advertising campaign through one of Google’s ad programs or through Microsoft’s AdCenter. If so, many of you may have spent an awful lot of money without garnering the kind of results you were expecting.

In my series Online Advertising and User Intent (see Part 1: Intro and Part 2: Social Media Advertising) I have been discussing how to develop effective online advertising campaigns and messages through the understanding of user intent. To recap, user intent refers to the reason the user went to that particular platform, such as a search engine, in the first place. So let’s take a look now at search engine advertising.

Search Engine Advertising

Unlike Facebook where users display their intent in their profile or in their posts, search engine users type their intent in the search query box by posing a search term that is in some way addresses a current need or “pain”. Because it is not possible to witness a search as it is taking place, it is only through historical data that an advertiser learns of user intent. Through an analysis of this historical data you can learn the ways in which to tactically target your audience groups as they search for what you offer.

The first place to look is at keywords. User intent can be identified to some extent by the terms they use to search for what you offer. Unfortunately it is difficult to know for sure what their intent is because users typically don’t specify ‘why’ they are looking for what you offer so you will have to make some assumptions. For example, if users typically type “mold removal long island” you can assume that a mold problem exists in homes in Long Island and users are looking for remediation. The point is to make an appropriate assumption that allows you to develop an ad that taps into:

Users need or perceived interest
What users are trying to accomplish ultimately
What users may feel concerning their need or interest
Their sense of urgency

Using the above example, it is easy to identify users’ ‘need or interest’ as ‘mold removal.’ Based on what you already know about your own business, you can also safely assume they are trying to accomplish getting rid of the mold, as well as the problem that is causing the mold. So the assumed scenario you are addressing is home owners in Long Island have a water problem that is causing their homes to develop mold. They are probably feeling pretty stressed about the situation so their sense of urgency is to find a way to get rid of it as quickly as possible without spending more than they can afford and to prevent it from ever happening again.

Now you have the information you need to develop a powerful text ad that speaks to the intent of the users who typed in ‘mold removal long island.’ It may look something like this:

Mold Removal Long Island
Stop wet basement problems now.
Free estimate. Call 1-800-000-0000.
www.YourMoldCompany.com

If we analyze this ad you can see how it satisfies the assumed user intent, namely, to find a solution to their mold problem in Long Island. The opening line addresses the problem by indicating the solution, mold removal, as well as the service location, Long Island. The second line addresses the assumed feeling and sense of urgency of users, which is to just get rid of the problem now and make sure it never comes back. The third line addresses the assumed need to manage costs. It also provides users with a quick way to get started on the solution: call the number. The fourth line is the link to your mold removal web page.

Effective search engine advertising requires you do some preliminary research to identify the search terms and phrases used to search for what you offer. Using these terms, you would then:

Identify the intent of users, which may be to solve a problem, learn about something, find a course to take, buy a product online, or some other reason
Make assumptions based on what you know about your own business that allow you to develop a scenario that enhances your understanding of the users’ intent
Develop highly focused ads that address the assumptions you made
Tell users what they need to do to fulfill their intent

The users intent must be effectively addressed on the corresponding landing page that the ad is tied to. A common mistake is to tie your ads to your company’s Home Page. In my example above, the mold company may also offer other services such as basement renovations. It is a waste of ad dollars, and time, to frustrate a user that clicks on an ad specifically speaking to their mold remediation need that dumps them on a home page forcing them to find the info they are looking for.

By creating a user path and tracking the conversions in your site analytics tools you can refine, A/B test and optimize your assumptions over time until you have a working formula you can count on.

In Part 4 of this series I will discuss how to apply the concept of user intent to online advertising on third party websites.

Read posts in this Series:

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 1: Intro

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 2: Social Media Advertising

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 3: Search Engine Advertising

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 4: 3^rd-Party Website Advertising

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 2: Social Media Advertising

Posted on April 13, 2011

When most of you think of social media you think of Facebook or Twitter. There are actually many forms of social media that attract a wide variety of users intent on doing a number of diverse things. These sites include personal blogs, consumer review sites, professional networking sites like LinkedIn, local city sites, travel sites, online book clubs, and so much more. This part of the series will discuss user intent on social media sites and what things to consider when developing your online advertising strategy and content for campaigns to be used on social media platforms. For those of you who are new to this series, you may wish to begin by reading Online Advertising and Reader Intent: Part 1: Intro, which explains the idea of intent and how it is important to online advertising.

To illustrate the key points, I will discuss a social media site most people are already familiar with: Facebook.

Advertising on Facebook

Facebook is a social networking site. The intent of users who frequent the site is to share aspects of their life and interests with the people in their network, who may be family, friends, colleagues, or virtual strangers they allowed to connect with them; or conversely, to learn new information from those within their network who are sharing with them. The point is they are there to share personal stuff – not to shop, not to do research, and typically not to find something specific for their home or work.

This distinction is critical to make when developing your online advertising campaign for a social networking platform. Bottom line is – Facebook users are not specifically looking for what you are offering them at this time.

Your carefully crafted message has to draw their attention away from what they are engaged in without interfering with their intent for being on the social networking site in the first place.

To demonstrate what I mean, I’ll share with you a typical offline experience I am sure most of you have had: have you ever walked into Home Depot and had a financial services rep try to get you to sign up for the store’s credit card?

Your intent was not to go to Home Depot for a credit card. Your intent was to run in, get the exact elbow pipe you need, and run home to finish the job so you can get it done before the football game starts. Right?

Well, your online ad is faced with the same scenario only you don’t have the advantage of getting someone’s attention by shouting out, “Excuse me, sir, are you planning on buying something today?” So how do you get their attention then?

First of all, you have to know whom you are targeting. Luckily for you, Facebook allows you to choose your audience by location, age, and interests. One successful advertiser targeted female users aged 24-30 who indicated they were ‘engaged.’ The very straightforward ad message spoke to the stated interests AND intent of the users: “Recently engaged? CM Photographics would love to be a part of your event. Mention this ad for $500 off.”

If we analyze this ad we see how the advertiser made use of what was ‘known’ and ‘understood’ about the target group:

Made use of known intent important to targeted users: “Recently engaged?”
Generally still establishing themselves at 24-30 years of age and faced with the upcoming costs of their wedding, the advertiser made use of the understanding that this group is typically looking to save money: “Mention this ad for $500 off!”
Most probably dreaming of the big day, the photographer included a photograph of a bride and groom kissing out in a field on their wedding day.

All of the elements of the ad indicate the advertiser understood the users’ intent and was able to incorporate accurate assumptions that served to strengthen the ad’s effectiveness. Another important point to make here is where your call to action takes users who respond to your ad by clicking on it. Ideally, you do not want to take users away from the web site they are ‘socializing’ on. Ensure the target is set to ‘open in a new window’, or better yet a tab, so that they can easily get what you offer without having to completely disengage from what they were already doing.

To summarize, in order for your online advertising on social media platforms like Facebook to be effective you have to:

1. Know whom you are targeting

2. Use your understanding of their intent to address their known interests

3. Use your understanding of their intent to address their assumed interests as they relate to their known interests

4. Include an image that indicates what you offer and taps into an emotion related to the known intent of the users

5. Include a call to action that when clicked is set to ‘open in a new window’ so that users do not have to abandon their intent for being on the social media site in order to engage with your message.

Stay tuned for Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 3: Search Engine Advertising coming soon!

Read posts in this Series:

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 1: Intro

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 2: Social Media Advertising

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 3: Search Engine Advertising

Online Advertising and User Intent: Part 4: 3^rd-Party Website Advertising

Power of Google’s +1 for Business

Posted on March 31, 2011

Google just announced the release of its latest social media tool aimed at bringing users ever more relevant search results that take into consideration “relationships as well as words on webpages.” The new tool is called ‘+1’ because it is essentially a graphical ‘+1’ that allows users to click on it to express their view that they liked the web page in the search results listing it corresponds to.

Let’s say you click a +1 because you like a particular site you found when searching for ‘commercial draperies.” Now all the people you are connected to through Google (your chat buddies and gmail contacts) will see that a person in their social network made a +1 recommendation. It will appear next to the link in the search results for ‘commercial draperies’ corresponding to the web page you liked. It will look like this: “Joe +1’d this” and will be visible to all the people in your network to see. If you change your mind and want to remove the +1 recommendation, you can do so at any time through your Google Profile page.

This new social media tool is a clear demonstration of the direction Google and the internet is going. Users are no longer passive recipients but active participants, not only in their own search experience, but in the search experience of their trusted social network of friends, family, and business associates. Google regards it as a great asset to users who may be faced with a plethora or choices and are looking for a little advice from a trusted resource, i.e. a person within their social network with whom they already have an established relationship.

Adding a whole new dimension to the power of “word-of-mouth,” Google +1 offers business owners huge potential to reach limitless target audiences through the interconnectedness of social networking. If you are a business user who is taking advantage of Google Apps for Business you already have a significant network of contacts and chat users. +1 recommendations made by any member of your business network could effectively reach those not only within their network but within each of the individual networks of those with whom they are connected. The reach potential is virtually limitless!

But that’s not all. As you monitor the +1 recommendations of those within your business network you begin to understand more about their interests and which webpages they like. You also begin to understand their intent behind the search: eat pizza, buy window coverings for the office, book a conference facility in Houston, and so forth.

In light of the recent admission that social networking criteria impacts a website’s relevance through its ‘authority score,’ it is safe to assume that Google will most likely start to factor +1 recommendations into the authority score as well.

I welcome comments and insights from readers about Google’s latest social networking tool +1 and how it may impact business websites.

Look for my upcoming posts on the concept of ‘intent’ and how it can be applied to successful online advertising.

Benefitting from LinkedIn Company Pages

Posted on March 28, 2011

For those of you who may not be familiar with Company Pages on the professional networking site LinkedIn, they are a great tool to share information about your brand and the individuals who represent it. If you’re researching companies, these pages also provide you with a way to familiarize yourself with others with whom you may want to work or even those that represent your competition.

The process for setting up your Company Page is pretty straightforward and you can begin here.

The best strategy when creating your Company Profile is to remain consistent with the keywords and phrases you have used in your print collateral and online marketing efforts. If you are using terms you uncovered via comprehensive keyword research (please don’t take keyword research lightly), that accurately represent phrasing used by your target audience when searching for what you offer, then you should stick with them.

Consistency is always important for best results.

The Products & Services tab offers some powerful features that not only allow you to list your Products and Services but also to associate links, relevant information, and even promotional offers. For example, you can associate links to videos on your YouTube.com channel. You can also specify your product/service related web page address. If your employees are listed in LinkedIn, you can add the relevant one(s) to the Contact section. You can also create a Promotional offer to entice new users. And remember to continue using your keywords as you fill out the Profile title, description, image text, and disclaimer.

Additional marketing tools are available to upgraded account holders only. The first is a simple admin tool that enables you to upload up to three static banners (JPEG, GIF or PNG), 640×220 pixels in size, that link to the url (web page address) you specify. This powerful internet advertising feature can be used to sell, promote, and inform, or even to generate donations, registrants, attendees, or fulfill any number of targeted objectives.

For best conversion results, make sure your landing page (where the respondent will arrive after clicking the banner link) is focused exclusively on the message communicated in the banner.

Another great feature is the Recommendations tool. You’ve seen this in the personal LinkedIn accounts. Soliciting comments and recommendations from customers and colleagues is of tremendous value. People are influenced by what others say. And in this case, the user has the opportunity to learn something about the person making the statement so the recommendation or comment carries more weight.

This next tool takes a little strategic planning because it has to do with how you want to target your various Audience groups. Developing unique content for each of your targeted audience groups will always produce the best results because it is not diluted in any way that detracts from what is engaging to them. Before you create an audience segment, identify and plan how you want to approach each one. Then select the criteria and edit your company profile to ensure the strongest response.

If you are interested in paid advertising on LinkedIn you can do that here as well. The Campaign tool is pretty straightforward and allows you to advertise any web page you like, which may or may not be your Company Profile.

Lastly, I want to mention the Analytics tool. It is to your advantage to spend some time to learn and understand your performance in terms of page views, visitors, and clicks on content by industry and followers so you can make informed ‘next step’ decisions. The tool also offers you a benchmark comparison with companies similar to yours.

Once again, you can click here to set up your Company Page on LinkedIn. Click on the Upgrade My Account link at the bottom of the page for additional marketing tools and features.