Like to pay too much for Google advertising?

Ok... I'd like to talk to you today about something which boils my blood a bit.

As a business owner it is entirely likely you will have been contacted by a company offering you top places on Google when people are looking on the internet for your product or sevice.

Be very wary............

I'm not saying all companies are scams but there are alot out there with reputable websites, official company numbers etc mainly targetting people who have little or no knowledge on SEO or Search Engine Optimization.

Some things to look out for......

If they say they are partners with Google..... you know something is up straight away. Google do not take partners in that way, they dont need to, never have, and I cant see it happening in the foreseable future.

When they say they are dealing with the natural search engine ranking positions, get that in writing, because it's probably not true either..... what they are talking about is the sponsored links which are the grayed out areas at the top and generally down the right hand side of the page.

In general people only take notice of the natural listings, as the websites are perceived to be there purely from merit, and as such possibly less of a risk when employing them to provide you with a product or service.

This is not to say that sponsored links do not work, they absolutely do, provided it is done in the right way with the right product or service and this is the bit that boils my blood a bit........

At Matrix Advertising Group we took on a client who had been charged over £1000 for search engine optimization work, it didnt work for them but they were held to a contract and ended up spending alot of money and nearly going bust...... they were told they could pick 5 key phrases, and .... if those key phrases were typed into google then hey presto they would be at the top of the Google list. .....

the bits they didn't make clear....... the phrases were local phrases, you know ... instead of dog walking, or even dog walking north east, it was dog walking in west denton, very local!! .....

this means that if no one types in the phrase 'dog walking in west denton' word for word then they will not be seen in Google.

Now the way pay per click ... or Google Adwords work is a phrase is worth more money the more popular it is so ... taking the above example 'Dog walking', is worth alot more than 'Dog Walking in west denton' so when someone clicks on your advert which links directly to your site Google charge you for that click or if another company is doing this for you Google charge that company likewise.

The charge can be anything from £0.01p upward depending on how popular the phrase is ....... going back to this company mentioned above they spent well in excess of £2000 for something which in reality should have cost them less than £35.

If you have any nightmare stories with SEO companies please let me know, or if you need any help, as always I'll do my best to answer your questions.

If you'd like to check out my site please do :

http://www.matrixadvertisinggroup.co.uk/

Considering Radio Advertising? .... Some Helpful Hints

Radio Works, but......... not for all businesses....... It has to be done in the right way to avoid spending an awful lot of money for little return on investment.

The first thing to realise is that there is a difference between 'Call To Action' (enticing a listener to utilize your product or service) and 'Brand Awareness' (Familiarising people to your company in a way that will enhance future sales).

Often for a new radio user, if they are using radio as a single medium your first few weeks serves as a Brand Awareness tool, setting the foundations for a Call To Action message later on. So many people I have met have created a brand awareness, but hoped for a call to action; and because there was relatively few sales they assume that they have not had a significant enough return on investment and therefore stop...... this is the time often where all they need is a change of creative and a specific call to action message.

It is not very often I will advise a company to use radio as a single medium, rather compliment it with complimentary media such as press, leaflet, or outdoor advertising, this has to be very focused and targeted, its not something I'll not go into great detail on here because it is very bespoke to the business in question and the services / products being offered (not only that, it is far more cost effective often to cross media advertise).

Often business owners will try to evaluate what works for them and what does not, simply by asking their customers how they came to call upon that company, and they may say things like ' i saw a leaflet' or ' i heard it on the radio' or simply 'On the Internet somewhere'

This method however industrious is flawed and a basic understanding of psychology and cross media advertising can help greatly in these circumstances.....

for instance..... your average leaflet drop has an effectiveness of 0.79 of 1%, which isn't that great, as soon as you add radio into the mix, the chances are, as well as increasing brand awareness and radio working in its own right, it is hugely influential in promoting the effectiveness of the leaflet itself.....

....meaning when a customer is asked 'how did you hear about us?' the client answers 'Oh, i responded to a leaflet that came through my door' ..... this in all probability if only a half truth, what actually happened is they have heard the radio ad on a number of occasions, and as long as the creative was up to scratch that person who.. in all probability would have binned the leaflet has decided instead to at least read the leaflet and call the business in question.

Post me with any questions and I'll do my best to answer them or log onto www.matrixadvertisinggroup.co.uk

Thanks, Paul

Marketing and Advertising Advice?

Okey Dokey, If you are a small to medium sized enterprise and would like some marketing or advertising advice, could be how much you should expect to pay for a particular advertising medium or if that medium would work for you, or mabye a strategy question..... send us a message, free unbias advice, if we can help we will.

National Cupcake Week

So as to enhance and advertise the absolute integrity of national cupcake week, Matrix Advertising Group has issued belgian chocolate muffins to all its key staff.