Keywords a key force in online branding
One of the biggest benefits of advertising on the web is the ability to accurately measure response rates and effectiveness via page impressions and the all important percentage of click throughs, which allows marketeers to answer the age old question "I know I waste half of my advertising budget, but I don't know which half".
However, with all this focus on measurability, one should not lose site of the benefits of increased brand awareness, the x factor that makes one brand stand out from the others. Although much harder to measure, it should none the less be considered as part of any online advertising strategy.
Given that web advertising spend is set to overtake radio advertising within the next 12 months, a recent survey undertaken for the Interactive Advertising Bureau by Nielsen / NetRatings should make interesting reading for any brand wishing to increase its awareness on a budget.
The study focussed on the health, motor, beverage, electronics, retail and finance industries and noted marked increases in brand awareness following exposure to "sponsored search".
Sponsored search is a search engine marketing technique that utilises such services as provided by Google Adwords, Overture and e-Spotting. These are the sponsored links that appear on search results, either highlighted at the top of the page or, in Google's case, in boxes on the right hand side of the page.
In the study, consumers who had been exposed to sponsored text adverts were 27% more likely to name the brand that was displayed in the search engine top spot. Similar responses were true for the top five positions, but dropped off notably thereafter.
Interestingly, sponsored text ads had a similar impact on 'unaided brand awareness' as the more common, yet more expensive, image based adverts, such as banner ads.
This is exciting for brands that don't feel that they can compete with the "big boys" in terms of pure ad spend. The canny marketeer will take advantage of yet another benefit of web advertising - the ability to target niches very accurately. By getting to know your customer better, understanding their key drivers and being creative with the key phrases that you buy, you can effectively level the playing field.
It's not just good news for those with lower marketing budgets however. The study really highlights the role keyword advertising has to play in any integrated campaign and suggests that brands that are not utilising keyword advertising relevant to their sector are missing out on a share of voice opportunity.
Bigger brands might not only miss a share of voice; they could also harm their brand image by not appearing where a consumer expects that they should. For example, a consumer searching for "trainers" might well expect "Nike" to be one of the sponsored links as a matter of course - because such a brand is expected to appear.
Sponsored search is clearly another weapon in the online marketers arsenal. However, just as is the case in any offline campaign, a mix of media on the web seems to be the most effective way forward. By combining sponsored search, contextual adverts and banner advertising, online marketeers can effectively exploit the push/pull dynamics of the web.
