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Successful SEM Strategies Sound Awfully Familiar
By Don Lange
Direct Marketing News
September 2005 — Search engine marketing may seem like an alien world to traditional direct marketing. But in fact, the principles are much the same and little more than the key words have changed. Here is a comparison.H ere we go again. There is all sorts of excitement around search engine marketing (SEM) and there's even more noise from every niche SEM person who is inevitably an expert on the subject. I don't think I've ever seen more Ken Jennings 1-like gurus invade a space since Web development companies first sprung up and told us how only they (and their thousands of dollars worth of fees) could unravel the mystery of the Web.
And lo and behold, those same Web development companies are suddenly hanging out shingles stating that they can move you up Google™ until you're number one. Big deal.
Target marketing is not about getting more people to see your offer. It's about getting more people to buy your offer. If you're a direct marketer and understand the principles of direct marketing then you're already way ahead of the game with respect to what you need to do to be successful in the search pay-per-click world.
Now before the propeller heads start holding their breath until they turn blue, I will concede that search marketing is a fabulous channel that every direct marketer needs to incorporate as part of their media spending. However, before jumping in you need to realize that this is a different media that needs to be mastered.
The good news for traditional direct marketers is that when you get deep into how the media works, you realize that you will understand a lot of the fundamentals already because it has many of the same techniques of any successful direct response campaign. Don't think so?
Let's draw a direct comparison between a direct mail campaign and a search campaign. And, since I don't see a lot of good search campaigns happening out there, we can point out what most people are doing wrong.
Keywords and Lists
It is oft repeated that the list is the most important part of any direct mail offer. In the search world, the equivalent of mailing lists is key words. These are the often long list of words and phrases that people type into search engines when they're looking for something.When setting up a search campaign, marketers will toil endlessly on the right blend of words in an attempt to predict what people will type. For example, if you are selling a magazine about pets, your key word list might include words such as pets, dogs, cats, canaries, dog food, cat names, leashes, collars, getting rid of fleas, etc.
There's an obvious parallel to the list world where marketers look for lists that have demonstrated an affinity to a product or service. The really neat difference is that lists rely on an action that has been demonstrated while key words try to predict an action from what could be a real-time affinity. There are advantages and disadvantages in both forms of media.
With response lists, marketers have a history of purchase behaviour on their side. However, once a list has been committed to in a mailing campaign, there's no stopping mid-campaign and saying – that's not working. That's why there's such an art in choosing the right lists with the right segmentation.
Key words give the advantage of being able to tweak mid-campaign. However, it is a demanding science trying to figure out the right blend of words that match your offer. For example, people might type the word dog into a search engine because that's their sign in the Chinese zodiac.
The comparison that every direct marketer can relate to is that you can carefully distinguish the effectiveness of lists and keywords in both forms of marketing. Executed properly, the reporting in both media provides detailed measurement on cost per list or word and response.
The Search Ad and Letter Teaser In Direct Marketing 101, students learn about the outside envelope teaser. It's those few words that make a prospect pause on their way to the recycle box based on the promise that there's something special inside.
Of course, the teaser can also be one of the biggest dangers in direct mail. If teaser copy is used, then the intent promised on the outside best be fulfilled on the inside. It's also a fine art to ensure that copy is specific to the list or the whole package could be rejected. In direct mail, that's an expensive lesson. In search marketing, the equivalent of the letter teaser is in fact your entire ad. And this is where it gets really tricky.
With the more common text ads not only are you restricted to 95 characters (!) not counting your URL, you have to make sure that the people viewing your ad think its relevant by predicting that this is what they wanted to hear about in the first place. If that's not enough, the big kid on the block (read Google) actually enforces a standard of relevance by threatening expulsion of your ads if they don't meet a minimum click threshold.
Can you imagine getting a call from Canada Post officials advising that they are returning your mail because they just don't see enough business reply cards coming back?
In fact the "Zen" of reaching perfect relevance is what all direct marketers try to achieve. The perfect list with the perfect offers equals the perfect response (whatever that is). In search, the constant tweaking of ad copy and key words into specific ad groups can be consuming to the point of obsession.
The Click-to Pages and DM Package
One of the biggest mistakes that search marketers make is bringing people who click on their ads to their existing Web sites or to a page that consists of only a response vehicle. Sending people to your Web site is equivalent to a publisher sending out a sample magazine with no letter in the hope that the recipient will find the insert subscription card. The latter example of clicking through to a response vehicle is like a fundraiser mailing just the donation card without specifically explaining why they want you to make a contribution.The best search campaigns are truly campaigns that draw people into a site where they can read about the offer, hear what the benefits are and then easily understand how they are able to respond. Search landing pages are doubly tricky because you're already dealing with people who are preoccupied by browsing through the Internet and literally have the world at their fingertips.
Campaigns have to be focused and compelling to succeed. At the same time, you need to be able to provide enough click destinations to involve your prospect in your offer without losing them. Think of a direct mail package with a letter, a brochure, an order form and reply card. It has the advantage of being personalized, which you can't do in search. However, if your key words are well selected, then the personalization comes in the form of addressing the real-time interest of your prospect.
Package testing can take on a whole new dimension in search. You have to make sure your campaign pages are adapted to meet the interests of your prospects. Have they clicked through to your pet magazine site because they're interested in dogs? Okay, then the page they land on should talk about dogs and how they'll get to read all about dogs if they subscribe. If the key words relate to cats, then the campaign pages clicked through to should have cat content.
Measurement
A well-executed search campaign, just like a well-executed direct mail campaign, provides incredible detail on response behaviour. Both of these media channels test lists, packages and prices. Search campaigns can provide a whole lot more immediate detail around click patterns (what words, what time, what search engine, etc.) that lead to a response. However, it can also lead to the dreaded analysis paralysis.The feature comparison between direct mail and search marketing is the keycode versus the tracking script. Just like every list and every panel variation needs to be carefully keycoded to read response, every Web page within the search campaign needs to be tracked with a code that measures behaviour.
Effective search marketing takes skill and a willingness to test and re-test. The good news is that experienced direct marketers already possess the skills learned through direct mail, alternative media and email marketing.
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