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Search Advertising 101: Presentation Videos & Pictures From SES NY 2009

On Wednesday March 25th, 2009 at SES NY an audience comprised of small business owners, agency representatives and in-house advertising enthusiasts gathered for an informative panel entitled “Search Advertising 101”. The session was especially geared toward the search novice, with details on programs from major providers and advice on how to succeed.

The panelists provided a well rounded program full of sound, basic approaches to what can be a very daunting road to travel. Panelists included:

- Moderator: Mark Jackson, SEW Expert & President/CEO, VIZION Interactive

- Matt Van Wagner, President, Find Me Faster 

- Mona Elesseily, Director of Marketing Strategy, Page Zero Media 

- Jay Sears, EVP, Strategic Products & Business Development, ContextWeb, Inc. / ADSDAQ Exchange

Matt Van Wagner started the discussion and provided the group with a top-line “30,000 foot” overview of Search Advertising. His “back-to-basics” marketing 101 approach created a solid base from which to work. He covered everything from ad structure and ad copy to quality score metrics with very strong clarity. A few key points from his approach:

· PPC is a great start, being both cost effective and quick to implement.

· PPC and SEO complement each other and work well in concert.

· PPC allows you more control over your messaging, but is a constant process and you must remain active.

· Remember to define success, for if you don’t, you will not know how to get there.

Overall his advice was simple – “Get it right on Google first…and then kick it around to the others.”

Mona Elesseily was the next panelist to speak. Her recommendations began with her top 10 list for Ad copy:

1.  Include Keywords in ad copy

2.  Use appropriate ad tone

3.  Filter clicks

4.  Gear ads to different buyers needs

5.  Consider the buy cycle

6.  Include a direct Call to Action (CTA)

7.  Testing yields results

8.  Use Multivariate testing

9.  Get statistically significant data…and use it

10. Ad copy takes time. Brainstorm!

Jay Sears wrapped up the discussion and helped the audience navigate to the issue of content based advertising. He began with 3 reasons why content based advertising is important:

1. Only 5% of a consumer’s time is spent searching, therefore, f you only search, you are missing 95% of the time consumers spend online.

2. Search is “demand fulfillment,” whereas content advertising is about “demand generation”.

3. Content advertising will grow considerably in the next 12-24 months. Inventory is not an issue. Over 1 million websites currently offer opportunities for content ad placement, yet search is at a saturation point.

Jay Sears continued with suggestions on how to leverage the most effective advertising strategies. Content advertising has proven to be highly effective when used in conjunction with Search advertising methods. Time and time again, it has shown to provide significant and measurable “lift” to overall campaigns. With the application of Content advertising into existing Search campaigns, you will get into the purchase continuum earlier, allow your brands to spend more time with the consumers and ultimately improve your conversion rates.

Overall, it is apparent that there is a constant evolution of advertising methods with new opportunities emerging every day. Incredible innovation is available at all price levels and most of the tools available to the “big boys” are readily available to the small businesses and can provide the same success (to scale).

Listen to the complete event via Audio:

View the full event presentation below:

View photos from the event:

-- Alissa Ferrino

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