**Update 7/14/2010**

Great news from the design team.  We are almost ready to unveil our new website with additional service offerings.  We knew that giving our designers and developers a pallet of Dr. Pepper and Red Vines would get the creative juices flowing .

Stay tuned

-The AdPropel Team

A bucket of clicks

     Show me a business that boasts about their clicks and I’ll show you a business who has been duped by its ad firm.  All too often we encounter businesses small and large who measure their campaigns effectiveness by the amount of clicks they receive or will receive.  In the end who cares if you have clients visiting your website, if no one is buying or inquiring about your products or services your click is essentially worthless.  The real questions are: what is your conversion rate from those clicks?  Do your conversions generate enough return on investment to pay for your advertising and make your venture profitable? 

     We are always happy to help businesses who have questions on their current ppc campaign give us a call or drop us a line.

Not Everyone Likes What You Have To Say

    Not everyone is going to like what you have to say when you advertise.  Testing multiple forms of ad copy with your PPC campaign is a great way to assess and determine what your audience responds to.  Remember your PPC ad copy is simply there to qualify a prospect, your website closes.  Until you achieve that goal keep testing and tweaking messages accordingly.  You’ll know you have it right when your driving a nicer car next year. 

Grab The Bull By The Horns

    Often times as business owners we hear the term “grab the bull by the horns.”  Take the problem head on.  Even the little problems can add up if you let them go un-checked long enough.  Advertising and marketing is usually the first item to be cut.  We talk to numerous amounts of business owners who claim that they are “going lean.”  Going lean for a business should be cutting those items which are not prudent for your company to operate.  As the good business owner you are you know exactly what you need to operate and what are the “nice to haves.” 

    Cutting your businesses marketing budget simply translates to cutting your businesses exposure.  Consumers and businesses alike will forget you even exist if you don’t make an attempt to raise you hand.  Raise your hand high in the air and grab that bull by the horn while he is still small enough to control. 

Grab The Bull By The Horns Before It Gets Too Big.

Incorrect spelling

    Although we would like to think that our businesses, products, and services are easy to spell, they are not.  More often than not your target audience will search for you with an incorrectly spelled word in hopes that your business will still appear.  Will it be there once they hit the search button?  Have you structured your ad campaigns to specifically target the spelling bee champs of the world?  Even your target audience that knows how to spell what you are offering will still mess up from time to time.  Don’t chalk this up as a loss, give your campaign a safety net.  Place those incorrectly spelled keywords into your campaign.  You will not only save yourself from losing a potential customer, but incorrectly spelled keywords are known to be cheaper than their correctly spelled counter parts.

    You will not only direct the traffic you might have missed, but you will also provide your ad campaign a broader reach.  Broader reach equals a higher chance of conversion, and we all know what that means.  Find those misspelled keywords today with AdPropel, and find those misspelled keywords!

Till next time.
-The AdPropel Team

Organizing Your Ad Campaigns For Success

A business that understands the importance of diversifying their online ad campaigns, and making them target a specific customer, is a business that will make online advertising work for them.  We cannot tell you how many business owners we talk to that run a Google Adwords Campaign that is a “Kitchen Sink” of the products and services they have to offer.  Not only can this create irrelevance to the target audience they are trying to reach, but it can also lower your conversion rate, as well as raise your acquisition cost because your quality score will most certainly drop.

    If you are currently running an ad campaign online, we highly recommend you consider segmenting them to target a specific audience.  For example if you own a shoe store you cater to a wide variety of customers.  Everyone from athletes, kids, and business professionals can benefit from what you have to offer.  Targeting these different audiences is as simple as segmenting your campaigns to attract the athletes with running shoes, the children with Hannah Montana branded shoes, and the business professionals with a nice pair of leather shoes.  Applying this method gives your company the ability to measure your ad campaigns success, increase your conversion rate, raise your quality score, and possibly convert that targeted lead into an up-sell.  Essentially you will be saving yourself time and money.  You will be able to track your ads performances and effectiveness much more accurately. 

    In summary organize your ad campaigns.  You can even go as far as segmenting them by brand name.  The point is you are trying to qualify that lead before they click on your ad.  You want them to be an interested, qualified lead before you spend a dime on them.  If you have more questions regarding structuring your businesses ad campaigns for maximum performance, visit us at www.AdPropel.com.  We are always happy to help. 

The AdPropel Team

Happy Easter!

AdPropel Would like to wish each and everyone a Happy Easter.  May you enjoy this time you have with your family.  More exciting updates will be coming soon for AdPropel, so stay tuned.

Best,

-The AdPropel Team

Try it you might like it…

   

    In 1970 you would have been exposed to at least 500 advertisements per day.  Today we are exposed to around 3,000-5,000 advertisements per day.  We are a nation which is marketed to 24/7.  From the time you wake up to the time you go to bed.  Your mind is assaulted by hundreds of marketing ploys designed to get your attention, or shift your focus from what you are doing.  The Madison Avenue men have succeeded in saturating every outlet of our daily lives with ad after ad  We believe this has created a gap in advertisement that has left small business in the dust.

    You see the types of businesses who normally seek out top PR, and Advertising firms were particularly the industries that had plenty of capital to burn.  Essentially those who spent the most won.  With our current economic climate, and the revolutionary changes with the internet in the past 10 years Advertisement has seen a shift in the scales.  Now the small business owner can now compete with the big guys.  Not only can they compete, but they can win.  Small business owners are beginning to educate themselves with mediums such as Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click, and Social Networking. 

    Most of these mediums are relatively new, or just starting to show their true potential.  You see online “All businesses are created equal,” and although money still can have an effect on product placement, it has no effect on beautiful gems such as “Testimonials.”  More than ever the consumer is inundated with facts, statistics, and just general comments regarding businesses.  Do you want to find out what others are saying about your business?  Google yourself, see what turns up.  Chances are your client base has already read the comments.  What better way to make a decision, then to consort with the ones who already have? 

    If you feel your business needs to optimize its web presence as well as increase its reach, visit us at www.adpropel.com .  We can work with you to provide the solutions you need to stay competitive out there.  Learn to turn your website into a force multiplier.

Till next time,

-The AdPropel Bunch

E-Commerce And Your Business

   

    In past posts we have focused on driving the search traffic, and the importance of marketing your website.  Now we want to focus more on closing that potential customer on your website.  You the high speed low drag business you are have decided to invest in Pay Per Click Advertisement.  Your Ad has a great quality score, you even boast of products and services that are a cut above the rest.  Web design?  You spared no expense when it came to that.  If Steven Spielberg were a web designer he would have made your webpage.  There is only one problem.  Your potential client cannot purchase your products or services from your website.

    “I want them to come to my store, or contact me instead.”  Don’t laugh we hear this a lot from business owners.  Think about it.  What was wrong with that whole thought process?  It was the “I want.”  It is never what you want, it is what they want.  Your potential clients do not want to have to drive 30 min to get to your store front.  They do not want to have to search through your website to find that perfect purse, pair of shoes, or watch, only to find out they cannot purchase from your website.  The answer?  E-commerce.

    If you have not already researched upgrading your business to an e-commerce selling machine, we simply ask why not?  The statistics have shown that e-commerce is a rapidly rising sales medium to consumer buying.  Although we are facing economic hardships as a nation e-Commerce is still showing a steady increase.  During Q3 of 2008, e-commerce had increased by 1.3% with a total retail sales estimate of $1,018.8 billion.  Not bad for a nation in “turmoil.”  If you want to compare it to last years stats e-commerce had increased a total of 5.7% from Q3 2007.

    Those are the cold hard facts ladies and gents.  Consumers are finding more cost effective ways to purchase their goods and services.  The businesses that get it are converting, and are having generous ROI.  How do you get started?  Contact your web designer, or give us a call at 800-807-0374.  Happy marketing

The AdPropel Bunch

Reputation Tracker

AdPropel has just recently added another goodie to the tool box.  We now offer reputation tracker when you sign up with us, and opt for the $30 dollar local listing package.  The reputation tracker is different from many websites own personal trackers.  They only gather information by querying the users who are already members on their site.  We gather the information from the natural source, from the Internet.  We comb the far reaches of the information super highway in search of the information you desire.  Now you can enter your business name, product, even people who are employed at your business to gather as much info as possible regarding your company.  Do you want to know what people are saying about you outside the forums?  Now is your chance.  Want to know if customers are complaining about your employees?  Now you can.  You can even track your favorite sports teams scores if you choose.  While the other guys put a limit on how much tracking you can do, we currently do not.  Track to your hearts desire, and become an informed business owner.

    AdPropel offers this feature, along with local listings, and coupon listings, for the low fee of $30 a month.  Add a virtual advertising and marketing employee to your staff that is not only efficient, but affordable.  Non-profit organizations now is your chance to learn your organizations sphere of influence.  Sign up now, and stop wondering around in the dark.

Holiday Internet Sales

    This holiday season internet sales are expected to increase by 10.1% .  That is $32.1 Billion dollars worth of sales.  How is your company currently spending it’s advertisement budget?  Are you trying to ride out the storm?  Are you dumping it all into print advertisement, or a phone book?  The statistics speak loud and clear regarding on-line marketing.  Now is the time to begin your advertising campaign.  More consumers will be utilizing the internet to purchase products, and services on-line this season.  No waiting in traffic, and no long lines at the store.  They are searching for you.  Are you out there?

    You have a website, but how are you harnessing that Internet search traffic?  Are you listed on some unknown search directory that promises you all types of customers, only to leave you with a bill, and another month of promises?  Are you utilizing a pay per click advertiser that provides little to no guidance when you signup for their services?  Does your website need that ”POP” that closes sales?  We have the answers, and solutions to all these problems your company may have.  Signup now, and set your business up for a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.  With no sign up fees, contracts, or termination fee it’s already a great way to start the holiday season. 

    We look forward to hearing from you, and welcome any questions you may have regarding AdPropel, or how to make a killer turkey dinner.  Best wishes to your business this holiday season.

-The AdPropel Bunch

Put Your Website To Work!

    You own a business, you have a website, you even have a shopping cart.  Where are your customers?  We encounter this problem with many business owners.  They just assume the internet automatically directs traffic to their website.  They seem to forget that they are not the only one in their industry who has a flashy website, a trendy domain name, and automated e-mail response programs set up to give their business the personal touch.

    We at AdPropel believe that this can be a very costly mistake on your part.  Setting up a website, and not having a plan to drive traffic, is like trying to tell your customers to find you while they have a blindfold on.  You need to advertise.  Direct your potential customers to your website.  Keep them focused, and entice them with deals, offers, and dynamite customer service.  Your website is a salesman who does not eat, sleep, or complain about its commission rate.  It simply reflects what you want it to sell.

    Give that website a facelift, and think outside the box with your internet advertisement.  Can your business keep affording to pay the Yellow Book dues?

-The AdPropel Bunch

Merry Christmas

Greetings,

    AdPropel would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  Though we are in trying times as a nation, you as business owners have stepped up to the challenge.  For this we commend you, and shake your hand warmly.  To our clients we wish to thank you for your continued support of us.  Without you we would not be here, and we know it.  To our friends and family, we thank you for being our cheering section, and for sacrifices you have made this year.  You have all played key roles in developing this company from an idea, to a success.  May you take joy in your friends and family this holiday season.

Merry Christmas,
The AdPropel Bunch

                                                                                                                                 

Happy New Year

AdPropel would like to wish each and every business out there a Happy New Year.  Advertising on the web this coming year will not only make sense from a marketing perspective, but from a financial one.  We guarantee this year you will see many of your competitor’s fallout.  Do not let this scare you into becoming a hermit with your business.  On the contrary you need to be bold.  You need to be efficient, you need to say “I am right here, and ready for business.”  You are not saying that in a phone book.  You are not saying that in a direct market mailer.  You are saying that on the internet.

   Your customers are utilizing the net to purchase goods.  This is a proven fact.  Is it a coincidence that Amazon had its best sales year during this recession?  We don’t think so.  We think it is because they simply aligned their website, advertisement, and marketed their products and services to consumers in a way that told them “forget the rest, we are the better buy.”  You have already spent hundreds and thousands of dollars to put yourself in a book, in a directory that gets minimal to no traffic.  You have tried to advertise on Google Adwords, or Yahoo, with little to no effect.  Try us, and find success.  Recession proof your business.  A business without advertisement is a car without gas.  Fuel your business with customers.  Stay competitive, run lean, run strong.  Leave the companies that have Stockholm syndrome in the Yellow Pages.  This year you’re pulling ahead.

Happy New Years,

The AdPropel Bunch 

Company Profile or Banner Ad?

Clickable banner ads should be designed for the sole purpose of getting your audience to become attracted to your offering and click to find out more.  There are many businesses that will always seem to add their company name, their phone number, their web address, their email address, their physical location address.. and the list goes on and on and on.  When I view the ads that bombard me with text and too much information, I don’t just look away…. My eyes “RUN” to the other side of the screen.  For those using banner ads to attract potential clients, here are a few guidelines to ensure your banner gets the clicks so your landing page can convert those potentials into spending clients;

• Keep your design as simple as possible
• Use eye-catching graphical elements
• Give them an offering they can’t refuse
• Make the “call to action” clear and concise

The main point is, you want those who view your banner ads to move their cursor towards your ad and not away from it.  Don’t put too much information on your banner ad.  That’s what a landing page or website is for.