FunMarketer Lesson of the Week

Craig, what should I measure on Google AdWords Paid Search?

The FunMarketer answer is: Measure “After-Click (AC)” Behavior. There are a few powerful indicators of AC behavior:

#1: Cost per conversion – IF you can. Why? Because Cost per Conversion shows you Action; it lets you know what people are doing once they click on an ad. Some of my clients have it rather easy; they define a Sale as a conversion. If your clients order online, then you can label your sales as conversions and see what ad groups work the best for you.

If you don’t sell online, you still need to try and find something After-Click behavior that can become a conversion. Maybe it’s a sign-up for a free newsletter, or for a sample kit. Does your industry have a long sales cycle where people ask for a product sample or DVD sent to them prior to ordering? You can define one of these actions as your conversion. Then, over time – and it may take six months or a year – you will begin to see what % of your conversions actually turned into sales. Then adjust your Ad Groups accordingly.

#2: What if you just don’t have anything you can use as a conversion? The next After-Click metrics to use are:
a) Bounce Rate
b) Avg Time on Site
c) Pages Per Visit

You will find these reports in your Google Analytics account. If you didn’t sign up for Google Analytics at the same time you signed up for AdWords, please absolutely do so this week. It’s not tough.

Why Bounce Rate or Avg Time on Site or Pages Per Visit? Again, these indicators tell you what potential customers are doing after they have clicked through to your landing page (make sure you have a real landing page). This indicates behavior once they are on your site. I’ve found myself elated over keywords with a fantastic Clickthrough Rate but then dug deeper into Google Analytics and found those keywords actually had a lousy Avg Time on Site. Why? Because people were searchers were clicking on an ad or keyword they only thought was leading them toward the product they wanted. Sometimes you can adjust Average Position downward to combat this, but we’ll discuss that another day.

You may ask: “Craig, why didn’t you put Clickthrough Rate (CTR) up there at the top of the list?” Because CTR, although vital, leads more people astray than any other AdWords metric. Relying on CTR alone is like only looking at the speedometer on your car and ignoring the flashing “check engine soon” light; both can lead to financial disaster–and that’s no fun at all.

FunMarketer Free Campaign Idea of the Week

Hey, if you work for a local courier service, or if your agency is engaged by one of the big express shippers like DHL or FedEx or UPS, this week’s Funmarketer Free Campaign of the Week is for you:

Photo: Istock #4074876

Headline: Our Operators are Standing By

SubHead: Acme Courier – Just a Hare ahead of our Competition

Got any great ideas of your own? Just reply to the blog with your istock number and your headline and subhead (Clean Only, Please).

Oh, if you do use the campaign, make sure you give credit where due.

FunMarketer Tip of The Week

Whenever you write a first or second draft of any piece…LET IT SIT OVERNIGHT.

Trust me on this one – your creative brain will keep on editing and recreating the piece overnight, even if you’ve had a nice cuddle with your partner. (No prying for details now; Mrs. L-P will scold Mr. L-P…)

FunMarketer Phrase of The Week

“All-New”. I love Ford. I have owned many Fords. But the “all-new” Fiesta press release does overwork the phrase a bit…See the Ford Press Release

I suppose Ford is trying to completely erase the image of the 70s Fiesta in the minds of those of us old enough to remember that car?

Happy Marketing!

Craig Lutz-Priefert