Even though Google’s advertising network is well established, many brands and search marketers running pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns remain skeptical about the effectiveness of using this channel.

One of the objections we keep hearing is that advertising on the content network (or ‘contextual’ network as many prefer to call it) may be fine for a ‘brand awareness’ campaign, but not so much for a “tangible, results-oriented campaign”.

Our experience belies this, as we have found that not only can a contextual campaign deliver measurable results but it can also outperform regular keyword-driven search campaigns by several multiples.

To cite an example, we have been managing a SEM based lead generation campaign for an online education provider. The difference in results from the search campaign vis-à-vis the contextual campaign is staggering: the cost per lead generated via search has averaged at least 3 times the typical cost per lead from the contextual network; similarly, the lead-to-click conversion rate was at least double from the latter.

3 reasons to advertise on the Google AdWords content network

The stark contrasts in results described above obviously merits a deeper dive into the “why” and we can think of 3 important benefits that should make advertising on the content network of AdWords attractive for the skeptics.

1. Enormous reach:

The content network expands an advertiser’s potential reach manifold.  A typical Google search result on a desktop/laptop shows a maximum of 7 ad positions (4 at the top and 3 at the bottom). On the other hand, search results on mobile show about 3 ads. We also know that the volume of search on mobile devices is now higher than volume of searches on desktop.  Put all these together and one can infer that the total advertising inventory available in ‘Search’ has probably come down.

On the other hand, the number of websites and web pages that could potentially display one of your ads continues to grow, with the exponential growth of both new websites and fresh content.

In addition, the content network also increases the scope for remarketing/ retargeting, which are proving to be quite effective avenues in boosting conversions.

Therefore, not using the huge reach offered by the AdWords content network is a huge opportunity lost.

2. Flexibility with multiple ad formats

While text advertising has its own benefits, being able to deliver a marketing message in multiple formats is something that every marketer wishes for. The content network offers scope for delivering image ads/ rich media ads/ video ads, which the search network doesn’t.

3. Cheaper (generally)

It probably boils down to a simple demand-supply equation, but we’ve found that in most cases advertising in the content network is significantly cheaper on a cost-per-click basis.

We’ve also noticed in several cases that the rates offered by some publishers for their advertising inventory when approached directly for a media buy are higher than getting similar inventory through the content network. Why publishers would adopt such a pricing strategy is open to debate, but from an advertiser’s perspective it is a great incentive to target those publications through the Google content network (placement targeting / managed placements).

Legacy concerns with content network advertising

A lot of the skepticism with advertising on the Google content network, I believe, is due to legacy issues. For one, it is not “intent-driven” unlike advertising on Google search. Hence, some advertisers believe that this is no different from any form of passive advertising, where the advertising is relying on some form of interruption, impulse, or mere serendipity to get the desired outcome from the advertiser.

That may be true to quite an extent but the results indicate that there are benefits of such “passive advertising”. The visitors or leads one attracts through such campaigns may have to be ‘nurtured’ differently as they could be at a different stage along the buying funnel, but it may be a folly to just ignore the opportunity to reach such an audience.

Another reason for the reluctance to invest marketing rupees in the content network could be historical results. Chances are that one has tried the network, generated clicks but not gotten sufficient leads/ conversions at acceptable cost levels. However, as Google has come down heavily on dubious sites in its search results in the past few years, the quality of sites that drive clicks can generally be deemed to be much better and relevant than they may have been previously. (this is not to say that poor quality sites, made predominantly with the purpose of displaying ads from Google don’t show up in search results now, they still do! The frequency with which one spots such sites has gone down quite a bit.).

Be open to the contextual network

As an advertiser with a limited search marketing budget, it is understandable that the default thinking is to target the search network only.

However, I encourage marketers to change that default thinking and be open to the idea of using both content and search, or even just the content network, depending on the specific objectives of a particular campaign. We’ve seen some of our clients benefit from this change of mindset, and you could too!

– By Manoj Aravindakshan

Manoj Aravindakshan is Managing Director of On Target Marketing Solutions, a Navi Mumbai digital marketing agency, specializing in search engine marketing and social media marketing. On Target helps clients across different industries/verticals plan, execute and manage Google AdWords pay-per-click advertising campaigns.

As one of the most actively used social media platforms, it is important for marketers to use the Facebook platform effectively to meet their marketing objectives. Facebook is also a huge channel for content marketers and bloggers/ content publishers to generate referral traffic for their websites/blogs. One of the common metrics of success of Facebook marketing is how many followers – or the number of ‘Likes’ it has. So, let’s dig into some of the proven methods that I have personally found quite useful in increasing Facebook page likes.

# 1. Convert post ‘likers’ to page ‘likers’

Facebook launched an interesting feature recently that, surprisingly, has not been extensively used by many Facebook marketers.

Many of them promote their post with the Facebook business tool to reach out widely to their audience and increase their brand visibility, but they often forget to do one thing after promoting the post.

Let me explain in detail. When you promote your post through any campaign with any objective (e.g. boost post, increase traffic to website, collect leads, etc.), the promoted post gets great reach & visibility. In this process, some ‘Likes’ to the promoted post are also generated.

Now, you get an option to convert the people who have liked the post into page followers. You can do this by inviting people who liked a post to like the page itself.

My experience shows that nearly 50 to 60% of such invitees convert to page followers, probably because they are already familiar with your page having liked a post.
That is a great conversion ratio and an opportunity not to be missed!

#2. ‘Stalk’ competitor’s followers

Stalking has negative connotations and hence this technique might get misunderstood. Do note that it is fine to do this as long as it is not done indiscriminately. Also, do recognize the fact that it does take some time to see the results of the actions.

Here is what this method entails. Keep an eye on the online activities of your competitors, including their social handles. Visit the competitor’s social media pages to monitor what they are doing different or better.

Check Facebook posts of the competitor that are resonating with their followers, especially the ones that are generating a lot of ‘Likes’. Make a list of individuals who are liking these post and send them a friend request through the profile that is linked to your Facebook page.

Once they are connected to the profile, you can get visibility for your posts on their news feed. Over time, you could also engage with them with your own posts, which could eventually lead them to liking your page and becoming a follower.

#3. Share your Facebook page link in Facebook Inbox

This method works to convert people who have already found out about your Facebook page and is contacting it through a chat message with questions or suggestions.

Respond promptly to such users with the answer to what they were looking for. While doing so, leave a subtle, polite message to the user to Like the page. Include the link of your Facebook page in the chat.

In many ways, this is like requesting for a rating immediately after delivery of a service —- the chances of a user taking action are high when done immediately after you have given them the answer to their query.

#4. Follow relevant Facebook pages

Following Facebook pages will help helps you to widen your audience reach. Where appropriate, post on those Facebook pages as a visitor with intelligent and well-thought through posts (avoid ‘posting a comment for commenting sake’). As you build visibility for the profile, you can leverage this to increase visibility to your brand page.

Try out these four proven Facebook marketing tactics and see the results for yourself. They have worked for numerous social media accounts I’ve worked on and I am sure you will benefit from them too!

– By Abhishek Savekar

Abhishek Savekar is a Digital Marketing Executive with On Target Marketing Solutions, a Navi Mumbai digital marketing agency servicing clients from across India. He specializes in increasing social media visibility for clients.

Interested in establishing and growing a social media presence? Contact us now to discuss further.