Posted on Thu, 01/19/2012 - 07:30 PM by
viewed 32 times

Anyone doing Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising will eventually confront the following question:

“If I already rank #1, why would I do PPC for my brand name?”

surfing the internet

It’s a common enough question.  I recently came across an article about advertising on your brand name and felt like small businesses needed to understand the pros and cons.

The Cons of Advertising on Your Brand Name

  • You spend money to get a click you might have gotten anyway – nobody wants to spend money. Especially small businesses where every penny has to work harder.
  • Brand terms perform significantly better than my other PPC terms and will skew my data.

The Pros of Advertising on Your Brand Name

  • You take up more space on the search engine results:  By having your PPC ad show up you increase the amount of real estate you occupy, thus increasing the likelihood that a search user ends up on your site.
  • You control what your listing says:  Organic results are great but the search engine controls what your listing says. PPC ads are 100% under your control, so you can ensure you’re putting your best foot forward.
  • You pick the landing page:  When a user clicks your PPC ad they go where you feel is best. That might be a current promotion or it might be the homepage. The point is that you choose, not the search engine.
  • You “box out” the competition:  If you don’t advertise on your brand name, a competitor might. Advertising on your brand name allows you to push them down.
  • You can get more clicks:  Having your ad and organic listing on the same page can actually increase your total response when done correctly. I won’t dive into it here, but Search Engine Land has an article titled, “Brand Ad Cannibalism: A Tale of Two Tests.”

In Summary

In my experience the pros outweigh the cons. If you’re still on the fence, consider the following arguments:

  • First:  You may indeed have to pay for a few clicks you would have gotten anyway, but you’ll be able to control the message and direct them to exactly the right page in exchange.
  • Second:  If you put brand terms in a separate campaign in your PPC accounts you’ll be able to track them separately from your other campaigns, thus keeping your data clean.

Just like all PPC efforts, as you test and monitor performance you’ll soon determine if the effort is profitable and ensure your PPC dollars are pulling their weight.

Surfing Photo via Shutterstock

Read Full Small Business News Post
news courtesy of small business trends

MORE NEWS FROM SMALL BUSINESS TRENDS

What Job Are You Helping Your Customers Do?

Marketing is often described in terms of a product life cycle. The development, the launch, continued support, and finally, discontinuation all have specific marketing efforts associated with them. From social contests to reduced prices and giveaways, the emphasis is nearly always on the product or service provided. However, this does not take into account the way that customers actually search for and find products.

 

Small Business Loans and Small Loans to Business

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the decline in “small loans to business” during the Great Recession and economic recovery that followed. Now I am back to tell you that data on “small business loans” paints an even worse picture of the small business credit markets.

 

As U.S. Small Biz Week Arrives, Are You Stressed or Optimistic?

With the arrival of National Small Business Week here in the U.S., a variety of events, beginning yesterday, have been scheduled in Washington D.C. and across the country to recognize the importance of small business to the U.S. economy and to address topics important to small business owners. Just in time, a semi-annual study of American small businesses shows those business owners to be stressed but optimistic. Check out the schedule of national events and hear what leaders and small business owners are saying about issues most important to small business today.

 

Why You Should Read Engagement Marketing

Engagement Marketing: How Small Business Wins in a Socially Connected World is the new book about how to get and keep customers by engaging with them.

 

Pointers on Hiring a Marketing Firm for Your Small Business

I’m not here to tell you which marketing firm to use. Rather, I’d like to offer you some pointers on what to look for when hiring a marketing firm. I believe the search starts with you. Ask yourself some foundational questions to get a handle on what you are looking for.

 
 

RELATED SMALL BUSINESS NEWS

Don’t push when you can pull

No selling required There is a better way of winning new customers than pushing you and your B2B offer at them. Customers love it because they’re buying rather than being sold to. You’ll like it because it feels better than selling and you’ll get more long term business from it. U...

 

You’re the Boss Blog: White House Opposes Small-Business Contracting Provision in Defense Bill

In a statement, the administration called higher goals for small-business contracting "laudable but overly ambitious." ...

 

How the 'Little Guy' Can Partner With Big Companies

If you're a little guy, there are plenty of ways to partner with a much larger company. Here are seven. ...

 

"Scott Thompson Was A Terrible CEO" And Other Snippets From Fred Wilson

As always, Fred Wilson had a lot of insights share this morning at TechCrunch's Disrupt conference in New York. Here are some of the highlights from his talk with the always barbed Mike Arrington:...

 

SRDC Is Offering Loans Through RLF

Southwest Regional Development Commission (SRDC) is offering loans through revolving loan fund (RLF). Its purpose is to have a direct financing tool making loan funds available so as to assist in retail, manufacturing, and distribution businesses.

 
 
    

Get funding to grow your small business

Let us help you find the best financing option for your business needs.

Stay up-to-date with our small business newsletter

Subscribe to our weekly digest that features the latest in small business funding news along with helpful tips to guide you in our business financing needs

Tweet, +1, and Like Funder

Follow Us
Copyright © 2012 RBF Management, LLC   |   Lighter Capital Network™
Privacy Policy   |   contact@funder.org