Google Partners Blog: April 2009

New rich media production tool from DoubleClick

Thursday, April 30, 2009

DoubleClick StudioDoubleClick blogDoubleClick siteOfficial Google blogDoubleClick rich media galleryPosted by Ryan Hayward, Product Marketing Manager

New video guides

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Conversion Optimizer user guide. Along with the new step-by-step instructional video, we've added a downloadable getting started guide, and additional success stories to the Conversion Optimizer site.

Local Business Center user guide. With this guide, you'll find clear instructions on how to add a business listing to Google Maps and manage it through the Local Business Center. A short video walks you through the process, and text instructions provide additional details.

Google Business ChannelPosted by Katie Wasilenko, Agency Team

New "Google for Advertisers" site has launched

Monday, April 27, 2009

We're excited to announce the launch of Google for Advertisers. Google for Advertisers is a place where we've brought together information about the broad range of our marketing solutions -- and where you can explore and discover the combination of tools that best meet your clients' objectives.

Here are four ways to dive in and get the most from the site:

Read up on our various media platforms. This site gives straightforward descriptions of each of Google's platforms (like search, TV, the Content Network or mobile) and all of the supporting tools. You'll learn how to reach your clients' audiences in relevant and useful ways across devices, locations and languages.

Take a ride on 'The Marketing Cycle.' We put Google solutions in the context of how they can be applied across all the stages of building an effective advertising campaign -- ways to sculpt your strategy, creative development, media deployment, measurement and optimization -- which together help you better plan clients' campaigns that make an impact and deliver strong ROI.

Stick it to a marketing objective. Explore a [very fictional] marketing example that illustrates how Google tools could come together to solve for a particular goal. We hope it inspires you, and offers a chuckle or two.

Build your personal 'toolkit.' As you browse the site and find Google tools that pique your interest, you can add them to your online toolkit. This way you can easily hone in on the solutions that are right for your clients and share them with your colleagues.

We invite you to have a look around and afterward, we welcome your feedback.

Posted by Oliver Deighton, Business Marketing

Upcoming travel webinar - Google and OTX Present: The Brand Value of Search

Monday, April 27, 2009

Paid search is a proven direct response tool. But did you know it can be a powerful brand building strategy for travel marketers?

In a recent study, Google and OTX explored how search can impact branding across five product categories: Air, Car Rental, Cruise, Hotel and Online Travel Agency. Join Cynthia Goodrich, Senior Marketing Manager for Travel at Google, and Julie Cannova, Executive Vice President at OTX, on Thursday, April 30, 2009, as they walk through the study results, and show how paid search can lift key metrics for your clients' brands and increase site traffic.

The results may surprise you...and change how you utilize search to market your brand.

What: Google and OTX Present: The Brand Value of Search

Date: Thursday, April 30, 2009

Time: 10amPST / 12pmCST / 1pmEST

Posted by Veronica San Luis, Travel Marketing

Case study - Impact of online advertising on in-store sales

Friday, April 24, 2009

For clients with both an online and brick and mortar retail presence, you're probably often challenged to justify the impact of your search marketing efforts on in-store sales. We get that question as well, so we put the theory to the test by monitoring in-store sales for one of Google's large retail partners during a geographically-targeted online marketing campaign. We found a 300% ROI for the client during the test period.

To test this theory, we worked with the client and agency to select test and control DMAs with store locations. In the test DMAs, we added geographically-targeted search and content campaigns for the furniture category. The control DMAs did not promote the selected furniture lines through online advertising, and other ad campaigns were kept constant. We then partnered with Applied Predictive Technologies (APT), a software and services firm focused on Test & Learn solutions in the retail environment, to analyze sales, unit and transaction data for set times before, during and after the test, which happened in September-October 2008 (as well as the same time periods in 2007).

Despite running a test at the peak of the economic crisis, the client saw a 300% ROI, with $3 in sales for every $1 spent online. In addition, there was a 2% overall in-store sales lift in the test DMAs over the control markets and a lift of up to 5.3% in a select group of under-performing stores. More specifically, the furniture category saw a sales lift of 1.4%, which is noteworthy because the average furniture buying cycle is longer than the five week test period.

What does this mean for you?

1. Use this study to build a case for clients who are predominantly brick and mortar to implement online ad campaigns.

2. Replicate a similar test to demonstrate the benefits directly to your clients, as well as to determine the right targeting and media mix.

For more details on this study, check out the Google Retail Blog. For information on geographic targeting and search strategies, visit the AdWords Help Center. For information on the Google Content Network, visit the Content Network homepage.

Posted by Emma Weisberg, Retail Marketing

Expand your search marketing horizons with SEMPO Institute

Thursday, April 23, 2009

In these challenging times, we know you may be looking for new opportunities to maintain a competitive edge and help clients meet their marketing goals. In addition to our robust webinar calendar, Google has partnered with the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) to offer you a 20% discount on on-demand, self-paced distance learning courses offered through the SEMPO Institute.

The offerings include beginner and advanced courses on SEO, PPC, and Web 2.0 written by a distinguished group of search marketing professionals. You'll get a Certificate of Completion upon passing a course with a grade of 75% or higher, and your company can earn the designation of “Certified SEMPO Trained” when 20% or more of you pass a course.

If you're interested in one of these courses, sign up by May 6, 2009 and enter code GGLE20 for a 20% discount on the cost of the course (offer expires after May 6, 2009).

Posted by Katie Wasilenko, Agency Team

Google Content Network performance whitepaper

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The Google Content Network can extend the reach of your clients' campaigns to targeted sites across the Web and can be used to drive brand awareness and deliver results for direct response campaigns. But just how effective is the Content Network when looking at cost-per-acquisition (CPA)?

We set out to answer this question—and others about the performance of the Content Network—in our white paper, CPA Performance Trends on the Google Content Network. After examining the performance of Search Network and Content Network campaigns for more than 25,000 accounts globally, we found that the median advertiser showing their ads on both networks has a CPA that's about 2% lower on the Content Network than on search pages. Furthermore, we found that the Content Network delivers nearly 20% of their total conversions.

The full white paper explores these findings in more detail, as well as the positive impact on conversion rates we found from using tools such as the Conversion Optimizer and site exclusion. If using the Content Network hasn't been part of your strategy for building a strong CPA for your clients, we hope this paper will help shed some light on the reasons to take advantage of it.

Posted by Emel Mutlu, Business Marketing Manager

If you build it, they will come. But will they stay?

Friday, April 17, 2009

You want users to find your client's site and be engaged with the content, but some users will leave the site without finding what they're looking for. Paying for clicks that don't materialize into meaningful visits is wasteful, so how do you identify the keywords that are attracting disinterested viewers?

Bounce rate can tell you a lot about whether people are engaged with site content, as it measures the frequency that people leave a site after viewing just one page. Our Analytics Evangelist, Avinash Kaushik, calls this the "I came; I puked; I left" phenomenon. We'll stick with "bounce rate" for simplicity's sake, and in this video, part of our Google Analytics in 60 Seconds series, you can uncover how to use bounce rate to help locate the campaigns, ad groups, and keywords that are resulting in site abandonment. By identifying and eliminating keywords that aren't performing well, you can focus your efforts on more engaged users and help your client's budget go further.

Posted by Jesse Nichols, Agency Team

Upcoming webinar: Targeting the US Hispanic Market

Monday, April 13, 2009

Did you know that the projected purchasing power of US Hispanics in 2009 is estimated at $1.1 trillion?¹ Or that Hispanics will make up approximately 20% of the US population by 2020?² Hispanics are coming online more than ever to interact with friends and make purchase decisions, and Google is one of the first places they look.
Led by members of the AdWords US Hispanic team, this webinar explores the growing presence of Hispanics online and suggests ways to tap into this great opportunity. By the end of this webinar, you should have a deeper understanding of the ways in which the online Hispanic market is growing, how Hispanics are interacting with online media, and how you can set up AdWords campaigns to target them.

What: Targeting the US Hispanic Marketing
Date: Thursday, April 16, 2009
Time: 11AM PST / 1PM CST / 2PM EST
Register here.
[1] "Hispanic purchasing power on the rise and expected to continue through Holiday season, recession," 24-7 Press Release, December 20, 2008, http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release-rss/hispanic-purchasing-power-on-the-rise-and-expected-to-continue-through-holiday-season-and-recession-80436.php
[2] 2008 National Population Projections, US Census Bureau, Population Division
Posted by Meghan Sherlock, AdWords US Hispanic Team

See what develops at Google I/O

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Google I/OsessionsAJAX APIsMaps APIsEarth APIsYouTube APIsregisterPosted by Christine Tsai, Google Developer Programs

Helping you navigate a down economy

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

We know these are challenging times, so we want to arm you with the data, tools, and tactics to identify opportunities and achieve your clients' marketing goals. With this in mind, we've revised the Do More With Less site to more closely align Google products with the specific goals you're focused on. We've also added a left navigation column with additional training and strategy resources, such as webinars, success stories, and trends & tips. We'll continue to update the resources, so keep checking back for our latest additions.Posted by Laura Adams, Business Marketing

Reaching the informed consumer

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Consumers are researching and buying more online. Since the economic downturn, 54% spend more time researching products online before buying them in a store, and 39% simply buy more products online (rather than in-store). Marketers and webmasters can seize this trend by making detailed product information accessible on websites. And of course, it's more important than ever that online ads lead to landing pages with sufficient product detail and a clear path to purchase. Web analytics tools such as Google Analytics and Website Optimizer can help guide decisions.

Consumers are turning to search. 29% of respondents said search engine results or ads were their main source of information during the economic downturn. Websites were second (22%) and recommendations third (11%). 53% said they now use search engines more often to research their purchases. These patterns create opportunity for search engine marketers, who may want to expand their keyword buys to include "research" and "consideration" terms.

Deals matter more than ever. 53% of consumers told us they now spend more time online searching for the latest promotions and discounts, while 46% spend more time searching for coupons. Marketers can benefit by adding more promotional language, even specific coupons, to their search ads. You may also want to set up printable coupons for your clients, which users can then find in your clients' local business listings.

Do More With LessPosted by Daniel Zweifach, Product Marketing Manager

Partners Blog