Search Beyond Google, Part 2 of 2

In the second installment of this two-part series on how to effectively use search marketing through less-traveled options, we continue with more techniques provided by author Amber Frensley, a client strategist for search-engine marketing and optimization agency MoreVisibility, in her whitepaper, Marketing Strategies Beyond Traditional Search. Tips 1-4 can be found in the first part of this series in the 12/18 edition of Catalog Success: Tactics & Tips (formerly Catalog Success Idea Factory).

5. Display advertising. A tool used to enhance the user’s engagement, display advertising uses static and animated images (banners), as well as interactive media, including audio and video elements. Typically, online users exposed to both search and display campaigns purchase more of the advertiser’s products than users exposed to just one or the other.

A recent study by the Atlas Institute showed U.S. consumers were more likely to convert after viewing ads on multiple Web sites, indicating conversions should be attributed to a full set of impressions and/or clicks, rather than just the one preceding the conversion.

6. Broadband advertising. Many marketers find online video an effective outlet to run TV commercials on another media platform. For example, CNN.com requires users to watch an ad before viewing a news video. In order to see the video, the user must watch the 15- to 30-second ad in its entirety. The video ad is usually accompanied by an image ad beside or below it to ensure the delivery is effective.

7. Rich media. As engaging the customer becomes paramount in today’s marketing environment, the role of rich media and the Internet gain in relevance. Rich media is a unique method to advertise a product while ensuring the consumer is engaged enough to participate.

The Internet provides media options that engage consumers in ways TV, radio and print have never been able to. Often rich media involves exhibiting dynamic motion through the use of video, audio and animation. Rich media is not constrained solely to the Internet, as it can be used in all digital platforms such as mobile phones, iPods, portable media players, etc.