Should You Advertise Online During Crisis?

I got a barrage of questions from a former colleague earlier about advertising online. His exact question was, "Why should I advertise online even during crisis?"

The answer is easy.

Because advertising online (especially pay-per-click ads) is the most cost efficientmedium of advertising.

"Are you sure?" he said.

"Of course!" I answered back.

Before the advent of the internet our parents used the yellow pages (or the directory) to find suppliers they need (they still do!). They open up the book, find the right category and start calling the supplier they need. The same way we do online. We go to Google and search. Right?

You only search based on your needs. Be it to purchase something. Canvass. Do Reviews. Find a store. Compare. Or just simply because they are curious. You don't really search for something you don't really need right? 

The internet has a wealth of information and that's how a lot of people find info nowadays. Being there as relevant links or text (or even display ads) also helps because it may end up tickling the fancy of the person in that page. 

Anyway, in a more formal note, Piper Jaffray & Co. in their study “The New eCommerce Decade: The Age of Micro Targeting” found out that the most cost efficient way of acquiring customers is via search at $8.50 per customer acquired, the yellow pages follows second at $20 cost per acquisition. 

Makes sense doesn't it? And during crisis every centavo counts. 

So have you searched for your product online lately?

Why Search Advertising Works

I was at the De La Salle Canlubang yesterday morning and I was assigned to speak about "how to convince your customers to patronize your product". Now let's assume you already have your product, did market research (Dr. Ned's way) before you actually produced it. And the market said it's acceptable and that they will purchase your product.

You can have the most extravagant, biggest, noisiest marketing campaign ever but there would still be consumers that won't even mind your campaign, change channels during your commercial, tune out your jingle and not even notice your print ad... much less buy your product. Why? Because they do not NEED it.

I asked my audience yesterday, "When you see a pancit canton TV ad, would you immediately ran out of your room and buy one at the nearest sari-sari store?" They all shook their head, no. Unless you're extremely hungry or craving for pancit canton then that's the time you'll purchase one or cook one (if you have it in your pantry).

Stuck in traffic, half-asleep in the FX, you hear a plug for a movie premiere. It's the latest film of Jackie Chan. Are you going to call the number and reserve for tickets? Unless you're my friend Ruth who's gaga over Jackie Chan, I highly doubt you'll buy tickets. Print ad? I know you get the drift...

Fact is, unless the person seeing/hearing/watching at your ad needs your product, today, tomorrow or next week there wouldn't be purchase at all.

The yellow pages is the most tangible way to describe what search advertising is. I am sure you do not open the yellow pages unless you are looking for the telephone number of a product/service or person you are looking for. Search advertising is where you make yourself available in a medium (be it print or web) and your consumer finds you or clicks you at the precise moment of their need. The UAI study of DPC Yellow Pages in 2005 showed that of those who saw the ad in the YP, 78% bought the product/service. Print was 15%, Radio 37% and TV 26%. Piper Jaffray's "The New eCommerce Decade: The Age of Micro Targetting" also said that the most efficient marketing channel is SEARCH.

Search advertising allows you as well to target your market precisely. You don't need to be seen unnecessarily, thus allowing you to spend your marketing budget on those who actually need your product. Your customer's need brings him to you. But this doesn't mean you shouldn't do any branding activity. Now, that's a different ballgame.

There are three models of online search advertising as discussed by Abe, I think the best among them is still the click-through model, but of course, if it's a branding activity you are doing, better go for the impressions. Both are available in Google Adwords anyway.