With the right training, Google Analytics can provide a wealth of data to help plan highly targeted marketing campaigns and perform deep optimization on them after they're launched. Google is currently releasing a faster, more powerful version of Analytics that will help drive even more in-depth and insightful analysis. Jesse Nichols, Partner Program Manager for Analytics & Website Optimizer, will be hosting a series of webinars designed just for Agencies to help them navigate the new interface and also provide analysis and implementation tips and techniques.

Every three weeks, on Tuesdays at 2pm Eastern / 11am Pacific

Tuesday, May 10th:
Introducing the New Version of GA: Navigating the new interface, finding key reports, using helpful analysis tools (webinar link)

Tuesday, May 31st:
Exciting Insights with Light Speed Analysis: Using the right tools to identify performance opportunities (webinar link)

Tuesday, June 21st:
Measuring Multi-Channel Media: Best Practices for measuring Search, Display, Mobile & Social (webinar link)

Tuesday, July 12th:
Optimizing AdWords & Search: Using GA to improve CPC performance campaigns (webinar link)

Tuesday, August 2nd:
GA for Display Insight: How GA can improve targeting and measurement for Display buys (webinar link)

Tuesday, August 23rd:
Measuring Customer Engagement: How to set up GA to measure the things that really matter (webinar link)

Tuesday, September 13th:
Analytics Partnership Opportunities: How your business can deepen their relationship with GA (webinar link)

If you would like a reminder a few days before each webinar, sign up here and be sure to add placeholders on your calendar because you will not receive a calendar invite. If you would like to have webex remind you on the day of the webinar, please visit the “webinar link” for each session you plan to attend and register there.


Completely new to GA? Check out our Getting Started Guide.

Posted by The Agency Blog Team

For the latest installment in the "Coffee break" series, we sat down with Ryan Pedersen, Associate Search Director at Mindshare, and Patrick Kuypers, Digital Media Services Manager at Radio Shack, who shared with us how some simple changes to an already high-performing contextually targeted Display Network campaign for Radio Shack were able to raise it to another level of success. Here's what Ryan and Patrick had to say:

What was the primary campaign/product you were marketing for the client?
The campaign we focused on was Radio Shack's contextually-targeted campaign with brand keywords on the Google Display Network. Our goal was to improve the client's return on ad spend (ROAS).

When Mindshare began working with Radio Shack in May 2010, we found that this campaign had a number of sites excluded, such as a broader range of sites in the tech and mobile space. We think the client was concerned that these categories of sites would not convert as well, especially during what is historically seen as a slow time in retail. However, we used this as an opportunity to re-visit the campaign together with fresh eyes.

What Google solutions did you use to meet Radio Shack's goals?
First, we used Google Insights for Search to show that from May-August 2009, there was a slight up-tick in interest in Radio Shack searches. Normally Q4 is the strongest quarter, but with this data, we could show the value of investing in branded keyword campaigns in Q3, as well.


Next, Tony Frabotta and Whitney Smith from the account team at Mindshare created a Display Network campaign with automatic placements and keywords. To develop the campaign, we revisited sites that had previously been excluded, and realized that many were tech and Radio Shack relevant sites that had been excluded that had competitive click-through rates and conversion rates. In addition, competitors were on these sites, so felt that Radio Shack should be, as well. We therefore added them back into the campaign.

We also opened up to anything related to electronics to grow reach and client base, as these sites served as push vehicles in search to drive online sales.

From there, we developed an ad group that was tightly organized around variations of the branded keyword Radio Shack to help the Google system target content and map to more relevant sites.

Finally, we also looked at Placement performance reports and excluded any sites that had not been performing.

How did the Google solution perform?
The campaign officially launched in July, and immediately outperformed branded search campaigns. July – September the ROAS was just under $7, compared to just over $5.5 for branded search campaigns, across engines.

Did any results surprise you?
Yes! We traditionally have view contextual targeting as a way to create buzz for search and to leverage content across the Google Display Network. However, by using insights gained from direct response search campaigns, we use successfully use contextually-targeted display campaigns to drive both buzz and sales.

If you did not use this Google solution, how would things have been different?
Our overall blended ROAS would be lower and below our target goal.

For more information on contextually-targeted display campaigns, visit the AdWords Help Center. To find useful data trends to inform clients' campaigns, visit Insights for Search.

Posted by Agency Blog Team

At Google, we believe that good data beats opinion. So we put a lot of effort into asking interesting questions -- How do new mothers use the Internet? When do people really start their holiday shopping? What are the latest trends of today's Hispanic web user? -- and then answering them with concrete information.

We’re pleased to share this knowledge at Think Insights with Google, the website where we’ll be publishing our learnings and insights about digital marketing trends. From papers to case studies to videos, Think Insights' content represents the work we’re doing to better understand how web users are embracing new media platforms and how marketers are adapting to this changing terrain. We’ll be updating this site frequently, so if you'd like to keep up with our latest news, sign up here for your monthly Think Insights fix.

Enjoy, and happy data-diving,

Posted by The Think Insights Team www.google.com/think/insights

This week, Torrence Boone, Managing Director, Agency Business Development, shared his thoughts four areas of opportunity that Agencies should focus on. They include:

• Audience Buying
• The New Creativity
• Fragmentation & Complexity
• The Next 'Now' Thing

He posits that "the future of our industry isn't wrapped up in how agencies are built; at the center remains the consumer and the hard work of telling compelling and authentic stories about clients' brands in a world of increasingly fickle and demanding thresholds of engagement."

Visit AdAge and search on Torrence Boone for the complete story.

Posted by Agency Blog Team

71% of smartphone users search because of an ad they’ve seen either online or offline; 82% of smartphone users notice mobile ads, 74% of smartphone shoppers make a purchase as a result of using their smartphones to help with shopping, and 88% of those who look for local information on their smartphones take action within a day.

These are some of the key findings from “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users,” a study from Google and conducted by Ipsos OTX, an independent market research firm, among 5,013 US adult smartphone Internet users at the end of 2010. Join us in tomorrow’s webinar where we’ll present the full research findings. In the meantime, enjoy this research highlights video and read on for a summary of our main section findings:


General Smartphone Usage: Smartphones have become an integral part of users’ daily lives. Consumers use smartphones as an extension of their desktop computers and use it as they multi-task and consume other media.

• 81% browse the Internet, 77% search, 68% use an app, and 48% watch videos on their smartphone

• 72% use their smartphones while consuming other media, with a third while watching TV

• 93% of smartphone owners use their smartphones while at home

Action-Oriented Searchers: Mobile search is heavily used to find a wide variety of information and to navigate the mobile Internet.

• Search engine websites are the most visited websites with 77% of smartphone users citing this, followed by social networking, retail and video sharing websites

• Nine out of ten smartphone searches results in an action (purchasing, visiting a business, etc.)

• 24% recommended a brand or product to others as a result of a smartphone search

Local Information Seekers: Looking for local information is done by virtually all smartphone users and consumers are ready to act on the information they find.

• 95% of smartphone users have looked for local information

• 88% of these users take action within a day, indicating these are immediate information needs

• 77% have contacted a business, with 61% calling and 59% visiting the local business

Purchase-driven Shoppers: Smartphones have become an indispensable shopping tool and are used across channels and throughout the research and decision-making process.

• 79% of smartphone consumers use their phones to help with shopping, from comparing prices, finding more product info to locating a retailer

• 74% of smartphone shoppers make a purchase, whether online, in-store, or on their phones

• 70% use their smartphones while in the store, reflecting varied purchase paths that often begin online or on their phones and brings consumers to the store

Reaching Mobile Consumers: Cross-media exposure influences smartphone user behavior and a majority notice mobile ads which leads to taking action on it.

• 71% search on their phones because of an ad exposure, whether from traditional media (68%) to online ads (18%) to mobile ads (27%)

• 82% notice mobile ads, especially mobile display ads and a third notice mobile search ads

• Half of those who see a mobile ad take action, with 35% visiting a website and 49% making a purchase

Implications
The findings of the study have strong implications for businesses and mobile advertisers. Make sure you can be found via mobile search as consumers regularly use their phones to find and act on information. Incorporate location based products and services and make it easy for mobile customers to reach you because local information seeking is common among smartphone users. Develop a comprehensive cross-channel strategy as mobile shoppers use their phones in-store, online and via mobile website and apps to research and make purchase decisions. Last, implement an integrated marketing strategy with mobile advertising that takes advantage of the knowledge that people are using their smartphones while consuming other media and are influenced by it.

Learn More
To learn more about the study, please join us in a webinar tomorrow where we will present and discuss the research findings in-depth. Register for “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users” webinar on Wednesday, April 27th at 11am PST/ 2pm EST. To receive the research report, please visit the Google Mobile Ads blog after April 27th to download a complimentary copy of the study.

Re-Posted from the Google Mobile Ads blog by Dai Pham, Google Mobile Ads Marketing

With the right training, Google Analytics can provide a wealth of data to help plan highly targeted marketing campaigns and perform deep optimization on them after they're launched. Google is currently releasing a faster, more powerful version of Analytics that will help drive more in-depth and insightful analysis.

Jesse Nichols, Partner Program Manager for Analytics & Website Optimizer, will be hosting a series of webinars designed just for Agencies. They will focus on helping you navigate the new interface and provide analysis and implementation tips and techniques.

We are aiming to have the first webinar the week of May 9th on the Fundamentals of Analysis and Report Control in Google Analytics. If you are interested in attending any part of this webinar series, please sign up here.

Posted by Agency Blog Team

Join the May 3rd webinar to find out and learn to optimize your site for mobile users.

Smart phones are changing the way we search for information, shop, use maps, watch video, interact through social networks and engage with advertising. As smart phone adoption grows, mobile users have come to expect quick and consistent interactions, anytime and anywhere. Agencies need to adapt mobile strategies to focus on the demands of users on the go. Research has shown that the majority of businesses, big and small, are still not ready to meet users' mobile needs.

Are you clients' sites mobile ready?

Please join Google Senior Mobile Account Executive, Elliot Nix, and Mobile Specialist, Shiv Kumar, for an upcoming webinar to learn more about how mobile site optimization can drive results for your businesses.

Specifically, they’ll cover:

* The state of mobile readiness
* Why mobile optimization matters to businesses
* Mobile site development best practices and tips
* Next steps to optimize mobile sites

Date: May 3, 2011

Time: 11:00am PST / 2:00pm EST

Register: Please click here


Posted by Agency Blog Team

Our friends at the Inside AdWords Blog recently posted about the new look and fee of the Ad Innovations site. Visit it to view new marketing technologies, watch demos and try the latest tools.

Whether you’re most interested in search, display, mobile, or performance measurement, find a number of AdWords features to help you stay on top of the newest advertising developments.

It's also live in six new countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and Brazil. For the full post click here.

Posted by Agency Blog Team

We hear it constantly from all sides, “Consumers are spending more time than ever online, and digital advertising is the wave of the future.” We hear this, and yet, it still seems like businesses face obstacles in bringing their promotion online. With research backing the consumer patterns of time spent online, the question we’re left with is not whether advertisers will move dollars from TV to online, but how quickly?

On April 4, 2011, Suzie Reider (YouTube Advertising Director of Display), debuted findings of IAB research entitled "An Inside Look at Demand-Side Perceptions of Digital Video Advertising." The study was conducted by Advertiser Perceptions and explored the gating factors to digital advertising at the IAB Digital Video conference. To find the obstacles, researchers gathered 500 agency and marketer decision-makers representing a variety of verticals and asked them about their perceptions. The full results can be viewed here, but here’s a snapshot of the findings:

• Types of Digital Video Advertising Used Past 12 Months – Overall, the only type of DVA used by a majority of media purchasing professionals (57%) during the past 12 months is Pre-Roll, however the gap between agency respondents (66%) and marketers (36%) is vast. In-banner has been used by more than four in ten (46%), overall, while expandable banner with video (34%) and rich media overlay (34%) have each been used by just over a third of respondents.
• Types of Digital Video Advertising Will Use in Next 12 Months – The landscape over the next 12 months will not look all that different from the past 12 months; the only type of DVA that respondents will reportedly be used by the majority of media purchasing professionals (58%) is Pre-Roll. The gap between agency respondents (64%) and marketers (42%) is still wide, but narrowing. In-banner (48%), expandable banner with video (40%), and rich media overlay (35%) will all be more widely used, while mobile video (35%) will see some serious growth.
• The majority of respondents planned to increase digital advertising spend (on average, by about 22%) - Respondents noted increased reach, ROI, and higher engagement levels as their rationale.
• The majority are likely to migrate a portion of their TV Ads budget to digital video - Overall, respondents noted track-ability, targeting, and efficient spend with less production costs as their rationale. Marketers skewed towards ROI as the reason for the shift, while agencies will shift TV ad dollars to online in an attempt to follow their target audience.
• The DVA format of choice was a :15 pre-roll on a CPM basis - When forced to select a single favorite or preferred DVA type, not surprisingly, pre-roll, the most used as well as the most planned to use, is the most preferred (30%) holding a two-to-one advantage across the board with all respondent groups over the number two type, expandable banner with video (14%).
  

Overall, the research supports optimism for DVA in the industry, and highlighted where progress may be slowing. Agencies and marketers believe that digital video may have better ROI and engagement but both alike want more measurability and better metrics. We’re demanding more from our campaigns, and the future is bright for digital advertising.

Posted by Suzie Reider, YouTube Advertising Director and Co-Chair of the IAB Digital Video Committee

Do online search campaigns lead to in-store sales? Controlled studies we call ‘Online to Store’ experiments prove time and again that they do! Check out the video below for results from large advertisers that tested the effects of keyword targeted products and categories, generic keywords and online coupons.



Highlights include in-store sales lift, return on ad spend (15:1 in some cases) and halo effects on overall sales. Understanding the effect of search ads on offline sales is a large part of accurately defining the full value of search campaigns, beyond direct conversion.

Consider these results and continue your own online to store testing.

Posted by Agency Blog Team