Content to go online
Michael Gaynor looks at how a pull-driven policy gives marketers most rewards online

Marketers in Ireland will spend over €35 million on online advertising this year. Online has already overtaken national press spend in the UK and the Financial Times has predicted that a similar outcome is on the cards in the US by 2011. It is now the fastest-growing medium in both the US and UK and is half that of TV expenditure.

Even though TV will continue to remain the most dominant medium, the internet is catching up. But are Irish marketers adopting the correct strategies to drive traffic and in turn sales through their websites? It is an issue open for debate.

Why is it that banner advertising remains the lead means of online activity when it achieves an average CTR of 0.2 per cent to 0.8 per cent? All forms of banners are antiquated, yet they account for half of online marketing budgets.

A recent McKinsey survey highlighted banners are the least efficient online activity. If the aim of your marketing strategy is to sell a product or service, then avoid all forms of online display ads. A shift to a pull model driven by content gives far better returns.

Gear your strategy to a pull as opposed to a push model. The net is unique in that it allows you to engage with your target audience in ways traditional media cannot. Consumers have no interest in being bombarded with meaningless messages.

Instead, they choose the most relevant and stimulating content which engages and enhances their lifestyles. They are controlling and only pulling the content and branded communications that matters to them and there are three strategies worth noting.

1. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION
Over half of website traffic is generated through search engines. Consumers are in control and pulling content through their keyword search inputs. Looking for a hotel in Cork, search under ‘hotels in Cork’. Hayfield Manor was number one overall.

Jurys Doyle Hotel was number one in terms of paid listing. If website content is optimised to deliver top ten listing on key searches, then traffic will double.

Visitors acquired through pull advertising have a much higher tendency to purchase than those targeted with push ads, giving a better ROI. With 48 per cent of all those online using search engines each day as a gateway to content, content optimisation is crucial.

With search engines, a top ten listing can be achieved organically or through paid searches. Either way, knowing what keywords consumers use when looking to buy within a product/service category is essential – details sourced through web analysis tools.

JUST CLICKS Harpo Marx in an early Pepsi campaign. The giant drinks and snack food group has come a long way since then and now uses a music partnership online.

2. VALUE-ADDED CONTENT PARTNERSHIP
Content is king. Marketers need to rethink their strategy to leverage their content to drive traffic to their site. Sites with fresh, dynamic content are using RSS feeds to empower consumers to take control and publish content within their personalised pages.

Companies are forming strategic content partnerships, allowing relevant sites publish their content, giving links back to their own site. Carzone.ie publishes content on sites from rte.ie to iol.ie, while toyota.ie feeds its used car database to carzone.ie and cbg.ie.

Some companies develop content relevant to target audiences and outsource to partnered sites. PepsiCo did so on the music front and the link-up is pulling Pepsi’s target audience into their site, where they can engage more positively than through push advertising.

Gateway and Dell created branded content around ‘back to school’ and ‘business development’ published on third-party sites. By engaging consumers with relevant value-added content, you can pull them to your site than through simple display ads.

3. BLOGGING
Blogging can generate value-added content in a pull environment which builds brands and increases sales. It is a simple concept and involves a business sharing knowledge and expertise on a particular topic which people find relevant and of interest.

Specialist food stores and wine merchants are creating blogs to share knowledge and advice and people are interacting with the brand. Creating a successful blog enables companies to optimise their rankings on search engines like Google.

Murphys Ice Cream in Dingle created a blog that ranks ahead of the mighty Unilever’s HB brand when you search online for ‘ice cream’. They developed the pull strategy by becoming a conduit for information in their given field.

The initiative has resulted in potential customers coming to them when people want to know more about ice cream, chocolate and coffee. Anyone can start a blog through www.blogs.ie. Toyota Ireland’s new site launches this month.

Michael Gaynor is senior manager marketing at Toyota Ireland