Search Marketing for the Big Event

3 tips to capture more impressions and clicks through hot happenings

Between the presidential elections, the Olympics in Beijing, and NASA Messenger’s second flyby past Mercury, 2008 is a year of big events. Search marketers should take note.

Why? Because whether you’re dealing with a nationwide political decision, an international sports event, or a hot dog eating contest, “big events” can drive serious search activity. And if your business has a reason to connect with those “big event” searchers—say, you’re a political publication covering the presidential campaign, a sports magazine with Olympics coverage, or a hot dog vendor—you can use that event-driven search to engage those searchers in a meaningful conversation.

Here are three hot tips on how to start talking about that big event:

1. Don’t forget to add the keyword
If you’re hoping to capitalize on a big event, your first course of action should be to remember to advertise in search for that event to begin with.

This sounds obvious. But I can’t tell you how many sports sites with dedicated Olympics sections, news sites with Election ’08 coverage, and science and nature magazines with NASA Messenger images have failed to advertise on crucial event keywords like “candidates 2008” or “mercury photos.” Those businesses have ended up hidden on relevant search terms—and they’ve missed out on a window of opportunity.

Don’t lose out on these opportunities. If you offer something of value to a sudden influx of searchers, let them know about it by advertising the appropriate keywords Yahoo! Sponsored Search.

2. Beware of ambiguous terms
Search terms like “presidential candidates 2008” are clearly event-related. But other terms are more ambiguous. “Cycling,” for example, could represent a search for an Olympic bike race, or it could be a search from someone who wants to buy a bicycle or is planning a long bike ride of her own.

Since big events are short-lived and capture popular interest, big event search marketers face a real challenge from ambiguous keywords such as these. That’s because big events can create sudden, diverging meanings for the same term. On the July 4th weekend, a search for “hot dogs” might be a search for the processed meat (as it usually is year-round); but it might also be a search for übereater Takeru Kobayashi, in anticipation of the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Confusion—and wasted search spend—can ensue.

As a rule, your attitude toward ambiguous keywords should be determined by your search budget. The less you have to spend, the warier you should be of ambiguous event terms. If you’re interested in scale, though, advertising on those ambiguous terms may be a worthwhile gamble. You might attract a lot of bike shoppers to your Olympics pages, but you’ll capture a lot more Olympic cycling enthusiasts, too.

3. Say it with creative
If you do decide to advertise on ambiguous search terms, your ad should let searchers know exactly what you offer—and, by implication, what you don’t offer. For example, if your site features Olympics coverage and you’re advertising on the keyword “cycling,” make sure that your ad copy explains that you feature Olympics scores, articles, and videos—and not sales on Schwinns. “See Olympic Cycling Photos” might be a better ad title than simply “Cycling,” or even “Men’s Cycling.”

If you use your ad copy to tell searchers exactly what you offer, feature or sell, you’ll get fewer of the wrong kinds of searchers—and more of the right ones—clicking on your ad.

Do you have your own strategies for running search campaigns around a big event? Post your comments below. Maybe I’ll talk about your suggestions at my next conference…and then, of course, you could advertise in Yahoo! Sponsored Search around the event.

— Abe Mezrich, Communications Manager, Didit

Photo courtesy of David All via Flickr and Creative Commons