Posts filed under 'Advertiser Spotlight'
August 28th, 2008
Yahoo! helps LendingTree test the benefits of combining paid and organic search
 Who: LendingTree, LLC, an online lending exchange that connects consumers with multiple lenders who compete for their business.
Objective: Yahoo! and LendingTree wanted to quantify how using sponsored search ads and paid inclusion listings together increases traffic.
Products Used: Sponsored Search and Search Submit Pro
Results: During the study, combining the two products drove a 61% lift in online visitation.
The Challenge
LendingTree assumed that adding Search Submit Pro, which lets businesses create natural search listings, to its Sponsored Search campaigns would drive extra traffic, but it was just that: an assumption. But now they wanted to better quantify the assumed benefit of a combined Sponsored Search and Search Submit Pro campaign. Yahoo! commissioned comScore, a research firm that analyzes consumer Internet behavior, to conduct a study that would find out how much Search Submit Pro helps increase traffic, consumer engagement and conversions.
“We had an assumption of the benefits of using Search Submit Pro and Sponsored Search on the same page but we didn’t have a way to value the impact,” says Robert Pettee, Director of Search Marketing at the Online Lending Exchange.
Methodology
In the span of three months, Search Submit Pro listings were turned on or off every Thursday, while Sponsored Search ads were always active on the first page of results during the campaign period. Test panelists were placed in two groups: one group was exposed to LendingTree Sponsored Search ads only; the other group was exposed to a combination of LendingTree Sponsored Search and Search Submit Pro listings.
Results
They found that the two products were greater than the sum of their parts—in other words, combining Sponsored Search and Search Submit Pro on the same page can potentially build more traffic than using each product separately.
- Yahoo! Search Submit Pro advertising drove a 61% net lift in online visitation among exposed searches.
- Exposure to Search Submit Pro listings drove a 135% lift in natural listings clicks and a 21% net lift in sponsored ad clicks.
Branching Out
LendingTree is now looking at landing page options that can take greater advantage of the increased traffic garnered by Search Submit Pro participation.
“We now have a better understanding of the whole picture and are now less apt to change our paid search budget,” says Pettee.
— Roger Park, Manager, Marketing Communications
June 10th, 2008
Case Study: How Internet marketing company Wave Direct helped its client increase leads by 50%
 It took more than a 90-minute presentation to convince a new client to step out of its marketing comfort zone. But for Internet marketing firm Wave Direct, it was a matter of persuading its customer, an internationally known five-star hotel chain, that an aggressive Sponsored Search campaign could help generate more timeshare purchases. Given the chance to show what can be accomplished with the right keywords and exciting ad copy—and with the assistance of a talented team of Yahoo! Search Marketing account managers—Wave Direct rolled up some tremendous results.
Company Overview
Established in 2004, Wave Direct is a direct marketing company specializing in customized e-marketing solutions including targeted email, display banners and search engine marketing. With seasoned direct marketer Rob Cheyne at the helm, Wave Direct has established itself as a leader in the rapidly evolving e-marketing arena. In 2007, the firm began managing the online marketing efforts of a widely recognized hospitality chain which operates several all-villa resorts in some of the world’s most desirable destinations. Wave Direct’s marketing efforts have focused on driving high-quality leads to the client’s website so prospects can learn more about the advantages of timeshare ownership.
Starting from Scratch
Prior to hiring Wave Direct, their five-star client managed internally-supported search marketing campaigns which yielded mixed results. After jumping on board, Wave Direct’s team recognized that the optimal demographic target was a much better fit with the users of Yahoo!, so they began working with the Yahoo! team to open an account and get its search ads up and running. A month of ads appearing in Yahoo! Sponsored Search results established baseline metrics, and then the team went to work on fine-tuning the campaign, including adding and deleting keywords, and spicing up the ad creative.
Five-Star Results
Adding more specific, targeted keywords—and ditching the “plain vanilla” ads for more exciting copy with attention-getting words like “luxury” and “opulent”—was the passkey to the penthouse for their efforts as Wave Direct enjoyed some very obvious performance improvements just 24 hours after renovating the campaigns. The firm was able to substantially cut the client’s cost-per-conversions, while increasing the overall number of leads by an impressive 50%. Wave Direct continues to generate great results for their customer, taking advantage of Sponsored Search’s ability to “dial up” bids and budgets on particular keywords during down seasons.
Doubly Good
With their client now sold on the importance and value of search marketing, Wave Direct continually works with its Yahoo! account managers to make any adjustments that will build on the already-impressive marks. The team has added a number of “long-tail” keywords, which are low-volume search terms that are targeted and can convert well. Wave Direct reports that the firm uses the impressive results to help sell other clients on the value of search marketing. Most telling, though, is that in 2008 Wave Direct plans to double its business with Yahoo!.
Lessons Learned
- Think “out of the box” when looking to add keywords, including using “long-tail” terms that are low-cost but can have a high impact.
- Avoid “plain vanilla” copy in your ads; use exciting adjectives that will catch the attention of searchers.
- Use a combination of email, display advertising and search ads to drive the greatest return-on-investment.
- Use common sense in evaluating your campaigns: Take advantage of available reports to see what’s working and what’s not.
Testimonial
“Yahoo!’s account interface is by far the fastest of the three main players. Yahoo! is the most user-friendly company to work with among the Big Three. If I could get the same amount of responsiveness, service and friendliness that I get from Yahoo! from all my other vendors, I would be in a wonderful position.” — Don Eaker, National Sales Director, Wave Direct
— Jeff Hecox
May 20th, 2008
Case study: CourseAdvisor teaches how to master the creative side of search
 CourseAdvisor, an online education research directory that connects prospective students with more than 500 colleges and universities, had mastered the numbers of search marketing but hadn’t leveraged the creative side of search. With help from Yahoo!, CourseAdvisor wrote new ads and restructured its account—and saw its clicks go up 44% during a five-month period.
As a technology-focused company, CourseAdvisor constantly monitored its site traffic and conversion rates. The company was consumed with the technical side of the business, but other elements of its search campaigns suffered. CourseAdvisor needed help balancing the creative and technical sides of search.
“We were taking advantage of the data-driven side of search, but felt we still had great potential on the creative side,” said Addie Conner, Director of Search Marketing at CourseAdvisor. For instance, they typically had just one creative per ad group, which contained large numbers of keywords. CourseAdvisor communicated its needs to Yahoo!, which quickly took action.
About CourseAdvisor
CourseAdvisor matches students’ skills and education needs to degree and certificate programs, serving over 5 million unique visitors per month. Founded in 2004 by a group of MIT and UMass/Amherst college alumni and entrepreneurs, CourseAdvisor applies modern database marketing practices to the academic enrollment cycle. Its primary marketing objective is lead generation; 95% of CourseAdvisor’s business is driven by search marketing.
Creative Counseling
In order to fully optimize creative, CourseAdvisor first needed to restructure its account. A Yahoo! account team member worked directly with CourseAdvisor to help reorganize its huge list of keywords; CourseAdvisor has hundreds of thousands of keywords in its account. The keywords were reorganized into topical ad groups that allowed creatives to be more relevant; that should help improve the account over time by garnering high quality scores.
Then the team turned its attention to the ad creative, beginning with adding alternative ad titles. They looked at the way keyword phrases were worded in alt text, for example, changing “Degree nursing online” to “Online Nursing Degree.” This change in wording is more readable for the user and a better representation of the brand.
Through daily follow-up phone calls, the Yahoo! Search Marketing team was highly engaged with CourseAdvisor’s search campaign.
“You get a real sense of caring from the Yahoo! team, who go above and beyond to help us out. They have a willingness to learn and grow with our business. We’re reaching a high-quality audience with a high conversion rate,” Conner said.
Results
• CourseAdvisor enjoyed a 44% increase in clicks during a five-month period.
• Due to high quality traffic on Yahoo!, the company’s Yahoo! Search Marketing campaign achieved a higher conversion rate than its campaigns with other search engines.
• CourseAdvisor was able to organize its high volume of keywords into tight, efficient ad groups.
• With better creatives, CourseAdvisor is more likely to show the right ad message to the right customer.
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