While traditional models of selling games online is alive and well with veterans of the B2C sector, we have also witnessed the rise of alternative, social approaches to online marketing strategies.
In this post, we take a look at the online video game industry and analyze two different marketing strategies utilized by B2C companies. Our goal is to see how these different strategies can be applied to other e-commerce verticals.
When I think about the major social video game companies producing massively multiplayer online (MMO) games, I think about Electronic Arts, Activsion Blizzard, and wunderkind Zynga. These are the corporations structuring our play on the Internet.
It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway), that the way we play and pay for video games today is different than it was 25 years ago. Back then, I had an Atari 7800 with 4KB of RAM. I could buy a cartridge of Joust from Toys “R” Us, put the game in the console and I was ready to be interactively entertained. Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under conversion optimization, Customer Engagement, Landing Pages, SaaS payment models, zynga ea ecommerce
A special three-part series covering best practices in the three areas necessary for an effective online drip marketing campaign: paid search, user registration and email marketing.
Part 1: Paid Search – The First Hurdle
After working in the online marketing space for over eight years, I realize the value of an effective online marketing campaign. Starting in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising opened my eyes to the focused and cost-effective nature of paid search advertising.
Successful PPC campaigns that generate useful traffic means focusing on keyword evaluation, landing pages, quality score, and PPC management tools.
Keyword Evaluation
Keyword evaluation helps determine the potential revenue and consumer traffic available in your product’s paid search market space. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box when considering how a customer would use your product, because the customer is certainly going to be thinking about their needs.
For example, when I worked with mortgages, I was looking for potential HELOC consumers. Advertising under keywords like Home Depot, Lowes and Menard’s provided significant traffic and converted visitors quite well. Of course, this was only because the landing page/microsite were set up to reflect the user’s needs.
Landing page, Landing Page, Landing Page
I cannot over-emphasize the importance of the content and structure of landing pages. If you want users to convert, you have to make sure they stay on the landing page, which also has the added benefit of raising your quality score.
If your keyword is targeted at customers looking to purchase anti-virus software, don’t distract them with any other information. I have clicked on hundreds of PPC ads (specifically in the software space) where the ad redirects the consumer to the software vendor’s homepage. Your homepage provides a comprehensive knowledge of your business, but your PPC landing pages need to be focused on converting visitors. Focus the message and don’t offer opportunities for wandering.
Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under Day Parting, Drip Marketing, Keyword Evaluation, Landing Pages, Online Marketing, Paid Search, PPC, Quality Score
