Google and Facebook hold the largest share of total US digital ad spend at 38.6 percent and 19.9 percent respectively. Based on all the money people are spending on these channels, you’d assume they must work well. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case – particularly in companies with long sales cycles or complex product offerings.
When advertising with Google and social media, chances are you will get impressions and even clicks, but where things start to fall apart is converting those clicks into qualified sales leads. Ad spend is almost useless in long sales cycle scenarios unless you can not only identify a lead but also follow and nurture them for months after the initial engagement.
On average, the click to conversion rate of an ad on Google is roughly 2.5%. LinkedIn (a B2B favourite) tends to fare better with a 6.1% conversion rate – but it’s definitely far from ideal.
So, even with these disappointing results – why do so many companies decide to invest their advertising dollars with these digital giants?
There are a few major reasons – it’s easy to get started, you only pay if you receive clicks, and you’re able to appear where your prospects are looking.
But the main reason? Companies don’t think they have any other digital options.
For years, publications were a popular choice for advertising and brand awareness, but the lack of digital innovation and unclear ROI led businesses to move away from these avenues. Now, these publications are finally starting to transform with the help of ActiveIQ AdCONNECT – and the results speak for themselves.
For the same ad spend, AdCONNECT is able to generate dramatically more leads than the average campaign on Google or LinkedIn. And AdCONNECT can provide unparalleled and persistent attribution – so that you can continue to spend on those avenues that work!
Other than the obvious advantage of getting more sales leads, there are a few other benefits to choosing to advertise with a publisher using AdCONNECT.
While Google is great for hitting people actively looking, niche publications are able to connect you to a market of qualified prospects who may not even know your solution exists yet. Also, since these publications cater to such a specific audience, you’ll know that your messaging is reaching your target market and not random people on the other side of the world.
With AdCONNECT, businesses are able to not only improve their ROI by 10X or more, but they also have the tools they need to follow the leads through the entire buyer’s journey after initial engagement. This provides businesses with unparalleled attribution and visibility into campaign success.
Lots of clicks can seem impressive, but at the end of the day, they don’t always drive real results (and they could come from the same person multiple times, or even worse, from spambots). With AdCONNECT, you have the option to pay on a per lead basis, so you can always be confident you’re getting a superior return on your investment.
Now more than ever, companies need to make sure they’re spending their marketing dollars wisely. The ability to invest in a digital solution with certain results is a game-changer for businesses and can dictate their survival this year and for years to come.
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