Tags: Clicks2Customers, clicks2customers.com, Pay Per Click, PPC, ROI, Say Communications, SEM

Wednesday 30th, July - In a period of economic uncertainty where every penny in the marketing budget counts, one thing is sure - your business is never likely to be in more urgent need of effective marketing. Due to the fact that online marketing is vastly more measurable and accountable than offline, this is a good place to invest your money. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) allows you to direct your money at those already searching for your business and more likely to become an actual client. With PPC every pound is accounted for so ROI proven.

So, you know what you need to do, but with thousands of PPC agencies how do you get the best deal? You will need to apply a good deal of common sense and due diligence when choosing an agency - there are many suppliers with vastly different capabilities. Below are some of the issues you should to take into account:-

• How would you measure and track ROI for campaigns? – An experienced supplier should be able to translate your business aims into a set of online marketing objectives to include ROI targets, volume and customer targeting.

• Do you have a bid management tool? – Once performance metrics have been agreed with the Agency, you merely need to monitor and ensure those targets are achieved.

• It is experience that matters – Investigate the type of campaigns they have previously run. The best experience is where the agency can demonstrate they have taken either a tough campaign or a successful one, and improved it.

• Look for analysts not marketers – Paid search is technically marketing but running a successful campaign effectively requires far more analytical and statistical expertise than it does marketing.

• Don’t rely on a salesperson to tell you how great their SEM services are – check it out for yourself. Ask for case studies of the SEM, and who some of their main clients are.

• Understand affiliate marketing – Understand the relationship between affiliate marketing and Paid search – how they can complement each other in a coherent online strategy.

Clicks2Customers, Qualified to Comment:
Ideally positioned to comment, Clicks2Customers is a global leader in performance based paid search marketing solutions, and a strategic partner to Google South Africa. Clicks2Customers is headquartered in South Africa with a European office based in London and has clients in 5 countries, including the UK. Clicks2Customers clients include eight top 500 online retailers in the USA, two top 10 Travel brands in the UK and travel and financial services brands in Southern Africa. Please visit www.clicks2customers.com

For further comment from Clicks2Customers please contact:
Ivan Izikowitz, Clicks2Customers, ivan.i {at} clicks2customers(.)com
Louise Stewart-Muir, Say Communications, + 44 208 971 6400