Another reason why social media marketing is important
I was just reading a study by Starcom regarding click-throughs on pay-per-click advertising ( such as Google Adwords).
The study says that heavy clickers represent just 6% of the online population yet account for 50% of all display ad clicks. These heavy clickers ’behave’ differently online than the majority of internet users, and are not representative of the online population.
This heavy clicker is typically between the ages 24-44, has a household income of under $40,000, spends 4 times more time online, and is more likely to visit auctions, gambling, and career service sites – a markedly different surfing pattern than non-clickers.
The study also showed no correlation between display ad clicks and brand metrics, and shows no connection between measured attitudes towards a brand and the number of times an ad for that brand was clicked.
And remember, people spend more than 50% of their online time reading and watching personal content that is created by other people, and they spend only 5% of their time on search. I think it’s still important for a business to show up high in search results for their target audience, as these are people who are specifically looking for a specific product or service at that moment. Most people will click the natural search results, and never click the pay per click ads.
Some of you may be wondering where all those clicks are coming from that you are paying for. Some clicks of course are from your target audience, but many are not. You should be aware that there is a lot of click fraud going on at the same time.
Pay per click be a very expensive form of advertising if you are not careful. You’ve got to measure your ad’s performance and cost, figure out your cost of goods sold, and make sure that you are still making a profit.
