So about to be released is a research study by the Online Publishers Association that analyzed consumer behaviors of those Internet users who were exposed to display advertising on 200 of the most trafficked sites on the Internet. I am eager to see this research as one of the main headlines is that 1 in 5 viewers of the ad conducted a related search and 1 in 3 visited the site. Not only that, they found that when driven by display ads, a visitor spends 50% more time on the site.
While I don’t know if this is an argument for putting your “drive” money into banners ads, since there might be more effective drivers like online video, but it does illustrate my main contention that search engine traffic is to be “captured” and not treated like it has been driven by your SEO campaign.
But don’t switch your budget out of Search Marketing either, as Display Advertising (or any media) goes hand-in-hand with your SEM efforts. A recent study by iProspect found that just as many people exposed to an ad did a related search as those who clicked on the ad. Moreover, over 40% eventually did a related search.
The upshot, learn your marketing drivers and optimize your digital footprint to capture the leads!
