Measuring Offline Response to Google Adwords, PPC & Online Marketing

There’s something quite remarkable about direct mail. You know, the stuff that comes through the letter box, or lands on your office desk addressed to you personally. With much of the world focusing on digital and mobile marketing, direct mail seems to be sticking out like a sore thumb...and that’s a good thing. Getting noticed by prospects is partially what advertising and marketing is all about. Doing so profitably is a skill that good direct marketers have.

Whilst on-line marketers have been quick to cite easy analytics and measurement as reasons why the on-line environment is so good, direct marketing experts are also used to tracking the results of their marketing. And perhaps they are better at it. After all, they track a variety of response mechanisms. Calls, emails, faxes, coupons and texts ,to name a few.

The easy measurement of on-line marketing can sometimes make marketing appear too easy. Put up some Google Ads, get lots of clicks to the website and make sales. But it’s not always this simple.

For example, some keywords on Google can have costs of £30 per click. At that rate it’s pretty easy to rack up bills of tens of thousands for Google Ad campaigns. Take a look at this info-graphic from www.WordStream.com which highlights the highest cost keywords.

High price clicks are only one part of the equation.

It’s OK measuring the clicks, but what about the offline response to these keywords and Google Ads?

If one isn't measuring the offline response then there’s potentially a big problem with investing a lot of budget where it appears to be getting clicks.

But is that it?

Many transactions are completed offline, particularly for expensive products and services, exactly those that require expensive keyword bidding.  Much better to measure clicks and offline response such as email and calls. This will give a true picture.

At AdMeter we have worked with a client to track the offline response to their keywords. It’s been an eye-popping experience. Keywords that looked great in  terms of clicks were compared to those that delivered calls, (by using our Dynamic number change system) and demonstrated that things are always what they seem.

Some keywords whilst low in terms of clicks delivered well in terms of calls and hence conversion to clients. Some keywords did the opposite. Lots of clicks but few calls.

Without measuring offline response to Google Adwords or any on-line marketing it’s unlikely marketers will have a true picture of response and conversion. Something that direct marketing has known for the past century. Long live the discipline of direct marketing. And long live measurement of on-line marketing. Wherever the response eventually comes from.