With the internet now a big part of day-to-day life, the time has never been better for businesses to connect with online searchers.
83 per cent of Australians are classified as internet users[1. Australian Bureau of Statistics, February 2014 ]. If a business is not advertising and marketing their products and services online, it means they are not taking advantage of the rise in online consumers.
Australians spent $15.9 billion on online retail from September 2013 – 2014[2. NAB Online Retail Sales Index, November 3 2014], a 12.8 per cent rise in one year alone. There is clear growth in the online retail sector, a factor more businesses are taking into account when allocating marketing spend.
The financial year 2014 saw $4.4 billion spent on online advertising[3. IAB / PWC Online Advertising Expenditure Report]. The IAB / PWC Online Advertising Expenditure Report broke down the spending into the following areas:
– $2.3 billion: Search and Directories
– $1.3 billion: General Display advertising
– $0.8 billion: Classifieds
– $0.6 billion: Mobile
– $0.2 billion: Video
So, why did Search and Directories come out on top? The answer is simple: 93 per centof all online traffic comes from a search[4. Forrester Research].
In this digital age, businesses are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a search engine on which to focus their marketing resources. Many search engines offer businesses ways in which they can advertise, but it’s important to look at what a search engine company can offer to ensure value for money is earned.
Bing Ads is making it even easier for businesses to tap into the huge online market, with the ability to either import search engine marketing (SEM) campaigns from an existing Google AdWords account, or create one’s own from scratch using a user interface that’s simple-to-use.
Of course, it’s crucial that an eye is kept on all campaign budgets. Bing Ads allows businesses to focus every dollar is spent on results and enables users to control their spend per keyword, per day and per month. Businesses will also benefit from the targeting options available, with a range of customizable settings that include time of day and location targeting. On top of that, there is no charge until a user’s ad is clicked.
The fast approaching holiday season will see businesses scrambling to take advantage of the droves of potential customers searching for products and services online. You can reach up to 3.1 million unique searchers on the Bing Network in Australia alone, and when looking at the worldwide Yahoo Bing Network[5. comScore qSearch (custom), June 2014; The Yahoo Bing Network includes Microsoft and Yahoo sites in worldwide], searchers spend 80% more than Google searchers.
Now is as a perfect time to ensure that your business is up and running on a search platform like Bing Ads, to attract online searchers during the upcoming peak retail-shopping season.
Bing Ads is offering a Dynamic Business reader the chance to experience the benefits of search advertising first hand, with one month’s worth of Bing search advertising (capped at $2,000) up for grabs. The month also comes with a dedicated Bing Ads account manager, who will help the winner with the creation of an account and the set-up of unique campaigns.
To be in with a chance to win one month’s worth of free Bing Ads, head over to the official Dynamic Business Bing Ads competition page by clicking HERE.
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