Marketing Series, Part 4: Broaden and Strengthen Your Digital Strategies

Blogs and Articles

Scherer said most people start shopping on a search engine like Bing, Yahoo or Google. The more content you have – whether it’s your bowhunting blog, a DIY video commercial or a website article from Archery360.com – the more opportunities you create to connect your content to consumers, which improves your marketing efforts.

Search engines help by generating results or listings based on your content’s Google ranking, which is based on your content’s relevancy to the user’s search. If your content matches a user’s search term, Google places your webpage or website near the top of the search results. Google then ranks your material based on your customer’s action.

“Google rewards you with traffic and improves your Google ranking based on how your page performs when a customer clicks on your listing,” Scherer said. “Your content must be engaging enough to satisfy your customers’ search so they don’t hit the back button and continue looking for different content.”

For example, if someone searches for “archery lessons,” Google scans websites for the phrase and relevant material. If your website appears in the search results, and people click the link and find what they need, they’ll likely terminate their search, which boosts your Google ranking. However, if they click your link but then hit the back button to keep searching, Google disconnects your content from the applicable search term, which decreases your ranking.

Businesses want high Google rankings to ensure more customers find their site and business through online searches. Scherer said you can achieve higher rankings by writing engaging titles and descriptions that inspire customers to click your listing. Your page content must then be complete and compelling to satisfy users.

Good search-engine optimization techniques, like using links and keywords throughout your blogs and articles, also improves your rank. So does posting regularly. Read the ATA article “Generate Profit-Driving Content for Your Website” to learn why, how and when to create and post content.

If you need content to boost your page, install the ATA’s Archery 360 widget and Bowhunting 360 widget on your website. These widgets are free for ATA members. They populate your site with fresh, unique archery and bowhunting articles, making your job as a content creator easy. Click here to learn more.

Pay-Per-Click Ads

Pay-per-click marketing lets businesses and advertisers buy visits to their websites, rather than earn visits organically, according to WordStream. In other words, businesses can create all-text ads that search engines place atop a user’s search results. Each time a reader clicks the ad, the business pays a fee to the search engine. Hence the term, “pay-per-click advertising.”

This marketing strategy is cost-effective because businesses must bid for ad placements in a search engine’s sponsored-links section. If your bid wins, your ad appears atop a user’s results when searching for your specific keyword. PPC marketing is also targeted because businesses can ask search engines to only show their ad based on a user’s location, keywords or demographics. Plus, PPC marketing delivers fast results.

As WordStream writer Larry Kim said: “The moment your PPC campaign is approved (provided that your bids are high enough to merit priority placement), your ads will immediately be displayed for millions of people to see. The traffic will almost be instantaneous.”

Kim said PPC ads are great to use …

-  If your website isn’t optimized for SEO;
-  When you’re promoting a time-sensitive offer;
-  When you’re targeting a niche group;
-  If you want to dominate search results for your keyword.

Google Ads offer a common and effective PPC advertising system. Scherer said ATA members can easily incorporate PPC ads by doing a little research. Most search engines don’t require businesses to create visual ads. Instead, they provide text that appears once a user types in the keyword your business bids on. That’s why it’s important to use high-performance or well-known niche keywords and phrases, like “archery range,” “bowhunting gear,” or “beginner bow.”

Scherer advises ATA members to dedicate most of their PPC marketing budget to local listings. That ensures nearby potential customers see your ad, which increases the chances of them visiting your store. It’s more likely for someone 20 miles away to drive to your shop than someone 80 miles away.

“Be realistic,” Scherer said. “You’ll make mistakes, so don’t spend too much money on one ad campaign.” Instead, he suggests trying new keywords or changing your demographic filters to see what works best for your business. If you want help, talk with a MyATA service provider.