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LOCATION3 / DISCOVER
National vs. Local Paid Search: How To Get More Bang for Your Marketing Buck
Jim Halligan
Paid Search Lead Location3 Media
@jim @location3
When considering a brand that has a national and local footprint, the beginning of any marketing challenge is to understand where in the life cycle that brand is. The age and visibility, young or mature, presents unique circumstances to how core strategies are developed, whether they will be sustainable, and, ultimately, if they end up being a success.
A Brand’s Journey
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Structure often dictates how solutions are presented, and each business has a different problem to solve within the context of an internal framework. Marketing budgets are pooled, regional sales data is considered in fiscal forecasting, and sometimes it just so happens that dollars are not spent efficiently. The common thread is that each brand can benefit from localizing search, and a focus on user experience will yield the greatest ROI.
Every Organization is Unique
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Alignment Consistency in messaging, territorial ownership and customer experience through search is crucial to maintaining a long-term program. A ‘top-down’ approach allows for company-wide initiatives to take shape across the entire ecosystem of locations, while an individual store can still maintain its local identity.
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Data Collection An added benefit of running a national program in tandem with a local effort is the wealth of data that can be shared to optimize performance and develop new strategies. Analysis of search query, dimension and auction insights continuously feeds the mechanism for a healthier campaign on both sides of the fence.
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Local
Segmenta-on aligned with
UX
Tracks ac-ons of local intent
Provides u-lity to user
Geographic context
Local Search A re-definition As the digital space has evolved over time, we have increasingly found ourselves in a position where not only are we searching for information, but we are continuously embedding our surroundings as the context in our search for knowledge. Technology has significantly contributed to this shift, and it is a huge opportunity for businesses of all types to seize. Search, as it relates to products and services, is fundamentally ‘local.’
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Segmented Advantage Focus on Experience Creating segmentation within campaigns can provide an inherent benefit to the user experience. Furthermore, breaking out key segments also allows for identifying issues and opportunities and ease of optimization. However, it is important to view segmentation as only beneficial to the end user in regards to customization of copy and landing page interaction. Over-segmented campaigns can suffer from logistical issues where management becomes problematic and scale is difficult to achieve.
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Prioritizing Geo
By far, the preference is to deliver a result for a local entity over a nationally-funded ad when a user triggers a keyword related to a specific business. Complex geo-targeting can come into play, but as long as you are consistent with your methodology, the ads will show as you intend. In this case, the national campaign is used as a fallback.** • Tiered bids- the same keywords may live in a local
and national campaign, but make sure to bid the local keywords slightly higher so they win out in auction
• Budget - allocate enough funds to cover the
impression share within each location. If daily cap is exhausted, national ad will show, preventing a lost opportunity.
• Landing pages – any local campaign should be supported by a specific location page. If a national ad is served, it’s best to provide a state or regional landing page for user experience (vs. a homepage).
**: This scenario is fairly common, but may not fit specific client needs.
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Defining Geo Areas
Targeting, in addition to intent, is crucial to deciding when a local ad should be served over a national ad. The consumer’s behavior in a local context must be considered before applying a targeting strategy to campaigns- e.g. “how far are they willing to drive?” • Use dimension data – searches that are geo-
modified, or have strong local intent, often represent a pattern in proximity to locations (e.g. < 10 mi)
• Leverage existing data – market research, consumer case studies relevant to business type, and sales figures can help define ideal targeting range
@jim @location3
A Solution for Density
Targeting by IP and triangulation is not an exact science, and often times proximity of locations can be too close for precise ad delivery. When geos that are typically separated present this issue, a ‘metro’ landing page strategy may be enlisted to deliver the best user experience. While this approach creates some challenges for accurate tracking and ‘fair’ budget allocation, for the end user, it is ideal. Event tracking in GA allows for visibility into which location gets the most activity on the page, which locations are on the periphery, and what intrinsic value the paid search campaign is providing to each participant in the ‘metro.’ Using this data, it is feasible that monetary contributions from each location could be determined to fund the local search effort.
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Tracking Performance
Difficulties in performance measurement is certainly an obstacle when attempting to run a concerted local effort. Many times, basic metrics such as clicks and impressions are the only way to correlate any physical traffic to the business. While the technology is improving, specific interactions may currently be observed to gain a clearer understanding of your campaign’s successes or failures. • Call tracking – click to call or direct dials on mobile
search results, or 3rd party services. This is the #1 recommended addition to any local campaign, based on traditionally high ratio of conversions come from this action.
• Get directions – the likelihood of a user traveling to a
store after taking this action digitally is much higher. • Find a store – if this feature exists, a user may have
navigated away from the location information to view product or service-specific content. By re-engaging location information, this action is also a likely store visit.
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Prioritizing Non-brand
The benefit of an established brand is the awareness a consumer base has within a given market. Non-branded search is a great way to continue to build on that awareness and generate new customers. In some cases, segmentation exists where the national entity owns branded terms, and local campaigns bid on general keywords relevant to the business. • Negative keyword strategy – deployment of a
comprehensive negative list and match type bid classifications prevents overlap between local and national
• Deep segmentation – utilize search query data across all local campaigns to develop hyper-specific ad group themes, coupled with ad creative and landing pages to support
• National – branded support in locale serves as an incentive to engage in non-branded paid search
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PSA: An important note on branded & non-branded search
While some brands aim to centralize search on branded terms, it can often skew the results when they are removed from a local campaign. Performance on non-branded terms is unique to a given vertical. Oil change keywords have a very different CPC profile than auto insurance terms, for instance. Through the lens of an individual gauging whether a local effort is effective or not, segmentation of branded terms has the potential to put local campaigns in the light of poor performance.
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Expectations
Whether anticipating a high CPC on generic keywords, or predicting varying available impression share and budgets from market to market, setting the right expectations for both national and local efforts is key to a successful program. Work with brands to help them construct meaningful goals that are attainable, and readjust as needed. This is the recipe for growth.
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In Closing
Avoid the red tape that can come along with running a synergistic local+national campaign. If the way in which you are funding the effort, building accounts/campaigns or structuring your website conflicts with a positive user experience, consider an alternative approach. The customer always comes first. Serving the best interest of local entities can often be detrimental to the brand overall.
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