There is an excellent article on www.imediaconnection.com that supports the belief that web advertising has an effect on the reader even if they do not click on your ad. This is good news since the number of clicks is not high (almost 2/3 of users do not click on an ad in a month according to comScore, a global leader in measuring the digital world and source of the data in the article.) In addition, clickers tend to be younger and less affluent than non-clickers.
comScore maintains that the strongest effect of a web ad is the exposure itself. In its study of 139 ad display campaigns, a 46% rise in advertiser website visits was seen despite a lack of clicks. In addition, users were 38% more likely to do an advertiser related search and 27% more likely to make a purchase online and 17% were more likely to make a purchase at the advertiser’s retail store.
So do not fall for the fallacy that you can measure your web ad success only by the number of clicks you receive. If you focus on clicks alone you will likely harm your brand by stifling creativity and engagement. Your ad needs to do more than direct users to your site- it needs to create an overall memorable experience that will keep your brand on their minds.
Top 5 Business Books from Inc.
I am a huge fan of Inc. magazine and www.inc.com. Useful information on everything from sales and marketing to finance to technology can be found there along with some of the best business blogs I have read. My favorite article this week is “Writing E-mails That Won’t Get Deleted.” Hence the intriguing subject line I used for this month’s newsletter. You opened it, didn’t you?
Also, featured are Inc.’s choices of the best business books. I will list the top 5 here but visit the site to see all of them along with their top 10 video picks.
- “Nothing to Lose: Everything to Gain” by Ryan Blair. A true story of a gang member who becomes a multimillionaire CEO.
- “What to Ask the Person in the Mirror” by Robert Steven Kaplan. Learn to ask yourself the right questions to get the answers you really need to succeed in life and in business.
- “How Companies Win” by Rick Kash and David Calhoun. How to identify untapped demand in a market driven by demand.
- “Rational Optimist” by Matt Ridley. In this sucky economy Ridley maintains that commerce, technology and innovation will increase our prosperity. Hope he’s right.
- “How to Market to People not Like You” by Kelly McDonald. I would read this simply based on the title! Gives you a new approach to expand your customer base and your business.