Many advertisers overlook the importance of adding branding terms to their pay-per-click campaigns. Often retailers do not see the added value of spending additional resources on search terms already exposed to the same target audience within the natural results. However, retailers can increase brand value relatively inexpensively when compared to traditional print and advertising channels by utilizing pay-per-click.
Branding in a general sense is a marketing practice that builds awareness for an organization and its products or capabilities. A good branding strategy contains two important segments: brand awareness and brand maintenance. Each serves a purpose during a specific part of a product lifecycle. Early in a product lifecycle, a tremendous amount of resources are used to build consumer awareness and drive revenue. As a product matures, resources are focused less on building awareness, but on building the “core” product line and its extensions. This latter type of strategy normally involves differentiation and segmentation to consumers.
Today, consumers use search engines to locate, discuss, or research a company’s product or services. It is imperative to brand your products for consumer recognition. Building brand awareness is an essential part of a pay-per-click campaign. It is vital to have your name, logo, or corporate identify in front of the consumer. While this strategy may not generate revenue in the beginning, consumers will return if they can differentiate your products from the “rest of the pack”.
On the other hand, brand maintenance helps you ensure consumers remember your products. The strategy and identity used to create your brand such as “trust” with the Gerber food line or “safety” with Volvo autos makes your product stand out in a crowded consumer market.
A branding strategy within a pay-per-click campaign can build the awareness of your product while providing a viable defense against your competition.
