You’ve Grabbed Them – What Then?

Google still rules paid search marketing, says Marketing Sherpa in this article (open access till 26 Feb 2010):

Google continues to separate itself from the field in terms of both the quality and quantity of leads generated by a paid search marketing provider. But the secret to optimizing paid search results obtained through any provider is the sequential relevancy of the search term to ad listing to landing page.

My only reservation is with the word “leads.” Yes, when a user enters “plumbing supplies” they’re trying to solve a problem, but you’re probably getting them early in the customer conversation, and they may not yet be a sales-ready lead.

What do they get when they click? Does your capture mechanism treat all visitors as if they’re ready to buy? If not, what is your strategy to nurture a prospect until he or she is sales-ready?

Remember, it’s a conversation – and half of conversing is listening.