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October 2003
Marketing savvy IT companies are
using Internet search engines as a new form of Internet advertising
which the IBA has described as ‘growing faster than
any other kind of advertising medium’, now accounting
for 31% of online ad spend in the UK.
Predicted to develop into a USD5bn industry by 2008, ‘Search
Engine Marketing’ is a highly targeted method of generating
website visits by displaying the result listings of businesses
on Internet search engines. The new method allows IT companies
to ensure their business appears higher up the list than their
competitors increasing the chances of sales.
Faiz Rehman, Internet Marketing Manager at Thomson Directories,
a leading exponent of this approach said:
“28.9 million people are online in the UK, performing
over 152 million searches per month. It’s a staggeringly
large amount of activity and of course these are all potential
customers, so businesses are requesting new ways of ensuring
they stand out from the Internet crowd.”
Thomson Directories, traditionally renowned for its Thomson
Local print directory, recently launched its new service,
called WebFinder.com, to enable businesses to promote their
website using search engines to drive sales leads from as
little as 5p.
WebFinder.com links into high profile search partners including
Freeserve, Ask Jeeves, Tiscali, Streemap and blueyonder. Advertisers
pick key words to reflect their business, such as computers,
printers, IT, consumables, software, which becomes the hook
for when users type an Internet search request. The IT company
then only pays when a user clicks through onto the advertiser’s
website. WebFinder.com also allows flexibility for businesses
to change keywords to match promotions/seasonal ranges.
“This is highly targeted Pay-As-You-Go advertising,”
said Faiz Rehman. “The payment by results approach means
a highly measurable ROI as the Internet user has already expressed
an interest in a certain type of business or product and is
more likely to buy.
To encourage subscribers to the new service, Thomson Directories
are running a large scale direct marketing campaign, including
a 50% promotional discount on the setup fee throughout October
and November.
For more information contact Thomson Directories on 01252
672222, visit www.webfinder.com
or contact our Press office.
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