SEMA Member News - March/April 2010
Getting the Most for Your Internet Advertising Dollars
By Bob Scheid
President, Fidanza Engineering Corp./President, Dynamic Management & Consulting Inc.
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SEMA-member resellers can take advantage of significant discounts on a pay-per-buyer advertising program available through Digital Performance Inc.’s online auto parts comparison shopping guide network, including StreetPerformance.com, EnjoytheDrive.com, Autoweek.com and dozens more. |
Some feel that a brick-and-mortar store or a simple website is enough to draw people and increase sales. Others embrace Internet advertising but go with programs that don’t deliver the return they were expecting. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is sometimes that way. The premise behind PPC seems simple: You pay a website, forum, search engine or other outlet to post an ad and are charged only when the ad is clicked on.
It sounds like a great idea—but who is doing the clicking? Is it a qualified lead? Is it someone who is serious about spending money with you? When people track the number of sales from those clicks, they often see that the rate of conversion from click to sale is very low. Why is that? What other programs are out there to ensure that you pay for only qualified leads?
First, ensure that your site is capable of making a sale once a customer clicks to it. Make sure that it’s easy for customers to navigate the site from product to purchase. Then be open to new and different ways of making sure that your dollar is well spent. PPC may not be focused enough, and its cost per click can vary widely across a site’s content and relevance. It may also be inflated through keyword bidding processes for better placement. Both allow for randomness of leads and costs.
Pay per buyer (PPB) is a different model that sends you quality, qualified leads rather than random clicks. Two of the best examples of this new marketing structure are StreetPerformance.com and SEMA’s EnjoytheDrive.com—both powered by Digital Performance Inc. (DPI), the provider of the industry’s only true comparison-shopping guide. The guide allows consumers to shop, obtain manufacturer-supplied information about parts and find a purchasing source—including product pricing.
The first step is to look up the parts wanted. Because the website StreetPerformance.com lists more than 2,200,000 parts and 40 million vehicle applications, you can rest assured that your customers will find what they’re looking for. If you’re a manufacturer and your parts aren’t listed on the site, they need to be.
A parts search can be done by year/make/model, manufacturer, category or part number. Since Digital Performance Inc., StreetPerformance.com’s parent company, specializes in manufacturer data, you can rest assured that it’s the right part for the application.
Once a search method is selected, the customer is directed to a parts page, which gives the consumer product choices from different manufacturers and provides descriptions and vehicle information, if applicable, to ensure that the selection is correct. After choosing a part for purchase, the consumer is directed to a detail page, which lists all of the retailers that are participating in the PPB program. It shows the retailer name, the price and any special offers for that part. The consumer may buy from any of the retailers listed.
When the buying decision is made, clicking on “Go to Store” takes the customer to that part on the retailer’s website. That is when a PPB is charged—only after they’re directed to your site.
The result is that you get a consumer who has looked up a specific part, has received all of the manufacturer-provided information for that part, has seen offerings from multiple retailers, has ultimately chosen yours and is now on your site. From there, it’s up to you to complete the sale.
PPB: It’s the future of Internet marketing.
SEMA Adds Digital Performance Marketing Program to Member Benefit Lineup
SEMA-member resellers can take advantage of discounts on a pay-per-buyer (PPB) advertising program available through Digital Performance Inc.’s (DPI) online auto parts comparison shopping guide network, including StreetPerformance.com, EnjoytheDrive.com, Autoweek.com and dozens more. The PPB program through SEMA provides a significantly discounted click rate to any participating SEMA member. The program provides an opportunity to reach over 500,000 active shoppers who are searching for auto parts and accessories and are formulating their purchase decisions.
“Resellers represent one of the largest and most important membership groups within SEMA, and we’re always looking for ways to provide new programs and services that will help them grow their businesses,” said Nathan Ridnouer, SEMA vice president of councils and membership. “The PPB program, through DPI, provides our members with the ability save money on a marketing platform that will give them greater control and ability to track their online ad campaigns.”
SEMA’s EnjoytheDrive.com consumer-focused website adds to the 4 million-plus monthly visitors who access DPI’s syndicated comparison shopping guide. This vast reach allows reseller ads to be effectively targeted by displaying them only with the parts they sell.
“By participating in this program, SEMA reseller members have the opportunity to sell more product by reaching the consumer at the point of sale,” said Gigi Ho, founder of Digital Performance Inc.
“This partnership with SEMA adds value to our already successful PPB program by providing another effective way to connect the buyer with the seller.”
Visit here for more information about the pay-per-buyer program for SEMA members and to sign up.