Keyword use and search results are effective tactics used by many online retailers to jumpstart brand exposure and sales. Pet supply retailer Doctors Foster and Smith relies on search to drive ROI, since a majority of its transactions occur online.
The retailer sought to find a solution that provided optimal exposure in search, because its previous search management technology was outdated and unresponsive to market changes and developments, the company reported. With the outdated technology in place, the company’s marketing team was unable to explore new strategies; instead it was focused on continual monitoring of existing campaign management. Doctors Foster and Smith chose search solution provider Marin Software to help improve its marketing efforts.
Since implementing the software in 2009, Doctors Foster and Smith has increased total year-over-year ROI by 30% and lowered total cost per conversion by 15%. Awareness of the brand through keywords also improved, with an overall 8% jump in average click-through rates.
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Overall, Doctors Foster and Smith’s application of Marin Software has boosted average conversion rate by 35% and overall return on advertising spend by 38%.
Long-Tail Search Words Increase Brand Exposure
Marin’s campaign management tools allow the retailer to focus on formulating new business and marketing campaigns, and has decreased overall time spent on campaign management by 25%, according to the retailer. Doctors Foster and Smith also has adopted new strategies and technology to further progression.
“We have had the time to implement many of the new Google programs such as Sitelink Extensions, Product Listing ads, TrueView, Plus 1, and display campaigns,” said Matt Stelter, Assistant Manager of Internet Marketing, Doctors Foster and Smith. “That likely would not have been possible previously with the amount of time we had been spending on paid search campaign management.”
The new solution was integrated with Doctors Foster and Smith’s previous platform, Omniture Analytics, to compile past data. After fully adopting Marin’s technology, the retailer discovered there were thousands of product-specific keywords available that were not being optimized. Marin’s bidding algorithm allowed the retailer to bid on long-tail terms automatically and increased the amount of search words being utilized.
“Marin bidding folders simply requires the selection of the desired revenue model, and then in our case, in an eCommerce model, input of the gross profit after cost of goods sold (COGS) percentages and target profit margins,” said Stelter. “Marin manages the folders from there, and does an admirable job of hitting the desired metrics using the complex bidding algorithms.”
