Cat-vertising

Anytime a new advertising strategy is announced, it is worth a moment to reflect on its value. Watch this YouTube video:

Ok, so this is obviously a funny parody, but I could not help thinking there is something to learn here for the modern internet marketer.

I clicked on this video because the title got my attention and peaked my curiosity. I am not saying to put a cat in your ad, but the way you craft your message is going to affect the CTR. I have found many advertisers put a lot of time and effort into deciding to place a banner ad but then rush to throw together an ad at the last second. If driving traffic is a top priority, then you need to take time and think about what motivates your audience. It is well worth the time and effort to develop a few banners to run in rotation and analyze which options produced the best results to use going forward. There is no simple answer (other than putting a cat in your ad), but what you say or show in your banner is going to have a big effect on the number of people who will click thru.

A second point taken from this clip is the importance of video as part of your marketing campaign. It does not have to be the next viral masterpiece to add value to your company. The use of video is a great way to show yourself as an expert in your field and to deliver useful content to drive traffic to your site. Short of a face-to-face meeting, there is no better way than video to connect with prospects on a personal level. Take the time and effort to do it right, as an unpolished final product could show your company in the wrong light.

Last but not least, video has become the new hot button for building SEO and page rank with Google (but that’s a topic for another iJam).