Local Newspaper Websites Most Trusted Advertising Source
March 1, 2010
A ComScore study was released last week in which, among other findings, consumers ranked online newspapers the top source for local information (29 percent), local sports (27 percent), local entertainment (26 percent) and local classifieds (39 percent), ahead of both local television Web sites and online portals. Most relevant to restaurateurs and restaurant marketers, the participants identified local newspaper Web sites to be the most trusted source of online advertising, with ads that are perceived to be more current, credible and relevant to them. Newspapers outranked portal sites (such as AOL or Yahoo), local television websites, specialty websites and social networking sites when respondents considered the trustworthiness of the advertising available on the sites. These findings underscore a broader trend: internet users increasingly are looking to local and hyperlocal websites for information ranging from breaking news to must-visit restaurants in their city.
Local newspaper advertising is hardly groundbreaking, but while many restaurants include advertising in the newsstand version of their local papers as standard, few restaurants have added the digital equivalent to their marketing mix. In a brief review of the online versions of newspapers throughout the state of Colorado, we found that there were no restaurants currently displaying advertising on either the homepage or the food/dining/entertainment sections of these websites.
Based upon the study results, we’d recommend that restaurants consider adding local online newspaper ads (linking directly to the restaurant website) to current advertising efforts. Many newspapers will include an online version of an ad in addition to the print ad for a comparatively low cost. It’s also possible to bypass the newspaper altogether and use content advertising in Google Adwords to select specific newspapers in which to display an ad via pay-per-click campaigns. Expected benefits include increased brand recognition and trust in brand as well as increased traffic to the restaurant’s website, resulting in more diners at tables.
Have you considered or tested online newspaper ads? Give us your thoughts in the comments section!
Capitalize on Increased Holiday Search Volume
November 11, 2009
People in the U.S. are beginning to research their Thanksgiving dining options online. Google insights shows that the annual spike in search volume for Thanksgiving restaurants has begun, with the highest search volume occurring in Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey and Colorado. The top five thanksgiving-related searches are shown in the table below:
What should a restaurant do to attract these searchers? If open for the Thanksgiving holiday, post a distinct page on the website that clearly lists hours of operation, links to online reservation portal, directions to the restaurant and the menu offerings for the day. The Inverness Hotel website, The Fort and Villa Mosconi have specific pages already posted on their websites. To further market Thanksgiving dining, a restaurant could set up a pay-per-click campaign that was targeted to searchers located within their state, metro area or even within a particular radius of their location. Facebook is also a great marketing option because of the ability to add events to company pages and the powerful advertising platform that Facebook offers.
Another study, conducted by HitWise, shows that the search traffic for holiday recipes and menus is also on the rise. Consider posting a few recipes or a video of the chef preparing a holiday favorite to capture these searchers, if this material is available or can be created soon. This type of link bait can be re-purposed in social media venues; for example, a video could be uploaded to YouTube and the recipes could be posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Bottom line? A restaurant needs to get creative this year and utilize all the options available to maximize holiday revenues. Taking advantage of every online venue to market the restaurant and its unique offerings is smart business, plain and simple.
Microsoft & Yahoo Strike a Deal
July 29, 2009
Search marketers are abuzz this morning with the news that perennial also-rans Microsoft and Yahoo have agreed to a 10-year deal that “will improve the Web search experience for users and advertisers, and deliver sustained innovation to the industry.”
Here’s the skinny on the deal:
- Microsoft’s “Decision Engine” (Bing) will replace Yahoo!’s search algorithm and power organic search results in both engines
- Microsoft will have full license to integrate Yahoo!’s search technology into it’s platform
- Microsoft Adcenter will be the paid search platform for most advertisers. “Premium” advertisers will be serviced by Yahoo!’s sales force
- “Yahoo! will innovate and “own” the user experience on Yahoo! properties, including the user experience for search, even though it will be powered by Microsoft technology.”
TwoTables’ take on it? We’ve long found Yahoo!’s products and service lacking so the fact that at some point we won’t have to deal with Yahoo! (“premium” advertisers, we’re not) brings smiles to our faces. Bing is new, however there is potential for it to develop into a decent search engine and as long as Yahoo! doesn’t “innovate” the user experience on their own portal too much, both Yahoo! and Bing users could see improvements. Will “Microo!” overtake Google as the search engine behemoth? Probably not.
There will be plenty of time to dissect what this means for all involved; the companies estimate that implementation will occur two years after regulatory approval. Read the full press release here.