Which one works?Comparing the effectiveness of online marketing channels

Jon Horn, JMH Consulting

A CONSULTING FIRM WITH MARKETING EXPERTISE

RUTHLESSLY DATA-DRIVEN

IN THE TRENCHES

Awareness

Interest

Engagement

Conversion

See an ad on facebook

See 5 more ads on Facebook

Click on Facebook ad

Arrive on landing pageReceive a postcard

about program

Leave landing page

Search on Google

Click on paid search ad

Arrive on landing page

Leave landing page

Complete form

Receive series of emails

Receive calls from admissions

Ignore calls

Talk with admissions

Attend info session

Talk with admissions

Enroll

Receive series of emails

Become nervous about

enrolling

Talk with admissions about whether this

program is really, really going to help meet

long-term goals

Get approved for financial aid

Search on Bing

Click on organic listing

Visit program website

Comparing results across marketing channels

Our sample

Combined data of 30 accounts from 8 clients with a total spend of $430,000 generating 384 million impressions and

220,000 clicks

Our sample

Generate awarenessImpressions

(millions) CPM

Bing Paid Search 1.5 $26.36

Facebook 268 $0.27

Google Display 85 $0.98

Google Paid Search 2.8 $70.91

LinkedIn 27 $1.25

Total 384 $ 1.12

Increase website traffic

Clicks CTR CPC

Bing Paid Search 15166 0.98% $2.69

Facebook 64411 0.02% $1.13

Google Display 78445 0.09% $1.07

Google Paid Search 50393 1.78% $3.99

LinkedIn 12423 0.05% $2.67

Total 220838 0.06% $1.95

Generate leads

Inquiries ConversionRate Cost per Inquiry

Bing Paid Search 706 4.7% $57.80

Facebook 676 1.1% $107.47

Google Display 1094 1.4% $76.46

Google Paid Search 3291 6.5% $61.07

LinkedIn 744 6.0% $44.63

Total 6511 3.0% $66.24

Search marketing (Google & Bing)

Direct response marketing

Search marketing is…Good For• Marketing well known

program topics (e.g. MBA)

• Reaching people doing research on a topic

• Reaching people comparing educational programs

• Reaching people ready to enroll

Not Good For• Reaching large audiences

quickly

• Marketing obscure topics

• Awareness marketing

Google Adwords vs. Bing Ads

Google Adwords Bing Ads

Volume ~3X higher

Cost per click $4.00 $2.70

Click through rate 1.8% 1.0%

Conversion Rate 6.5% 4.7%

Cost per Conversion $61.07 $57.80

Facebook, LinkedIn, & Display

Awareness marketing

Age

Location

IndustryEducation

Interests

Google Display Facebook LinkedIn

Location Age Gender Income level Education level Marital status Parental status Occupation/Industry Seniority Job Title Interests Websites visited Groups/Affiliations Skills

LinkedIn is…Good For• Reaching professional

audiences

• Marketing graduate degrees and career advancement programs

• Marketing to corporate representatives

Not Good For• Reaching career changers

• Marketing most undergraduate degrees or personal enrichment programs

Facebook is…Good For• Reaching people with

particular interests

• Marketing personal enrichment programs

• Reaching large audiences fast

• Staying top of mind with target audiences

Not Good For• Reaching professional

audiences

• Generating high quality leads

Google Display is…Good For• Reaching large audiences

fast

• Placing ads on third-party sites about particular topics

• Placing ads on particular websites such as YouTube or Gmail

Not Good For• Generating low cost leads

• Generating high quality leads

Applying this information

Degree completion program in liberal studies

Which channels would you use?How would you target on each channel?How would you prioritize your budget?

5-day project management certificate

Which channels would you use?How would you target on each channel?How would you prioritize your budget?

Questions?

Jon HornJMH Consulting, Inc.www.jmhconsulting.com