By Colby Horton
Web Wise
Yahoo's Ads Become 'Smart'
Just when you think you know how to get your shop noticed in search engines, one of the major engines pulls a fast one.
Yahoo announced last month that it is adding a behavioral tracking component to its ad network. The goal: to increase the value for advertising and relevancy for Internet users. Behavioral tracking allows ads to display based on previous Internet history of the user. So the difficulty comes in marketing your shop based on these new criteria. Yahoo calls this new entity "SmartAds."
Think of it this way. If you're searching online for a new digital camera for your shop, Yahoo could display an ad for a digital camera from a specific retailer near you. How? Let's say you're an occasional Yahoo user and have your default Yahoo Weather location as Dallas, Texas. Yahoo automatically picks up on that attribute and assumes you would be looking for a new camera in the Dallas marketplace.
This type of advertising can eventually help a shop in its marketing plan, if it uses it correctly. Yahoo's SmartAds give marketers what they want from online advertising. They now have the ability to deliver customized marketing messages to consumers. In actuality, Yahoo has developed a customized approach that creates a more engaging and relevant online experience.
Currently, Yahoo is rolling out the SmartAd platform in phases. It is currently available for travel industry advertisers in the United States. It will then expand it to additional industries over the coming months. It's not quite ready for its broad search engine. But you can probably expect to see these ads pop up on Yahoo Autos very soon.
This new campaign positions Yahoo to compete with the Internet advertising juggernaut Google, which leads in search advertising. Only time will tell. The concept is a nice one, if it's adoptable across multiple industries. And for those who make a living creating Internet marketing campaigns, this is a true advancement.
If you are a shop owner who relies considerably on the Internet for advertising purposes, watch as these SmartAds evolve. Be ready when it hits the automotive service industry. If you're ready, you'll definitely grab a good piece of market share in your area.
Net Numbers
More than 90 percent of paid search ad spending in the United States this year will go to Google and Yahoo.
Source: eMarketer
ASA Web Ways
Saying Goodbye
After writing 87 Net Worth columns (that's over seven years!), I bid farewell to AutoInc. magazine and ASA. It's truly been an honor to work for such dedicated professionals that make up the Automotive Service Association. Your commitment to this industry and the motoring public is commendable, and I am proud to have been associated with such a great organization.
ASA welcomes a new Web guru who will continue to keep you informed on the latest Internet-related news that will impact your shop. Angie Kilbourne joined the ASA staff last month and will take over "Net Worth" in September. Her established industry experience can only take ASA's electronic communications efforts to the next level. Again, it's been a pleasure working with ASA members and staff. I wish each of you the very best.
- Colby
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