Social Media and Search Engine Optimisation Are More Effective Than Online Banner Advertising

London, UK (PRWEB) November 20, 2009

The use of social media and search engine optimisation (SEO) as part of a PR and marketing strategy can be far more effective than paying for online advertising space according to Punch Communications, a leading PR Agency based in the midlands.

Whilst social media has evolved significantly in recent years along with the search marketing industry, this has coincided with banner advertising click-through rates declining considerably, thereby commanding lower rates. Consequently, online marketers' arsenal now tends to encompass a far broader range of tactics than was recently the case.

In particular, the options made available through social and search marketing to engage consumers in dialogue in order to address their perceptions is significantly greater than those offered by advertising alone.

More and more people are rejecting click-through advertisements, with the number of internet users clicking on an online banner advert each month falling from around 32% two years ago to just half that percentage in March 2009. The results show that, for whatever reason, consumers are not accessing adverts as much as previously. However, the number of people using search engines has continued to increase, further highlighting the importance of achieving rankings in organic search engine results.

In the social sphere, brands can benefit from engaging with their consumers, as a method of improving customer relationships and understanding, whilst providing them with relevant information they may be interested in.

Research from Qube Media shows that for each user that clicked through an online banner ad, the average time that they spent on the target page was only 3 seconds. Whilst banner advert campaigns at the moment do still drive more traffic than social media campaigns, the engagement rate for social media campaigns is far greater. Whereas only 2-3% of banner ad traffic engaged with the brand after following the advert, the same percentage for a social media campaign rose to a minimum engagement of 60%.

Pete Goold, Managing Director of Punch Communications, said: "The social media and SEO subsets of PR have been proven to drive better results than adverts in terms of traffic and lead generation. Many people now prefer to use organic search results to help solve their problems, and this is where SEO has worked best, with social media complimenting the activity.

"This is not to say that advertising is no longer useful, more that it has been misused. The use of banner advertisements and floating images on webpages has annoyed the user more often than attracted them, drawing their attention in the wrong ways. Online advertising has a whole reserve of potential when it comes to behavioural targeting, and this is an industry development that we think will become much more prevalent in the future. That potential simply needs to be unlocked and refined."

Tech PR expert Punch Communications has an extensive knowledge of all facets of the public relations profession, from the traditional aspects of PR such as media relations to developing areas of the industry, for example the aforementioned SEO. Created in 2003 under founders Pete and Emma Goold, The digital PR agency has gone from strength to strength over the past few years, expanding its team from the original two to seven members.

For more information regarding Punch, or for details of jobs in PR available at the agency, please call 01858 411 600, or visit punchcomms.com.

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