As a practitioner in the foreign trade industry for many years, I am well aware of the challenges and opportunities of acquiring international customers. As the global market continues to change, search engine marketing (SEM) has become an important tool for us to attract and maintain international customers. This article will share some practical strategies and techniques based on my personal experience.
Before launching search engine marketing, we first need to identify our target market and customer groups. Using market research tools such as Google Trends and Keyword Planner to analyze the search trends and keyword needs in the target country is a critical first step.
My team once developed a SEM plan for an electronics company, with the target market being Europe and the United States. Through research, we found that consumer demand for "high-performance portable power" was growing steadily, so we immediately optimized it as our main keyword.
After conducting keyword research, we began to develop a keyword bidding strategy. In this regard, I suggested using long-tail keywords for advertising, which can attract high-intent customers at a lower cost. Ultimately, this strategy helped us achieve a 150% increase in website traffic within 3 months.
Effective advertising content is an important factor in attracting clicks and converting customers. I will focus on the use of target keywords in advertising texts and landing pages, and increase the click-through rate and conversion rate of ads through clear value propositions and calls to action.
When optimizing landing pages, my strategy is to make sure the page is concise and loads quickly. For example, in one of our campaigns, we increased our conversion rate by 30% after our website loaded in less than 2 seconds.
Using Google Analytics to track advertising results is also essential. By analyzing the customer's behavior path, we can continuously optimize advertising settings. In a recent data analysis, we found that 83% of converted users made a purchase within 3 minutes after clicking on the ad, which prompted us to increase the frequency of ads that influence customer decisions.
When conducting SEM for international clients, reasonable budget management and flexible bidding strategies are essential. My team evaluates advertising expenditures and ROI every month to ensure that our budget expenditures are worthwhile.
Through real-time monitoring and adjustment, I found that a good strategy is to increase the bid during peak hours, which can not only increase exposure but also attract more potential customers. For example, in a certain promotion, we increased the bid on weekends, which resulted in a 45% increase in click-through rate.
SEM is not static, we must continue to evaluate and optimize. In addition to daily data monitoring, I also regularly conduct competitor analysis, evaluate their keyword strategies and advertising performance to help us identify potential opportunities in the market.
For example, our competitors placed a lot of ads on "environmentally friendly materials". After analysis, we developed a new product line focusing on sustainable products and highlighted this selling point in search ads. This move directly promoted our sales growth by 20%.
After acquiring customers, how to maintain the relationship with them is equally important. I suggest keeping in touch with customers through email marketing. For customers brought by advertising, we will send regular newsletters to promote new products and event information to strengthen customers' brand loyalty.
After implementing this strategy, our customer repurchase rate increased by 35%. Customer satisfaction surveys also showed that 80% of customers were happy to receive follow-up information from us.
Search engine marketing is an important channel for acquiring international customers. Reasonable strategies, meticulous execution and continuous optimization are the key. Please remember that only through data-driven decision-making, flexible adjustment of strategies and good customer relationship management can you be invincible in the fiercely competitive international market. I hope my experience can provide some practical reference for my peers.