Harrisdirect, of The Harris wealth management group, is a leading provider of direct investing services to informed investors who have long-term financial goals. For more than a century, the Harris organization has built its reputation on trust, experience and the highest level of personal service. Today, The Harris delivers a full suite of brokerage, private banking, trust and investment, and wealth advisory services. The Harris represents the U.S. wealth management businesses of BMO Financial Group.
| "We
direct our search advertising dollars based upon results, and
right now Google is generating great results." |
Approach
Online financial sites must work seamlessly
so existing clients can easily manage their accounts, and they must
be compelling enough for prospects to join. In a highly competitive
environment, Harrisdirect's business goal is to gain online clients
who will choose Harrisdirect above all others for a variety of
investing and money management tools. It was this goal that led Eric
Frenchman, vice president of Online Advertising, to test Google AdWords™
to attract qualified leads. This was after running a gamut of other
online advertising, including streaming commercials, graphical roadblocks
and animations, and floating and fixed banners. The Harrisdirect
team opened an AdWords account in December 2002 with a small number
of keywords in hopes of generating new accounts at what Frenchman describes
as "an allowable cost."
Results
Frenchman says Harrisdirect quickly
saw two important results from the AdWords program: many more qualified
leads – people actively searching for a financial services partner
– and a high conversion rate as visitors became account-holders.
"People found us as they were actively looking for financial services,"
he says. "This is nothing like a passive banner ad on a financial site.
AdWords ads foster active involvement by real clients."
The indicator Harrisdirect uses is acquisition cost per account,
and Frenchman confirms that Google, "has met or exceeded our criteria
from the outset." With the help of his Google account team, which Frenchman
describes as "responsive, proactive, and interested in helping us reach
our goals," Google has delivered 10 to 15 percent of new accounts generated
from online advertising. "Google users clicking on our ads convert to
new accounts at an 8 percent higher rate than our other advertising
partners," Frenchman says, "and that translates to very good ROI for
us." Like most businesses, Harrisdirect wishes to partner with
services that contribute the most to its success. "We direct our search
advertising dollars based upon results," says Frenchman, "and right
now Google is generating great results."
About Google Advertising
Google AdWords is currently used by
thousands of businesses worldwide
to gain new customers in a cost-effective
way. AdWords uses keywords to precisely target
ad delivery to web users seeking information about a particular product
or service. The program is based on cost-per-click (CPC) pricing, so
advertisers only pay when an ad is clicked on. Advertisers can take
advantage of an extremely broad distribution network, and choose the
level of support and spending appropriate for their business. For more
information, go to www.google.com/ads.
