MobileDemand
"Since we started using AdWords, our site traffic has increased 500 percent."
Rough and Ready
Ideas for new technology can come from many different places. For Matt Miller, it came from beer. A product manager who had developed a number of successful rugged tablet computer lines over the years, Matt had firsthand experience in how they could be used on the job. “A rugged Tablet PC is a handheld computer that can take an unbelievable amount of abuse - surviving falls, extreme temperatures, and, yes, beer spills,” he says. “They can be used in a range of ways, from taking inventory on the shop floor to doing deliveries.” While meeting with a prominent client in the brewing business, Matt recognized the scope of his products’ applications and decided to found his own company. “I said to my wife, ‘This is a market opportunity I know is out there, and we can really reap the benefits long-term.’ So she went back to work, and I launched a new computer system business out of an unfinished basement. We decided to call the business MobileDemand®.”
Matt shipped his first batch of rugged Tablet PCs, named the xTablet®, in 2004, and soon moved into a genuine (and above-ground) office in the technology corridor between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. In its early stages, MobileDemand chose to stick with the brewing industry. “We focused on a niche market for the first couple of years,” Matt says, “but we foresaw the opportunity to expand. The problem was, nobody knew us except beer wholesalers. I realized that the way to reach new vertical markets was through Internet advertising platforms like Google AdWords™.”
A successful brew
Since signing up for AdWords in June 2006, Matt and his growing team have worked to develop a campaign strategy and identify best practices. “For our keywords, we use terms that really qualify our leads and guarantee the highest return,” says Matt. “Rather than something like laptop computer, which a consumer might search for, we use keywords like slate computer and rugged tablets. And in our ad text, we highlight our tablets’ unique features, including their integrated barcode scanning, convenient slate style, integrated numeric keypad, and credit card readers.”
Working to refine keyword lists and optimize ad text messages has paid off. Not only does MobileDemand receive 90 percent of its leads through AdWords, it has also reduced its monthly online advertising cost by 56 percent since January 2007. “Since we started using AdWords, our site traffic has increased 500 percent,” says Matt. “It is fundamental to how we conduct business.”
A month after launching its AdWords campaign, MobileDemand began using Google Analytics™, a free tool that gathers and reports data on visitors to the company’s website. “Through Analytics, we track how visitors reach our site and navigate to our contact form,” Matt says. “It really gives us a clear picture of where our customers are coming from and how they navigate our pages.” He and his team relied on Analytics while refining their site, creating industry-specific landing pages and matching them to related keywords. “If someone searches for firehouse computer on Google and clicks on our ad,” Matt explains, “we take them to a page focusing on how emergency services can benefit from our products. They see the most relevant information, and they don’t have to click all over our site to get it.”
To increase MobileDemand’s reach, Matt began using Google’s Display Network, which includes millions of news pages, topic-specific websites, and blogs. “With Google’s Display Network, we can choose the most relevant sites for our ads, allowing us to target based on topics such as technology, or by vertical market,” says Matt. “We’ve also begun to run image ads on those sites. For us, it’s an acquisition campaign that doubles as a branding campaign.”
Trusted partners
In the past year alone, MobileDemand has secured at least eight major contracts through Google AdWords. “We knew we’d made it big when Disney contacted us,” Matt remembers. “Sure enough, they’d found us through a Google search. And more keep on coming - all of the ad formats we use across Google’s search and Display Networks have resulted in leads from dozens of Fortune 500 companies.” MobileDemand often relays the leads it identifies through AdWords to its partners, which are responsible for 75 percent of the company’s sales. “This has enhanced our relationship with software developers and resellers that have the right geographic location or expertise in a particular vertical market.”
“It’s pretty amazing that we’re competing with much bigger companies that have Superbowl ads and advertise on cable channels,” Matt continues. “Our innovative product offerings and Google’s innovative marketing approach are a perfect marriage for delivering our message to the targeted masses.”