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Golden Gateway Financial uses Google TV Ads to reach the right viewers and increase engagement on its website.

In 2007, Bob Purcell, chief marketing officer for Golden Gateway Financial, was faced with a business marketing challenge: “We needed to drive more traffic to our website,” Bob recalls.

Golden Gateway Financial was founded in 2006 and is a provider of reverse mortgages, a special type of government-insured loan for seniors, and other tools and resources for seniors seeking liquidity for their retirement. When Bob was hired as the company’s second employee by founder Eric Bachman, their marketing strategy did not include online advertising. Bob had used Google AdWords™ with previous employers since 2001 and had seen firsthand how it can help drive traffic to a website. When he arrived at Golden Gateway Financial, he immediately began using Google AdWords as a cornerstone of his marketing plan.

“I started the campaigns, and our site traffic and conversions rapidly increased,” he says. Soon after launching its AdWords campaign, Golden Gateway Financial was ranked by Compete.com as the most popular website for information about reverse mortgages.

Setting the course

Even with the increased traffic, Bob still saw room to grow. One goal was to increase traffic from Golden Gateway Financial’s target demographic. “The average age of viewers coming to our website was 62, which is actually too young,” Bob explains. “The best age for consumers to get a reverse mortgage is around 70 years old.”

Another objective was to improve the way customers were using the website. “In about four clicks on our website you can get everything you need to know about a reverse mortgage,” says Bob. “But many people still opted to call our company’s 800 number to speak to a customer representative. We needed to reduce some of the burden on our call center by educating potential customers at scale.”

To better reach Golden Gateway Financial’s desired audience and reduce call center volume, Bob considered advertising on television, but wondered if it might be too expensive and complicated for the young 15-employee company. Then Bob discovered Google TV Ads™. “I logged into my AdWords account one day and discovered that I could create a TV campaign right there. I’ve always believed that there’s a powerful synergy between TV and search engine marketing so I gave it a try.”

Connecting with customers

Golden Gateway Financial’s first foray into television proved to be easier than Bob expected. “Our first TV ad focused on the benefits of our website,” Bob says. “Once we completed the shoot, it was really easy to log into our Google TV Ads account and choose where and when to run the commercial.”

Google TV Ads allows advertisers to select dayparts, networks, or programs to connect the right message with the right audience. “With Google TV Ads we were able to review recommended programs, such as game shows, that appeal to our target demographic,” Bob explains. “As a result, we were able to be more efficient with our media spend and increase the average age of visitors to our site to 70 years, which is just where we want it to be.”

Following the TV Ads campaigns, direct traffic to the Golden Gateway Financial website increased from 15 percent to 70 percent, and those visitors were making use of the site’s tools. “With Google TV Ads we can not only reach seniors, but we can explain to them what we would like them to do once they get to the website,” Bob says. “Since running our TV ads, we’ve seen dramatic changes in user behavior on our website. Visitors are staying on the site longer and page views have more than doubled, showing us that people are more engaged on our site.”

Synergy with search

Golden Gateway Financial has also benefited from the link between AdWords and Google TV Ads. “Because it’s so easy to make changes in AdWords,” Bob notes, “we can increase our search budgets when we know repeat traffic is likely. For example, after Google TV Ads drives traffic to our site on Sunday, we find that many of those visitors come back to the website on Monday. We’ve been able to boost business by expanding our exposure in search on Monday morning.”

Due to the power and ease of use afforded by Google TV Ads, television advertising is now a main part of Golden Gateway Financial’s marketing plan. “Back when we were just getting started or currently while we manage our account, Google TV Ads has tools that are easy to understand and use,” says Bob. “I’m living proof: I sit here at my computer in a department of one while I launch national campaigns that are able to compete head-to-head with large competitors. Any small business that wants to grow its customer base through scalable efforts should check out Google TV Ads.”