Because most people are now finding the products they need primarily online, there has been a significant change in the way many brands advertise their products. As a result, search engine marketing (SEM) was born. SEM is one aspect of a successful digital marketing strategy, and at its most basic, it is putting your brand’s product directly in front of your imagined consumer. Below are three integral components your business must consider before you launch an effective SEM campaign.
Create target-specific keywords
Currently, there is a person who is searching for a product that you offer, and whether or not that person stumbles across your website or a competitor’s is largely dependent on your SEM efforts. Therefore, in order to start a successful SEM campaign, it’s not enough to know your product inside and out. You must also know your potential customers. Who are they? What are their needs? What are their buying habits? What are they searching for? Where are they located?
When it comes to SEM, the key is having words or phrases – called keywords – that accurately describe your product or service. They help search engines determine when and where to place your ad. Say you’re running an ad but the person seeing it does not need your product or service at that specific point. That person is not going to click on your ad and will most certainly not buy your service. However, if you have an ad that uses keywords targeted to your consumers at their point of need, they will be more likely to buy your product.
Therefore, a successful SEM campaign is dependent upon a quality keyword list. Your list needs to include ad words that are relevant to terms that your customers use when they are searching for a product. For example, if you are an event planning company, you can run separate campaigns for “wedding planning” and “party planning.” This way, when potential consumers are searching for a solution, your ads are targeted specifically to their needs.
Have an aim for your marketing efforts
Failing to have a clearly defined purpose for your SEM campaign will not only lead to poor ad results but also high ad prices. Therefore, ask yourself this: what is your business’s end goal? Is it greater brand exposure? Is it increased leads? Is it more sales? Depending on your marketing purpose, there are two main paid SEM campaigns from which your business can choose.
If you are trying to get more site visits for increased brand awareness or leads, there is pay-per-click advertising (PPC). With PPC, you’re not paying for just impressions, or the amount of consumer exposure that your ad has. Instead, your company will only pay if someone clicks on your ad and goes to its landing page. There is also conversion rate optimization (CRO), which is when you pay for the ad only when a person performs the action you want them to take, whether that means signing up for your newsletter, downloading your mobile app, or making a purchase.
Set your campaign ablaze with your ad copy
Once you have determined your list of keywords and your business’s purpose in running an SEM campaign, you are ready to create your advertisement. The biggest piece of advice that we will repeat over and over again is this: always think of your consumer. This is particularly relevant if you’re running multiple ad campaigns targeted to different groups. You can’t just use the same ad copy for each group. You must write your copy with that specific target audience and your keyword list in mind in order to better compel people to actually be interested in your services.
In addition, ensure that when people click on the ad, your ad’s landing page is optimized with your list of keyword phrases. This is why it is integral to have a good website with excellent copy. Incorporating your keywords in the copy of your landing page is a surefire way to get people not just to explore your website further but also to get them to buy your products.
Of course, a campaign means nothing if you can’t measure your success. When you’re running an ad, try to do A/B testing if your budget allows for it to see what keywords, copy, or images generate more clicks and conversions for your target audience. Don’t just create your ad and leave it! You need to closely monitor and review your data in order to create the best-optimized ad for your business. By leveraging the power of web analytics, you ensure that if an ad isn’t performing as well as you want, you can retarget in order to get the most out of your money.
Is your business looking to have higher-performing ad campaigns? In order to do so, you must constantly integrate, analyze, and measure your consumer’s behavior in order to run a successful SEM campaign.