For those of us who are veterans to SEM and online marketing (my definition of veteran is being in the industry for over 2 years), 2009 will surely prove to be our most challenging year yet, as we strive to hit goals while uncertainty about the economy looms overhead. Up until this point, running successful SEM programs has always been a demanding task, though I never would’ve called it impossible. This year, the times have changed. The economy is in turmoil, consumer confidence is down, and competition, both with newcomers to online marketing, and agencies offering these services, has grown tremendously. No longer can we settle for the status quo. So, for 2009, I have compiled a list of professional resolutions, which will hopefully allow me to fight the uphill battle to improve my campaigns’ performances despite the obstacles in my way. If you are also committed to facing the economic challenges of 2009 head-on, I fully encourage you to heed these recommendations, and move forward with steadfast resolve.
1. Testing:
To compare the SEM industry to the car industry: 2002 – 2005 were the years of the Model T, laying the foundational structure for an industry with much growth ahead of it. We built our National campaigns with straight auction bidding, with Overture and then Google, and started to imagine what lay ahead of us. 2006 – 2007 brought us to performance vehicles, where capabilities were developed to serve smaller, more targeted markets. We began setting up locally-targeted campaigns, tracked ads to conversions, tried to decipher the mysterious world of quality scores, and expanded to 2nd-tier, vertical search engines. Then came 2008, the year of the gas-electric hybrid. Now this really got interesting. From match type bidding to different bidding methods to content and site targeting and search network exclusions, there are now countless opportunities to test and refine your campaigns until you’ve exhausted all your options and can say without hesitation, “My campaigns are fully optimized.” But I guarantee that before you get to that point, at least 3 new features will be introduced, in Google alone. So put down your copy of AdAge (or more realistically, close your browser), whip up a new Excel sheet, and start setting up some tests to find out where you are missing out on low-hanging opportunities.
2. Analytics:
If 2008 was the year of growth, then 2009 will be the year of refinement. If you’re managing programs with over 5,000 keywords, there is sure to be some fine-tuning you’ll need to do on your keywords and ad text. But chances are, your client has some version of Analytics on their site, and you’ve done little more than monitor average monthly unique visitors, or looked at the countries driving traffic to the site. Now’s the time to do a deep-dive to better understand how users are interacting with your site and start making the adjustments to enhance their engagement.
3. Social Media
The big hype-up of social media and Web 2.0 has all but subsided, and now that the dust has settled, it’s time to start thinking about this channel as a viable and crucial means of delivering value to your clients. From basic one-time setup initiatives like creating Facebook pages and YouTube video channels, to ongoing efforts such as Facebook advertising and building and maintaining online communities, these are the tasks that cannot only create brand recognition and loyalty, but also generate leads and revenue.
4. Cross-channel Integration
I’ve nary seen a pitch or a proposal that doesn’t mention integration across multiple marketing channels, yet I rarely see lessons learned in one channel applied to another, despite the barriers preventing this being mostly a matter of a little extra effort, usually on the clients’ side. If you work for an agency, chances are your clients have multiple other agencies working for them, reaching the same targets you are reaching, but with no consistency in messaging. Poke, prod, and plead until you get the data you need. If you do SEM, learn which email messages have the highest open rates, which online ads generate no clicks, and what landing pages convert at the highest rate. Apply these lessons to your campaigns, and 9 times out of 10 you should start to see a lift in performance. Carry these lessons across all marketing channels, and stop wasting time and money re-learning what you already know.
New Year’s Resolutions are never supposed to be easy, and I never said that these would be an exception. But with the right amount of dedication and know-how, you should find your clients pleased, and patting you on the back for a job well done at a time when we can’t settle for anything less.
