PART 1

Introduction

Successful Pay-Per-Click (PPC) / Sponsored Search Engine Marketing Campaigns don’t just “happen.” They take careful thought, time and planning to develop and implement. The temptation to jump into the campaign and side-step the planning is strong, but the penalty for giving in to this temptation is a less effective, more costly campaign.

Whether you are a large or small scale Search Engine Advertiser - experienced or new to Search Engine Marketing - taking the time to systematically plan and understand your site’s Sponsored Search/PPC needs will pay off in the long run and will result in more effective, less costly campaigns.

This is the first part of a 9 part series dealing with the planning and steps required to build a successful Sponsored Search Engine Marketing campaign. The areas covered will include:

1. Campaign Goal Building, Focus and Product Identification
2. Target Audience – Identification and Understanding
3. Online Competition & Your Unique Selling Feature
4. Setting Campaign Goals & Success Metrics
5. Best ‘Keywords’ for Your Campaign
6. Campaign Strategy
7. Successful Landing Pages
8. PPC Ad Creation
9. Campaign Management - Monitoring Your Success

PART 1 - Campaign Goal Building, Focus and Product Identification

Campaign Goal Building and Focus

Like most successful business endeavors, successful Sponsored Search Engine Campaigns require vision, focus and follow-through. It is essential that you clearly identify the main goal of each campaign and that you keep your focus on that goal throughout the entire campaign. Use the power of clear, measurable goals to succeed in sponsored search advertising.

““Use the power of clear, measurable goals to succeed in sponsored search advertising.”

Begin by identifying the main objective you wish to achieve through a Sponsored Search Campaign. Do you want to:

• Build immediate, search engine traffic to a new site

• Increase your search engine presence for seasonal sales (ie Christmas)

• Increase online sales

• Increase search engine traffic

• Reach a new audience

• Or _________________________

It is essential to identify a main objective. Not clearly identifying the main reason for a campaign is an invitation to failure. Take a moment (or as long as it takes) to clearly identify the main objective of your sponsored search campaign.

Once you have identified your “main objective,” you will be ready to take the next step towards converting your main objective for running a Sponsored Search Campaign into a measurable campaign goal.

Ultimately, your goal will need to be specific and quantified with metrics (measurements by which to gauge your success). A goal of “increasing sales” is quite broad, but a goal of “increasing online sales of YourBrand pens by 5% in the next 6 months” is focused and measurable. In order to develop your main goal into one that is focused and successful, you will need to carefully explore some important aspects of your business such as your target audience and your online competition.

As you take the steps necessary to develop your goal – you will also be identifying the factors that will help you to create a successful campaign. Each step of this journey will bring you closer to sponsored search marketing success.

Product Identification

The first step in clarifying your main campaign goal is to identify exactly what your web site is about. Are you selling a service, a product, or an idea? Being able to clearly state what your web site’s objectives are will enable you to better clarify your main campaign goal.

Take the time to write down exactly what your website is about. Identify your main products/services and the features and benefits of each. Identify the ‘big picture’ intangible you are selling as well. For example, if your site is selling locks then you are also selling a sense of security; or if your site is selling a diet plan, then you are also selling a sense of well-being. Your product/service features and benefits as well as your ‘big picture’ intangible will assist you in the next critical step of goal clarification – Identifying and Understanding Your Target Audience which will be covered in Part 2 of this series.

**PART 1 - Campaign Goal Building, Focus and Product Identification
**PART 2 - Target Audience – Identification and Understanding
**PART 3 - Online Competition & Your Unique Selling Feature
**PART 4 - Setting Campaign Goals & Success Metrics
**PART 5 - ‘Best’ Keywords for Your Campaign
**PART 6 - Campaign Strategy
**PART 7 - Successful Landing Pages
**PART 8 - Successful Sponsored/PPC Ad Creation
**PART 9 - Campaign Management - Monitoring Your Success