Expanding your company’s digital presence through paid search advertising can provide a fast and positive return to your marketing investment. Similar to any other strategy, spending the time upfront to gather the necessary data and create a concrete plan will save a lot of time and effort in the long-run.

At Magenta, when we are tasked with setting up and managing client paid search campaigns we always apply our RPIE process. Sequentially breaking down our tasks to Research, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation enables us to yield maximum performance in minimum time.

Research

Conducting the right research upfront is the backbone of creating a successful long-term paid search campaign. During the research process, we use primary and secondary research to answer questions such as:

• What is the issue or opportunity we are dealing with?
• What do we need to achieve?
• Who do we need to reach and what do we want them to do?
• What messages do we need to communicate?
• What is the overall budget?

The information and data gathered in the Research phase along with our expertise and experience is invaluable for the Planning phase.

Planning

During this phase, we use the information in hand to prepare a comprehensive, yet flexible plan. Before we go digital, we use pen and paper to identify the specific objectives of the campaign, create the right messaging, map out the account structure, and allocate the budget accordingly. Developing the right plan is crucial to the long-term success because it provides the leverage and flexibility to adjust it based on market conditions, internal requirements or unforeseen circumstances.

At the Planning phase, we also invest a lot of time in identifying the right keywords, topics and placements which will enable us to reach the target audience. Using custom-designed Excel spreadsheets and tools such as the Google Keyword Planner we perform extensive number crunching to select the highest performing keywords and best placements for the ads.

Implementation

The Implementation stage consists of creating compelling ads that will deliver the required message. Whether these are search ads or display ads, we ensure that the language is powerful and the visuals are attractive to capture the attention and persuade the users to take the desired action.

The insights gathered from our research and plan development go into effect here, to ensure that:

• The ads use the right language and powerful visuals to deliver the message
• The ads are placed in prominent positions where they can reach the targeted audience
• The users have a clear call-to-action to take when they view the ads

Evaluation

The frequency and placement of paid search ads depends on a number of factors that vary by network. Factors that can largely affect the placement of the ads include the maximum bid for each ad, the relevance of the ads, the click-through rate and the landing page experience. The effectiveness and success of the overall campaign includes other factors as well, such as the performance of the ads, the messaging, the budget allocation, and the experience of the users once they land on your website among others.

Running and managing paid search campaigns is a continuous and dynamic process, with external factors such as competitor entry having the ability to influence the frequency with which your ad is displayed or even sky-rocketing your Pay-Per-Click costs. That is why it is of utmost importance to constantly evaluate each of the ads. Some of the things that we look at this phase are:

• The click-through-rate of the ads
• The performance of the keywords
• The comparison between cost and conversions
• The behavior of the users after they have clicked on the ads (this usually requires connecting with a Data Analytics tools)

Based on the above data that we collect, we resist any urge to remain in a status quo, by constantly making adjustments to the program that improve the return on investment for our clients.

If you are considering paid search advertising and want your brand to stand out from competitions, talk to us. We will help you plan for the long-term success of your program.