Developing an SEM Strategy that Works
Whether it is due in part to SEM’s cost-effectiveness or the solid analytics and metrics that this marketing platform offers, a number of companies today are actively engaging paid search marketing activities as they conduct business in the digital marketplace. Needless to say, the key to an effective search engine marketing (SEM) plan is a positive strategy. You need to keep two very important questions in mind, namely the “What?” and the “Why?” before you start planning the SEM campaign and related strategy.
Developing the strategy
Remember, the development of a sound strategy should start from the bottom and be built upwards. You need to consider many different aspects of the campaign to ensure that it is successful. Thus, you need to answer the following questions:
- Are qualified, unique website visitors essential to the success of your business?
- Do you want to engage the consumer or provide important information with your website?
- Is direct-to-paid conversion important to you or are you more concerned about time on site?
- What are your consumer demographics and are there specific online portals that they frequently use and where your SEM strategy can be activated.
- Which market do you want to reach? In other words, who is your target audience?
Your answers to these questions are vital to developing your SEM strategy. Most importantly, these will provide you with the insight needed to fine-tune that strategy for targeting specific company goals in the future. After all, you need to increase and expand your business and that is why it is important to know affordable ways and methods to do that.
Now that you have defined the “What”, it’s time to define the “Why?” Consider utilizing the following components or elements:
- Getting found through increased online visibility
- Measuring, monitoring, and tracking data from click to sold
- Pay for the Clicks – not the impressions
- “Push” instead of “Pull” marketing (providing what they are searching for)
- Reaching your target market through ad scheduling, device targeting, and geo-targeting
- Using the benefits of social media for reaching our quickly
These points will enable you to define your target market by developing a successful SEM strategy that will drive more visitor traffic to your website and help you increase your sales conversions and profits. However, if you cannot do it on your own, hire the services of a competent and professional SEM agency.
