Paid search used to be fairly simple: in essence, campaigns revolved largely around keywords and ad text. However, in 2012 the array of possibilities is much wider, with more ways to make ads engaging or more relevant, and the extra headache of distribution, and how to get the right level of visibility across all devices.
So how, with increasing convergence of devices and fragmentation of search, should you manage the campaign? There is no simple answer but a few useful guidelines follow.
It’s vital that you know your limits before diving in. A slick interface might search seem easy, but it doesn’t mean the medium is suitable for beginners. Even those familiar with online marketing should ask themselves a few simple questions to ascertain whether they may need external help:
Do we have the knowledge of how the medium works?
Do we have the time to plug knowledge gaps and keep up with the pace of change?
Can we track the activity and link it all together?
Do we have analytical horsepower to make sense of it all?
Just because there is an increasing number of options available with search, doesn’t mean ploughing in is a good idea. If tablet search was not previously a priority, it should not necessarily be now.
If you choose to segment your campaign, the reporting and analysis will increase, so make sure it fits your business priorities before splitting the account beyond recognition. It might be more sensible to forego the channel, or to merge it with your existing distribution, although do bear in mind how the dilution will affect your existing campaign.
The key to reporting on all the information without overloading stakeholders is to decide the level of detail they are interested in beforehand and match objectives to information.
Finally, whenever complexity is introduced to marketing it brings with it a breed of marketers that miss the point. Marketing is about customers, and the principles don’t change because of the medium. The aim should always be to reach the right people, in the right place, at the right time.
Matthew Oxley is head of search at Gravytrain
