This week’s PPCChat session was hosted by Julie F Bacchini where PPC experts discussed about the common misconceptions about PPC, what they wished they understood better, the aspect they wished everyone would understand about PPC and more.
Here is the screencap of the discussion that took place.
Q1: What is the biggest misconception you’ve encountered about PPC?
We’re young and hip and techie, so we can do PPC ourselves and smash it out of the park – @SEMFlem
That PPC can generate demand. Nearly every type of PPC initiative is about capturing demand, not generating it. Exceptions are awareness/branding, but should not expect direct results from those efforts. – @NeptuneMoon
A few big misconceptions. For those not in digital marketing, WE ARE NOT LISTENING TO YOU THROUGH YOUR PHONE’S MIC! For those in the industry, Rankig high organically is rarely a reason to not bid on the same keywords, and SKAGs aren’t ALWAYS the answer – @markpgus
That you can find keywords your competitors haven’t thought of. Or that it can do anything other than put your ad into a market place. (I’m talking about google search here. – @stevegibsonppc
You don’t need to bid on brand terms. This sh*t still plagues me every day by clients. – @JonKagan
Q2: What is the most common misperception you’ve encountered about PPC?
That we only do creative and don’t analyze anything Or the reverse, that we are all nerdy analysts but don’t do anything creative – @markpgus
When you switch agencies, performance will get better overnight. Because an agency or individual has a social reputation, that will equal good account management. – @SEMFlem
I see it with many accounts: PPC is not as easy as (Google makes) you believe. – @philip_a
2 things – I swear, people still think they can some how exclusively “buy keywords” and they expect not only instant success but instant answers on”what works”. I need data to answer that! – @NeptuneMoon
That new campaigns will be successful. Sometimes they are, often they aren’t. But going into competitive market against experienced advertisers who have battle-tested ads and lps will usually be a journey, not overnight success. – @stevegibsonppc
That no one ever clicks on the “ads”, because digital marketing doesn’t work….also from clients – @JonKagan
Q3: Is there something you feel like you are constantly explaining? If so, what is it and how do you distill it for non-industry experts?
That you (the client) must also contribute to the success of your campaigns by giving me what I need. – @SEMFlem
I spend a lot of time talking about expectations – what is and what is not realistically possible for their industry with their budget, etc. All biz are not on equal footing in this space, despite the online equivalent of urban legends to the contrary. That not everything that “Google says” is right – or at least not right for getting the most bang for their PPC bucks. – @NeptuneMoon
The idea of allowable cost per conversion – and the related idea of customer lifetime value. How do I explain it? I have a free ebook on adwords strategy I insist they read if they want to hire me. – @stevegibsonppc
Everyday I need to explain that search does not work in a silo. It is reactive media, but it helps finish the job for the up funnel media. Every god damn day…. – @JonKagan
Q4: Do you have any kind of standard materials or process for educating clients (internal or external) about what PPC can and can’t do? If so, what does it consist of?
I usually lay out an overall strategy and rollout plan for the next 12 months. Of course, we never follow it. But, it shows them the possibilities. – @SEMFlem
No, AdWords is not a randsom to Google for a better SEO-Performance. – @philip_a
Typically over the phone on the kickoff call as well. We do like to go over specifics for their industry in terms of a baseline. – @KyleShurtz
I tend to do a lot of the expectation setting verbally. I find asking questions that illuminate their current ideas about what’s possible or realistic is incredibly helpful so I can tailor from there. – @NeptuneMoon
I don’t want to say I have a canned document, but yes, we keep an updated SEM 101 and 102 (for the “savvy folk”) that is presented (we also have a narrated version for a hand off). It helps us deal with questions later, by answering them in advance. – @JonKagan
Q5: If there was one thing you wish everyone could just innately understand about PPC, what would it be?
That #PPC is an essential part of the marketing mix in that it certainly does not cannibalize #SEO but seems to somehow, mysteriously improve organic search impression share. Controversial topic I know but I’ve witnessed it. – @KantJungRand
PPC is one part of the whole marking mix. Sometimes it cannot support itself but is just the beginning of a persons journey to become your customer. PPC does not free you from having to have a decent product, working website, etc. – @philip_a
We can be a banner ad, but no, we are not those old online gambling pop ups you hated so much want to punch me in the face for… – @JonKagan
That PPC is not as easy as pushing a button. – @jmloquist
It takes time to and testing to dial in the results. Not every campaign is going to be an overnight success no matter how much research you perform. – @KyleShurtz
How valuable we are. – @SEMFlem
That you need to get the foundations right. Shiny new features and tons of bells and whistles are all well and good but they aren’t going to fix an account if the fundamentals aren’t in place. – @HayleyDeee
PPC is advertising, and like traditional advertising, it takes commitment and time to have any chance at achieving measurable or reliable results. Running an ad for a month is not “trying” PPC. If we are doing lead generation PPC for you, we are not responsible for poor sales team performance. – @NeptuneMoon
Q6: Is there anything you wish you understood better about any aspect of PPC?
I wish I had a better grasp/understanding on the value of scripts, and how putting in the time could actually save me sanity later on. – @JonKagan
I wish I had a better sense of all the tools that are available and exactly what they do & do not do and what they cost. Which ones are worth it and which are not, generally. – @NeptuneMoon
I just wish I could keep up with all the platform changes and capabilities. You either specialize in a platform, or it’s a learn as you go situation in this day and age. – @SEMFlem
PPCChat Participants:
- Julie F Bacchini – @NeptuneMoon
- Michael Fleming – @SEMFlem
- Steve Gibson – @stevegibsonppc
- Jon Kagan – @JonKagan
- Philip – @philip_a
- Kyle Shurtz – @KyleShurtz
- Jeff Loquist – @jmloquist
- Hayley Dixon – @HayleyDeee
- Eric – @KantJungRand
- Mark Gustafson – @markpgus
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