In order to manage multiple SEM programs across a broad landscape of web assets, it's of utmost importance to realize that it's not one-size-fits-all when it comes to manage keywords and their bids. In such circumstances where exists diversity in business goals and revenue models, marketers cannot consider a singular approach to SEM program management.
Each business has a distinct way of generating money, for each property we need a unique way of defining the value that a user can bring to the company. There is need to manage different SEM programs for a diverse set of businesses. It implies each type of business should have a unique approach to SEM program management, particularly as it relates to keywords, objectives and bidding. Let's see how it could be worked out:
Keep it Simple
For branding campaign to deepen the engagement, track and measure these engagements. To execute this, manage to a cost per point or cost per value model on a keyword-by-keyword basis. It could be done manually also, as the keyword set is finite and manageable too, which might help from purely a bid management perspective.
Tail skipping the head
In orders-based businesses, break up your keyword portfolio into the smallest possible discrete data points while maintaining a sufficient quantity performance data for bidding purposes. Bids can then be managed on these micro-units so the campaign can be optimized to a level of efficiency which was otherwise not possible when managed solely at the keyword level.
Kicking it up a notch
For listings properties, where users come, research products and services and then leave, the model gets altered completely. To get the maximum out of these programs, we must deploy multiple management strategies within a single program. For head or high-volume keywords, we can employ automated bid management algorithms to optimize to desired business metric- revenue, profit, ROI, etc. For other keywords we need to take a more rules-based approach.
At times when a large number of keywords that aren't getting any impressions, periodically "re-activate" keywords and try to bid them back to profitability once again assuming that bid them down to inactivity at some point because they weren't profitable. This takes a measured, rule-based approach to qualify and bid systematically to ensure the best chance at regaining profitability.
As the landscape for managing SEM campaigns becomes variable, there is need of more complex and custom approach to Search Marketing. You may match with uniquely suitable approaches for your businesses on one-to-one basis in order to bring to a truly optimized level.
