Sponsored Search Marketing in Practice

Profit Rank’s Sponsored Search Marketing strategy incorporates the following steps:

1. Establish Baseline Metrics. This is the first step because it the most critical. Profit Rank will have no way of measuring success unless we know where your firm currently stands. Average order, conversion rate by traffic source.  Normally this step involves the installation and configuration of web analytics software, but Profit Rank will also work with whatever website analytics package your firm may already have installed.
2. Campaign Architecture. This step establishes the infrastructure and operational plan for the Sponsored Search Marketing campaign. It involves the following elements:
   1. Account Setup. There are three major Sponsored Search Marketing sources—Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, and Microsoft AdCenter—that collectively account for the vast majority of Sponsored Search traffic. To maximize campaign potential, your firm should operate on all three platforms until the traffic volume in these search engines has reached their maximum potential.  Note: There are other factors that may involve smaller industry specific search engines which will also be taken into account to maximize your paid/sponsored search potential.
   2. Lead Tracking System. In order to analyze performance (and to provide a basis for billing), Profit Rank must have a method to track a prospect through the sales process. There are a number of ways to accomplish this goal, and Profit Rank will consult with your firm's engineers to select and implement the  one that best fits your needs. Often we can utilize the existing search engine software or your website analytics program.
   3. Landing Page Design & Implementation. Unlike Organic Search Marketing, Sponsored Search Marketing offers full control over where on your website the shopper lands after clicking your sponsored search ad. This page should be designed to maximize on-site conversion rates using proven Usability Optimization techniques.
   4. Ad Creation & Installation. In most cases, the Sponsored Search Marketing impression occurs in the form of a small text ad written by copywriting search experts, and require proper segmentation and keyword integration in order to maximize click-through rates. Copy is modified and tested on a regular basis to maximize your Return On Investment.
3. Campaign Operation. In this step, Profit Rank puts the Sponsored Search Marketing campaign into motion. Sponsored Search campaigns follow an operational cycle that includes the following steps: 
   1. Keyword Generation. Profit Rank generates keywords based on an analysis of your firm's growing repertoire of content and the keywords buyers have been using within the search engines.
   2. Bid Optimization. This is the heart of the Sponsored Search Marketing campaign: a quantitative method derived from control theory, applied daily, to adjust bids in every campaign segment in order to maximize the campaign’s overall net revenue while virtually eliminating the possibility of operational loss.
   3. Data Collection, Analysis, and Reporting. On a weekly or monthly basis, depending on the extent of your program, Profit Rank analyzes the effect of the paid search activity and provides an accounting of leads generated by its efforts for your review.
4. Reporting.  Profit Rank will provide weekly an/or monthly reports for your review. Reports will be customized to fulfill your needs and may be modified to fit your precise needs.
   
   1. Campaign Analysis.  Paid Search marketing will be divided into campaign segments within each search engine and the results reported and compared to previous months. 
   2. Conversion Analysis. Based on landing page, campaign and keyword.
   3. ROI Reporting. ROI reports identify which campaigns are meeting your goals and objectives.  They also provide a guideline for where we should concentrate our efforts.
   4. Client Control. Profit Rank will work with you to provide online access to the reports so you can access and monitor progress at your leisure.