Vivian Chang, a paid search consultant at Apogee Search, took a few minutes to speak with me about event driven paid search campaigns. Vivian shared a few tips and best practices that she has learned while managing event driven paid search campaigns for Apogee’s clients.
Vivian began by explaining that event driven paid search campaigns are paid search campaigns that focus on promoting a specific event. Event driven campaigns (versus a typical paid search campaign) are time sensitive and usually have a more substantial call to action.
Event driven paid search campaigns can be successful for almost any type of event. Vivian mentioned a few examples such as fundraisers, 5K walks and runs, conferences and retail sales.
When marketers plan for this type of campaign, they need to consider the strategy and goals of the campaign. Marketers should ensure that the paid search messaging is consistent with all media and promotions surrounding the event. The landing page should include all of the logistical details and include information on registering for, or attending the event. Conveying key information within the ad copy can prevent unqualified visitors from clicking on your ad and costing you money.
Vivian offered some additional helpful tips for advertisers to consider when running an event driven paid search campaign:
- Think about the timing of the ads. How far in advance will your attendees realistically need information on the event? Use this information to shape the dates that you run the ads.
- Include a call to action. The goal is to convey as much relevant information as possible. This can keep unqualified traffic from clicking on your ad.
- Geo-targeting your ads to specific cities or regions helps target only those who can participate in your event. You don’t want to waste money on clicks from people who support your event but are physically unable to attend it.
- Use negative keywords. View Google’s search query report to determine the keywords that are sending traffic you don’t want.
- Think about your keyword selection. Remember you want to generate awareness so broad keywords are beneficial.
- Use higher bids than for normal campaigns because you want your ads to show up quickly for a short period of time.
- Adjust bids and keywords as data becomes available. Google provides several tools to see what keywords are driving the most traffic, and what traffic is actually converting.
Tags: Google, Media Planning, Paid Search (PPC), Search Engine Marketing
