PPC in 30 Days, Day 1: Setting Goals

Photo courtesy of Nyul

Behind every good pay-per-click (PPC) campaign is a solid strategy. As such, our first post in this series discusses the importance of clearly establishing what your goals are at the outset of your campaign.

Goal-setting is a process that every organization must go through at some point in their existence. In many cases, the general goals are not difficult to compile, but strategizing the steps needed for completion can be a bit harder. Some organizations use a SMART goal model, while others will bring in a consultant to moderate a strategy session on how to set goals in an organized fashion.

The big picture
When it comes to setting goals for a PPC campaign, the overarching purpose is obviously the growth of the business. However, savvy professionals may need to come up with more specific outcomes so that progress can be assessed. Various organizations will come up with their own metrics, which are essentially the quantitative outcomes attached to specific strategies.

Time to get specific
One of the key outcomes of goal-setting is to come up with specific end results that are understood by everyone involved. For example, a PPC campaign for a Plano DWI attorney may be designed to capture click counts, email addresses, or other online profiles. Or, as noted by Ryan Gibson in his article Starting From Scratch: A Paid Search Primer, organizations may want to focus on converting clicks directly to sales, and tracking the process from start to finish.

Everyone on the same page
The value of setting goals is that it allows employees to focus on the same outcome and allocate their time and energy accordingly. Otherwise, employees may stray from the focused intent and work on other aspects of the campaign. In addition, specific goal-setting makes assessment much more feasible. Organizations periodically need to assess if their strategies are effective so that methodologies are not simply assumed to be effective.

Starting points, ending points
Overall, it is important for entities to assess their current status so that there is a benchmark for later comparison. In other words, every company should pick a starting point or a fixed moment in time before a formal campaign is launched. Over time, companies may experience growth in certain marketing areas, but the organization must determine if the growth actually occurred because of specific strategies.

The next topic up for discussion in PPC in 30 Days is setting financial targets and advertising budgets for campaigns. Check back soon to learn more!