In the previous SemGeek post, Inglourious-basterds-proving-to-be-savvy-ppc-marketers, I praised the efforts by the PPC Advertiser who creatively promoted the movie Inglorious Basterds. However, when I started searching on different concatenations of the HEAD term "Super Bowl", such as "the super bowl", "superbowl", "the super bowl party", etc.. I immediately noticed that a majority of the advertisers were not taking advantage of this and reserving 5 minutes with a simple keyword tool or even common sense, could help their website connect with more visitors at a probably lower CPC.
There's alot to be left on the table, especially if you provide a service or sell a product online that is very time sensitive such as the days leading up to the Super Bowl. Just like with this blog article, I am taking advantage of the timing involved, not to mention all the media coverage of the game, QB Matchups and recipes for the best super bowl party.
This "very remedial" strategy, even if the goal is to drive increase page views, should be considered. Now, one could argue that this lack of advertising is due to poor conversions in the past that would not support a ROI healthy campaign, but with many advertisers bidding on the correct spelling (with higher CPC), I beg to differ.
Bottomline: Do your keyword research! Be mindful about how people search for things and just take advantage of the millions (or billions) of ad dollars being spent by other advertisers and news agencies who are increasing the online interest.
This PPC Geek knows that either the Saints or Colts will WIN the Super Bowl. But, in terms of PPC, I have no idea. Maybe the trophy should go to Inglorious Basterds. (yeah, but they also missed the boat on this one!)
Since Super Bowl XLIV is closely approaching, and there is alot of hype surrounding the upcoming TV Commercials, I figured I'd do a quick Google Search to see what types of advertisers are entering into the PPC game in lieu of the Big Game. Well, to my surprise, I noticed a very clever approach by Quentin Tarantino's latest movie Inglorious Basterds where they are bidding on the search term "Super Bowl" and trying to reach this specific audience with the message that tries to persuade the searcher that if their favorite NFL team is not in the Super Bowl to watch their movie instead.
You may be saying "what's the big deal? why is this worth a blog post?" Well, it's significant because of how it is used, what it's saying and most important TIMING. To keep the movie theme of this post, a quote from one of my favorite movies "A Good Year", Actor Albert Finney tells his young nephew “The secret to riches is the same as the secret to comedy - timing.”
In this instance, not only has this PPC Strategy posses Creativity, Persuasion, and a little Intent, it all works because of it's TIMING.
As MSN AdCenter continues to remain at the bottom of the SEM (Market Share) Pool, you would think that Microsoft would put their rivalry with Apple aside and focus their efforts on the PPC advertiser and not their Egos. It's surprising, because their support team is pretty good and listens well to their clients, while their online interface and everything else is not that impressive.
Imagine the growth possibilities if they would just make it easier for their advertisers to spend more money by providing a tool that would allow them to manage their accounts more efficiently. The fact that this tool ONLY supports Windows is a little troubling to me in this day and age. As you may know, this Tool (still in BETA) has been available since February 2009 and frankly I am a little bit surprised that there has not been more talk about the lack of MAC support.
Don't you feel like MSN Adcenter is kinda "going thru the motions" but not really understanding the Industry and it's effect in the marketing world? Here are just a few thoughts as to why MSN has dropped the ball on this Tool
They figure not too many people are spending enough with MSN anyway to justify the time.
Would rather force the PPC Advertiser to use a 3rd party PPC software tool do the work for them
They are totally "not in tune" with the Search Marketing Industry as a whole.
Lack of Priority, since they are focusing so much time and effort on BING
MSN does not need a Decision Engine, they just need to make a Good Decision to support their advertisers.
Did you know: If you enter the phrase "Decision Engine" into your Text Ads within MSN AdCenter, they will not allow it?
Once in a while I like to step away from the seriousness of PPC and Search Marketing and have some fun once in a while. (People who know me, are saying yeah right?) So, sit back and enjoy the things you may not know about me.
#1. Model Airplane Champion:
I was once a Jr. Champion of the East Coast Division of the AMA. No, not the American Medical Association, but the Academy of Model Aeronautics. I spent time with my Dad flying handcrafted Balsa Wood models, Hand Launched Gliders and Free Flight Model Aircraft.
One of my biggest wins happened to be one of biggest losses when the P-40 Warhawk I built got lost in the clouds and I never see the model plane ever again. I won the 1st place trophy as I had the best time in the air (while it was still visible) but still today, I wonder where the hell it landed.
#2. An Elevator Got Me My First Job Out Of College:
In Summer of 1995, I got my first job in the Adult Entertainment Industry (hey Top Web Technology comes from the Porn Industry) where I was a Copywriter, Graphic Designer and Web Designer. However, that is not the funny part. I was actually stuck in the elevator for about 2 hours after my initial Job Interview and I have been told that I got the job because they felt bad that I was stuck in the Elevator. I wound up being the 1st ever Employee of the Year and was one of the leading Web Designers in the company, but I have a feeling it was the Philadelphia Swat Team, 3 Fire Engines and a dozen police officers using the Jaws of Life to free me from the 100+ degree temps.
#3. Collection of Vintage Star Wars Figures.
Since most of my childhood was playing with Star Wars figures which eventually ended up buried in the ground and after Ebay put a price and demand on these figures, I decided to start collecting them again. Well, I have a good collection of many of these figures, but I am still looking for the ultra Rare "Blue Snaggletooth and Yak Face, as they are quite expensive. Once I make my first million, the first two things I will buy on ebay will be those 2 rare action figures.
#4. My First Car was a 1977 Gold Monte Carlo (Fred Flinstone Edition)
Yes, my very first car was a Golden Tuna Boat with rusted floors in the back seat. It was not exactly the best looking car on the road to pick up chicks, but it served as entertainment for my friends and my (now Sister-in-Law) who was like 10 years old at the time, once removed the floor liner and said "hey Greg, should I be worried that I can see the street and the yellow lines". Ever since then it was called the "Flintstone Tuna Boat".
#5. Most Memorable Celebrity(s) Encounter: Wizard World Convention
I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Brian O'Halloran who portrayed Dante in Clerks I, II and many other Kevin Smith Movies. I also was on "cloud nine" when I had a join conversation with Jeremy Bullock (Original Boba Fett Actor), Brian O'Halloran, Ray Park (Darth Maul), a few other Jedi's from the new and old Star Wars movies. We all talked about the weather, the crazy people who dressed up as their characters and what they were planning on doing that evening.
#6. Hired as a "BOUNCER" at Local High School
After watching the 1989 movie "Roadhouse" starring Patrick Swayze, I took on the challenge of being a bouncer at a local High School's Battle of the Bands night, and boy was it a battle. Not a battle for the Bands but actually having to body slam and controlling a "crazed up" kid who also attacked the police. Yep, I literally had to wrestle and pin down this nutty kid and prepare for the cops to pick him up and take him to the station. My other Bouncer partner went to me "You know you live this night down will ya?"
I remember the feeling later that night when I had to go the Principal's office to pick up my paycheck and when he went into his desk and handed me a $50 check he said "I know this is not nearly enough for what happened tonight, but the Archdioceses of Philadelphia is very thankful"
#7. Not So Typical Artist in Upstate New York College
One of my best memories was my time as a student at a small Liberal Arts College in Upstate New York. Cazenovia College was the best thing that had ever happened to this High School "C" Student. I learned how to eat Mac'n-cheese in a microwavable cake mold, drank Milwaukee Beast as my primary beverage and got addicted to Classic Rock.
I also met some very interesting people and made many friends who were both Artists and Accounting Majors. Funny, the Accounting students were more wild than the artists. Anyways, I lost like 35 lbs in my Freshman year, was drafted #1 for the Gym Hockey Team and walked to class often in 4+ ft of snow.
#8. I was a Poet and Didn't Even Know It
During my first year in college after a few Creative Writing classes, I decided to submit a Poem I had written to this advertisement I found in a newspaper. Well, if you ever heard of those Gimmicks where if you buy the Book, they will publish your poem, well that was how I got published. I still remember the poem today and if by chance, you would like to see the poem, just email me.
#9. Sports Injury on St. Lucia Honeymoon
When my wife and I booked our honeymoon to St. Lucia with SANDALS, we were excited to receive all of the perks that come with the trip. However, the best one for all, for me personally, was a set of these leather sandals awarded to couples for their accumulation of points from various activities from drinking games, to volleyball. Well, on the last day of our honeymoon, we were 100 points away from those Sandals and I had one last event to participate in to get the gift. Well, I accidentally tripped over another person, and broke my toe on a shell on the beach. I quickly went to the Dr's office in the hotel and the nurse took care of me by (1) Shaving my BIG TOE, (2) putting a Popsicle stick underneath and (3) wrapped scotch tape around it in place.
To make a long story short, I told the Activities Director that I want these damn Sandles and I broke a limb to get them. The hotel was great, as they felt so bad they sent 2 bottles of champagne to the room so I can get drunk and look at the nice shaving job on my toe. It was truly a great honeymoon at SANDALS St. Lucia.
#10. My First Rock Concert Experience(s):
When I was about 15 yrs. old, I attended two rock concerts that year. The Hooters (No not the Buxom Restaurant Chain), the local Philadelphia Rock Band who was famous for the song "and we danced......."
The second concert that summer was The Cure. Yes, I had my 80's hair all punk'd out and the song "Just Like Heaven" was all over the air waves. I was officially going through that "punk" phase.
In Conclusion:
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this rather entertaining post and depending on your age, I hope you can understand or even remember the same things I been through. I would love to hear some of your most outrageous experiences that you would be willing to talk about and keep the conversion going on this blog post. All you have to do is COMMENT below.
SemGeek has decided put aside the dry, technical jargon of everyday Search Geekdom and write a few humorous depictions of Search Marketers and how we are not only attractive to Head Hunters and Recruiters, but also in our personal lives especially at the bar when trying to hook up.
Isn't it time to poke a little humor into our miserable, screaming client-ish, bleeding red eye at 4pm jobs?
Name: C'mon, just Google my damn name: Occupation: Google Likes: Not being bothered Dislikes: Being bothered Hobbies: Constantly waiting for my Crackberry to vibrate for new email.
What are you looking for in a soul mate?
A nice persuasive nature
Big bounce rates
Slender and muscular long-tails
A Non-competitive type
Very Direct in nature and get's to the point
Believes that size of keywords doesn't matter
Ok with multiple personalities (aka: messaging)
Prefers to cut back spending when money is tight
Insists on using protection (Trademark protection that is)
Tell us a little about yourself:
I have a lot of good Quality Score Qualities.
I have quick fingers;
I write poetic Ad copy;
I Make alot of great impressions and 25% of them turn into something more;
I have an impressive account history of being with women with big bounce rates;
I have an uncanny ability to convince and persuade the ladies to bookmark and type me into their little black books;
Have lots of negative attributes to filter out the wrong types of women;
Ability to be matched with many different types of women;
Specifically looking for ladies who live in PA, within a 10 miles radius of my residence;
I enjoy being out in public during certain times of the day and/or night;
I have no preference for any exotic position or rank of position;
Often compared to others who get more attention than myself, but they often lack the ability track down the steps to see what pickup lines work the best.
From time to time, I need to shake things up on SemGeek and with this post I am hoping that I have not disappointed you!
My last blog post like this was when I blogged about the following "Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Never Drink While Doing Google Adwords" and now I am discussing the analogy of pledging a College Fraternity is just like starting up a new Google Adwords Account. Let's have some fun here.
Ok, before I start, I want to make it very clear that I have NEVER Pledged a Fraternity in College, but as a big fan of the Classic movies such as "Revenge of the Nerds" and "Animal House", and often wished I did join a fraternity, I am enthusiastic about this scenario. So, based on what has been presented to us in the form of entertainment, I have translated that experience shown on the big screen to what I have personally dealt with in my professional life with paid search and Google in paticular. One of my biggest obstacles in PPC is explaining to new clients that starting a new Google Adwords account can be a little rough on the budget in the beginning, but after you eased your way into the system and have shown dedication into the program, in the end you feel better about your decision (No pun intended for Animal House fans!)
The Initiation:
For Google's sake, you need to approach Google Adwords as a worthy participant. Ok, you are probably saying, what the hell does that mean? The best way that I can relate that message, is with the help of Comedic writer, actor, director and Idol Harold Ramis, who decided on the song in Movie Animal House, "... Don't know much about history, don't know much biology....". Get it yet? Yep, it all depends on click history, and when you are new, YOU DON'T HAVE IT.
Furthermore, in order to maintain that respect from Google, you need to follow specific instructions in order to get that "You are worthy", or "Thank you sir, may I have another" feeling. What are those PPC obligations? Duh?
Relevant Keyword groups
Relevant Ads
Relevant Landing Pages
SEO Friendly landing pages
Be a loyal customer who tries very hard to play by the rules.
So this makes sense right? Well, in a twisted sort of way at the least.
What Happens Once Accepted:
Well, you continue to follow the rules that are placed before you. You respect and honor your Fraternity Brothers; Do your duties and enjoy you life and time with your Fraternity brothers. Life, as you know it is plentiful and rewarding. With regard to Google Adwords, this is "kinda similar" in that the advertiser continues their best practices of quality score, improves their website, improves conversion rates and in general ensures the PPC relationship with Google is more of a dedicated friendship, than just a marketing service partnership. I hope this post, at the very least, has broguth back some memories of when you last watched those classic movies.
After 80+ blog posts it becomes difficult to find new content that is interesting to talk about. So, with that said, here's a post that is a little "off the rocker" or shall I way "off the wagon". If you have ever had a few glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon or a couple bottles of beer while working over the weekend at home, it could be pretty easy to get a little side tracked, especially if you have many diverse clients with similar keyword segments listed under your client center.
#10: You start freaking out about how your CPCs are too low, then you realize the Default Max Bid CPCs are set differently than at the keyword level. (geeky)
#9 When you can't figure out why at the adgroup summary level you see all sorts of traffic data and then nothing at the keyword level. You then realize this campaign is within the Content Network
#8 Getting confused between CPA, CPC, CPM, CPO and eventually need CPR to get a hold of yourself. (over dramatic I know)
#7 Wondering why only 1 of your 4 ads is getting impressions, you realize that your Ads are set to optimize and not rotate.
#6 After 30 minutes trying to figure out why your Ad/Creative is being rejected, you realize that the Trademark penalty is your client's own trademark. (That has actually happened a few times)
#5 You continue to confuse yourself with Google Conversion Tracking vs. Google Analytics Tracking.
#4 You go back and forth between the Adwords Editor and Google Interface to see the latest changes and you forget "get recent changes" in the Editor.
#3 When performing Bid Management, you "fat-finger" the default CPCs to $100.00 when the should actually be $1.00
#2 You spent an hour creating a full adwords campaign with 5 adgroups, 500
keywords and 25 Ads for a set of Ladies Tanks (women's clothing client)
under your other client who sells Diecast Military Vehicles and wonder why there are no conversions.
#1 Ran a keyword report which states that the keyword "ASS" is the highest clicked keyword for your clothing client. You then realize that you accidentally added the broad keyword "ass" when it was supposed to be a "-ass" negative keyword at the adgroup level.
In conclusion: Some of this is made up or can easily happen even without drinking. Actually, after spending 8+ straight hours within the Google Adwords, you can sometimes forget what the hell is going on. The funny thing about #1 is I actually have the fortune to have a client who was actually bidding on the keyword "ass" when they were trying to use "ass" as a negative. Of course, I found the error and fixed it, but again this stuff happens to everyone.
Disclaimer: These are NOT actual events while under the influence. (some are similar, though) They are just to poke fun at the "day-to-day" weariness of managing many PPC accounts 24/7.
