How to Hire a Pay-Per-Click Manager

Finding Top Pay-Per-Click Managers |

Anyone can register for Adwords and other PPC programs. Finding a candidate with the skills and experience to keep the cost per click down while maximizing the conversion rate is crutial for success. An experienced PPC manager knows how to manipulate campaigns to achieve set goals.

Ask PPC Managers about their skills and experience in the following areas...

* Manual and Automated Bid Management
* Budget Analysis
* Keyword Research and Strategy
* Ongoing Campaign Maintenance
* Consistent Client Contact
* Click Fraud Monitoring
* Competitive Analysis
* Comprehensive Tracking and Analytics
* Custom Analytics Reporting
* Conversion Ratios
* Cost Per Click
* Local and National PPC Campaigns
* Ad Copy
* PPC Quality Scores

The Experience: Be aware that there are proprietary softwares for managing PPC campaigns. They require much less human input than campaigns setup and administered manually. Regardless of the management software your hire will be working with, it is very important that they have extensive hands-on experience setting up and maintaining PPC campaigns. Strategy and experience are the most valuable qualities a PPC Manager can have.

The Proof: Ask candidates to provide analytics reports on ranking, traffic, cost-per-click and conversions. To measure their effectiveness, PPC managers must be able to show how they optimized campaigns over time.

The Adwords Pay-per-Click (PPC) Quality Scores:
The following information has been compiled from the AdWords blog and help center.

• Quality Score ensures that Google only shows relevant ads to its users.

• Searchers want to find the information they are looking for quickly and easily and Quality Score helps Google show more relevant ads.

• To ensure that potential customers see your ad, you need to pay attention to Quality Score.

• It influences an ads' position, and it partially determines the keyword's minimum bids, which can help reduce budgets.

Quality Score is used in several different ways, including...

• Influencing your keywords' actual cost-per-clicks (CPCs)
  
• Estimating the first page bids that are seen in your account
  
• Higher Quality Score translates into lower costs and better ad position

Quality Scores 1-10

• 1-4: The keyword isn't very relevant to users, and as a result may have a very high first page bid. This means that the keyword is not performing very well for your website, or even for your competitors sites.
  

• 5-7: This keyword is performing well, and there isn't a need to worry too much. On a grading scale, AdWords Specialists at Google, say "a 6 or 7 is equivalent to an A-." It may have a mid-range first page bid, and the keyword may not be very costly. Optimization can lower your overall costs, draw more clicks to your ads, and result in a better return on your investment (ROI). If you want to further optimize, try using more targeted ad text and keywords or improving your landing page content.

• 8-10: The keyword is extremely relevant and might have a high click through rate (CTR), relevant ad text, and a unique, relevant landing page. The first page bid for this keyword may be low. This keyword is relevant and effective for your ad campaign. AdWords Specialists at Google say that it is very rare to get a quality score this high from Google.

Quality Score Formula:

• The historical click-through rate (CTR) of the keyword and the matched ad on Google
• Landing page quality
• The relevance of the keyword to the ads in its ad group
• The relevance of the keyword and the matched ad to the search query
• Relevance of ad text (the title is most important)
• Historical account performance (CTR)

How Quality Score Impacts Your PPC Campaign:

• Cost-Per-Click - A keyword's Quality Score influences its CPC - that is, how much you're charged for a click on your ad when it's triggered by that keyword. The higher a keyword's Quality Score, the lower its CPC, and vice versa.

• First Page CPC Bid Estimates - On your Keyword Analysis page, you'll see a metric labeled 'Estimated bid to show on the first page.' This metric, also called the 'first page bid estimate,' approximates the cost-per-click (CPC) bid needed for your ad to reach the first page of Google search results when the search query exactly matches your keyword. The estimate is based on the Quality Score and current advertiser competition for that keyword.
  

• Ad placement will still be dependent on Quality Score, your cost-per-click (CPC) bid, your budget and account settings, and user and advertiser behavior.

• Eligibility to Show Up in Searches- Every time one of your keywords matches a search query, our system evaluates its combined Quality Score and cost-per-click (CPC) bid to see if it's eligible to enter the ad auction. Keywords with a higher Quality Score will be eligible to enter the auction more easily and at a lower cost.
  

• Ad Position - Ads are positioned on search pages based on their Ad Rank. The ad with the highest Ad Rank appears in the first position, and so on down the page.

Ask candidates about their quality scores and the methods they use to optimize them!

Contact Rachael Dror and get connected with qualified PPC Managers! 630-269-3725

Sourcing Internet Marketing Talent

If you don't know what you're looking for, you'll never find it!

Companies are scrambling to meet the ever increasing need for topnotch internet marketing talent. This means a steep learning curve for hiring managers. Not only is internet marketing relatively new, it's constantly changing. Without a deep understanding of the internet marketing landscape, it is impossible to identify appropriate candidates.

Stay tuned for my multi-part series on what to look for in good internet marketing talent!

Social Media Jobs | Get Hired

Get Hired! | Crafting Your Social Media Marketing Portfolio

Social media marketing is the new cool kid in town! Companies big and small are scrambling to hire social media specialists both contract and staff. Hiring managers are bombarded daily with irrelevant resumes and unqualified candidates. To differentiate yourself from the crowd, you must have a killer portfolio that illustrates your abilities, highlights your achievements and proves beyond a doubt that you know how to achieve results.

Bio
Take the time to write a clear and concise bio. Don't try to cover the specifics of your experience but rather this should be a teaser that leaves the hiring manager wanting to learn more about you.

ex. Rachael Dror is a social media marketing specialist with two years of experience promoting small and midsized businesses through social media channels. She develops successful marketing strategies that result in brand awareness, site traffic and increased findability online. Her skills include; copy writing, community management, organic link building, video optimization, facebook application development and more.

Resume
Your resume must be easy to read! Don't make potential employers search for your work experience and education. Lay this part of your portfolio out in an easy to follow format.

Work Samples and Results
This is the creative section of your portfolio. Your objective is to show what you've done and how well you do it. Include:

* Screen shots of your work
* Explanation of your role
* Objectives
* Results

You must illustrate how you accomplished set objectives. The best way to do that is to show actual analytics on site traffic, friends, followers, conversions, brand exposure, etc.
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Overwhelmed By Irrelevant Resumes? | Successfully Recruit Internet Marketing Talent

Finding experienced internet marketing talent doesn't have to be an exercise in frustration. Don't rely on resume submissions and job board postings alone. You have to be an active participant in the search or else you'll end up with a mile high stack of mostly irrelevant resumes and a bad attitude.

1. Become an Expert!
a. Learn everything you can about the positions you are recruiting for.
b. Develop relationships with qualified candidates and utilize them
as a resource for information. If you don't know something, ask!
c. Subscribe to RSS feeds from industry experts such as mashable.com and SEOmoz.com.

2. Stay Current on Industry Trends and Best Practices
a. Read articles and blogs by current and emerging thought leaders.
b. Participate in blog conversations, ask questions!
c. Use the technology yourself and gain firsthand experience.
d. Join local meet-up groups.
e. Subscribe to industry publications such as Website Magazine.

3. Look Beyond the Resume to Actual Experience and Results
a. Look at the candidates work! Ask for a list of client projects and a summary
of objectives and results for each.
b. Ask knowledgeable questions about the candidate's capabilities and experience.
c. Request to see ranking, linking and other SEO reports.
d. Check out websites the candidate has designed or promoted.
e. Ask candidates to specify their role in projects they've worked on.

4. Create a Social Networking Presence
a. Establish a Twitter account, personalize with your photo and bio.
b. Create a blog or landing page to send candidates to with job & contact information.
c. Do more than send messages, engage in conversations!
d. Write posts and tweets of interest to prospective candidates.
e. Use the search functions on sites like Twitter to find and target candidates
through @ and direct messages.
f. Be consistent and responsive!

5. Network Offline
a. Attend industry events and conferences.
b. Develop trusting relationships with top candidates and working professionals.
c. Ask for referrals.
d. Be aware of industry layoffs and firm closings- this can be an excellent
source of qualified talent!

Social Media Marketing Metrics | Social Accountability

Social Media Marketing is different from all other forms of advertising but it must be held accountable just the same. As companies rush to jump on the social media marketing bandwagon, they seem to check their good business sense at the door. The same companies that have set objectives and strict reporting standards when it comes to the performance of other forms of advertising, respond like a deer in headlights when it comes to holding social media marketing accountable. There have to be set goals and analytics to measure effectiveness or else social media marketing is a waste of time.

How Do You Value Social Interactions?
Businesses are just Twittering away their time if they don’t know how Twitter translates into real business objectives. This is the data that I track to determine the value of Twitter.

Date:
Followers:
Following:
Updates:
Incoming Direct Messages :
Direct Message Responses:
Outgoing Direct Messages:
Incoming @ Replies:
Positive Mentions:
Negative Mentions:
Site Links:
Visitors to Site/Landing Page:

The number of both followers and following should increase over time. Updates should be done regularly. The number of incoming direct messages should equal the number of direct message responses. Outgoing direct messages should exceed both incoming and response DMs. The number of times a link to the site or landing page is tweeted or retweeted is one indication of success. The number of visitors to the site or landing page from Twitter is the most important indication of success.

Social Media Marketing for Business | Applying Old Rules To A New Game

How Is Your Business Using Social Media Marketing? Part I
By Rachael Dror 630-269-3725 RachaelDror@hotmail.com

Social Media Marketing is different from any other kind of marketing or advertising. It is accomplished most successfully through lateral vs. vertical engagement with current and prospective customers. While other forms of advertising are based on a top down approach, the brand dictates the message and the consumer receives the message, social media marketing is not about the brand but rather the experience and tools a brand provides for consumers to use and spread through their online networks. In this consumer-centric environment, engagement and conversations are important but even better are ideas worth spreading. You know that your social media efforts are successful when your consumers take over the distribution of your message!

Brands must learn how to set the stage for success and then step back and watch it happen. Micromanaging a brand’s message on social networks is time consuming and ineffective. Success is when a brand’s message is spread naturally with minimal effort. If a brand refuses to handover control to the masses, it will live a lonely and irrelevant existence in the far reaches of the social space. Time and resources are better spent on development and deployment. After the launch, analytics and accountability should take center stage.

Companies often confuse employing social media as part of their customer service approach with using social media to meet marketing objectives such as brand recognition, increased site traffic and sales conversions. Having a company Twitter account to monitor and respond to customer complaints or questions is an example of using the medium as a customer service tool. Creating a branded Twitter application for a target market to use, link to and spread because they like its functionality is an example of good social media marketing.

How to Choose a Social Media Marketing Manager

So you want to add social media into your marketing mix? Here are some must have qualities that any potential hire should possess.

• Hands on Experience- with the main social networks and media sites. Theory is great but do they know their way around the networks? The candidate must have actual experience meeting business objectives through blogging, Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace, application development, etc.

• PhotoShop and Design Chops. Unless you have unlimited resources, the candidate should be selfsufficient and able to do basic design tasks themselves.

• Writing Skills. If this person is going to be the face of your company online, they must be able to write in a way that is in line with your overall marketing message. The various social media channels have their own styles of communication. The candidate should be able to take a company's message and clearly articulate it across multiple channels.

• SEO Experience. Understanding how search engines work, how people search & how to measure success online, are important skills for taking social media from a communications tool to a powerful method for meeting concrete business objectives. Implementing and decifering analytic reports is critical to understanding the success or failure of all online marketing efforts including social media.

• Social Intelligence. Your candidate must be able to think on their feet and respond appropriately. They must be able to engage with people easily and according to the culture of the particular social network.

• Strategy. Your candidate must be able to plan and execute campaigns, establish and maintain profiles, seek out new opportunities, tryout new and varied techniques, while keeping the overall business objectives at the forefront.

• Creativity. To get your message across in the social media space, your candidate must be able to package it in ways that are worth spreading. Developing ideas that people want to pass around to each other through social media channels requires out of the box thinking and creativity.

• Research Skills. The social media landscape changes on a daily basis. The ability and desire to stay on top of new developments and trends in social media technology and marketing is crucial to establishing your company as a forward thinking leader. You don't want to be in the position of having to play catch up to your competitors. Look for someone who can get you there first.