PPC Keywords As Salespeople
Posted on: December 22nd, 2008 by Jack ODonnellI like to think of my pay-per-click (PPC) advertising keywords as my sales team. Each keyword, whether it be a broad match variation, a phrase match variation or an exact match variation is a unique sales entity. Each keyword, whether it be a singular or plural, puts a different spin on the sales pitch inherent within the words themselves. Each keyword, whether it be a tightly focused model number, a brand name, or a generic catch-all kind of word, 
puts forth its own individual call to action.
So, what do you do with a member of your sales team who is performing under expectations? Well, for starters, you can “reduce his pay” by lowering his bid. Note: I’m using “he” just for simplicity sake. If a member of your sales team is underperforming, certainly you don’t want to keep paying him at his normal rate. Bring his pay down to a level that is acceptable to the performance he is delivering. Bring a keyword down in position if it’s not delivering in a high position.
What if you have already “reduced the pay” of an underperfomer? Then what? Well, ultimately you are going to have to fire him. There is no sense in keeping a sales person around if he has proven time and time again that he cannot deliver the results that are expected of him. So, fire him. Shut him down. Pause that stinker. Sometimes it’s hard to let go, but in the long run you’ll be glad you did.
Now, on a happier note, what do you do with a member of your sales team who is kicking butt? What do you do with the guy who’s outperforming expectations? Well, one obvious thing to do is give him a raise. Push that keyword position a bit higher if you have room to grow the position. This doesn’t always translate into more sales, but you should certainly give the keyword the opportunity to shine if it’s proven in the past that it can deliver results.
What if he is already at the top of the pay scale? Then what? Then you might need to start looking beyond raising his pay. Now you need to start looking to him for “referrals.” Does he have any trustworthy friends who need a job? Does that keyword have a few variations that you haven’t considered? Dig deeper into the keyword and see if you can find a few of its “friends” to come join your team. You might be surprised at what you find.
Happy Holidays to all.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:20 am
Great example with your article, PPC Keywords. Ya its is better to put down the keywords which don’t bring us sales for a period of time. There is no use in hanging with the same keywords if they are not performing. But still sometimes the same keyword can get sales. Those kind of keywords should be used under low priority when they doesn’t produce sales.