Pay Per Click (PPC) Marketing Campaign Plan

Google PPC advertising is can be a very cost-effective way to advertise for building a list or driving direct
sales if treated as the direct marketing medium it is. PPC is not for “brand building” or for anything other
than presenting a direct benefit to a web surfer and providing a clear call to action. PPC is a direct
translation of direct marketing techniques employed in classified ads since the mid-1800s. It is a “ready-
fire-aim” approach to marketing, but when the “aim” is adjusted according to where the last salvo
landed, PPC can be just as effective as a howitzer in hitting the target between the eyes.

To continue the metaphor, this plan is designed to waste some ammo upfront and then “tune up” very
quickly. With classified ads, this tuning takes months but with PPC we can start looking at, and tuning
ads and landing pages, within days of observation.

Methodology
Starting with resume based keyword combinations, we will create a series of “long tail campaigns” to be
split tested and tracked individually.

Keywords
On Google, there are approximately 4,423 searches which include the word “resume” per day. We do
not want to use “resume” by itself in a PPC campaign though. The cost per click is unnecessarily high and
someone who has only typed “resume” into Google has only begun their web research. These people
are not yet motivated and are poor value clicks.

On the other hand, slightly longer keyword phrases offer a more motivated web researcher and they are
more likely to follow through with a call to action from an add speaking to their needs.

Examples: blank resume form free, make a free printable resume, resume template, free resume
examples, resume help, sample resumes, how to write a resume, resume cover letter, resume
templates, free resume formats, build a free resume online, free downloadable resume template.

Using the above examples, a campaign will be built around “resume template.” We will probably skip
using “resume template” by itself because again the clicks are likely to be too expensive. Instead the
campaign will focus on keywords which contain “resume template” according to real-time search engine
research.

Examples: free resume template, free downloadable resume template, free resume templates, free
word resume template, free printable resume template, free sample resume template, microsoft word
resume template, free resume template downloads, resume template blank, microsoft works resume
template, blank free resume template, blank resume template, functional resume template,
professional resume template, resume cover sheet template, resume template samples, teacher resume
template, construction resume template, free professional resume template, teachers aid resume
template, download free resume template, high school resume template

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Dave Saunders
Due to Google requirements (lack of compliance triggers something known as the Google Slap), the ad
used for this campaign will contain the root phrase “resume template” and the landing page associated
with it will also contain “resume template” as will the <TITLE> of the HTML page and its URL.

Ads
For each campaign, there will be two ads run in parallel using Google’s split testing capabilities. The
variation between the ads will be kept minimal. After about 1,000 impressions for each ad, the ad
receiving the fewest clicks will be deleted and a new one will be written, again with minimal difference
from the “winning” ad. The goal is to constantly attempt to beat the winning ad and drive the ratio of
views to clicks up as high as possible.

A click through rate of 1% is regarded as excellent in the industry.

Example:

A B
Resume Template Resume Template
VisualCV creates resumes that get results VisualCV creates resumes that get you hired
Build yours for free today Build yours for free today
http://www.visualcv.com http://www.visualcv.com

Of course, it’s possible that both of these variations will not perform. This is actually good because by
using PPC, we’re only charged for ads that work.

As we tune up the ad, we also develop high-performance ad text which will be used for future banner
ads, which will be used for site targeted, CPM (Cost per Thousand) ads in phase II (maybe 2 weeks from
PPC ad start).

Landing Pages
The landing page is typically where PPC campaigns fail. A person is presented with an ad that promises
them a benefit and they’re dumped onto a generic home page that does not immediately confirm the
fact they’re in the right place. The user gets confused, has the attention span of a humming bird and
dumps out of the site faster than a humming bird moves to the next flower.

We have developed a landing page which we believe will be more effective than the current home page
(not a stretch) and gives us the ability to quickly create pages aimed specifically at the target for the
campaign.

For example, the landing page we use for the “resume template” campaign will tell the visitor something
to the effect of “if you’re looking for the best resume template you’re in the right place.”

We will also test auto-playing audio for the landing page. The audio is short and is intended to confirm
the benefits of the headline (if you’re looking for X, you’ve found it) and give the call to action “scroll
down and register for free today.”

2
Dave Saunders
Successful Internet marketers have shown that such audio can increase opt-in rates by as much as 70%
in a split test.

Site Targeted Ads

Phase one and a half of this campaign will involve site-targeted PPC ads. What we do is do a search for
the campaign keyword (e.g., resume template) and find the top 10 pages on Google that match this
keyword AND that display Google ads on the page.

The ad campaign is then set up to only display the ad on these specific pages.

The result is a very low cost per click.

The reason we don’t start out this way is because the traffic is usually lower than a campaign which isn’t
site specific making ad tuning more time consuming (longer wait per 1,000 ad impressions).

After we have ads performing over 1%, site targeted ads offer a way to maintain high quality traffic at a
very low cost. Using this technique, it is possible to build campaigns at $0.10 per click.

Site Targeted Banner Ads

After we have working ad text, we then build that text into a banner ad.

Yes, banner ads work again.

Using the site list developed for the site targeted text ads, we are likely to find that the most common
ad unit displayed with 468x60. This displays two ads, which means our ad is always being shown along
with competition.

We build a 468x60 banner ad and run it as a CPM, site targeted campaign on Google. Because of its size,
ours will be the only ad displayed in the ad unit. Because we have already tested the ad text, we should
have an ad with a good click-through rate which then makes the CPM ad a cost effective method of
advertising.

Using this method, it is possible to run campaigns that get below $0.10 per click.

Based on prior split testing results, the graphical banner should have the following attributes:

 An image of a person, preferably a woman (men will click on a woman and women will click on
woman, but few men and women will click on a woman)
 An arrow, pointing to a “click here” button in the banner.

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Dave Saunders