6 Critical Steps to Complete Before Starting Your Adwords Campaign
By Omer Khan · October 16, 2013
Every business should consider using Google Adwords as a part of its online marketing plan.
But creating a successful Adwords campaign begins without Adwords.
It's relatively easy to create a new Adwords campaign. And you're just itching to see those clicks to your site. So you get your first ad created and wait excitedly for those new customers. And nothing happens.
This is a common pitfall that many businesses and marketers fall into. You wouldn't start building a new house without first having a solid foundation. And you shouldn't start your Adwords campaign either, until it has a solid foundation.
1. Define What Success Looks Like
You can't run a successful Adwords campaign unless you're clear on what success looks like. The fundamental question: can you acquire new customers at a price that you can afford? How much is a new customer worth to you?
Action #1: Write down a goal for the cost per conversion that you're willing to pay and a goal for the number of conversions you want each month.
2. Understand Your Customers
Do you really understand your customers? What are their most important needs and emotional pain points? Does whoever's managing your Adwords campaign have those insights?
Action #2: Write down a brief persona of your target customer. Then list their top 3 problems and fears.
3. Choose the Right Keywords
Good keyword research is critical. Do you understand your keyword intent? Do you understand your keyword competitiveness?
Action #3: Consider using a tool like Market Samurai to take your keyword research to the next level.
4. Understand What Your Competitors Are Doing
What are your competitors doing with their Adwords campaigns? What features or benefits are they highlighting? Your goal is not to create great ads. Your goal is to create ads that are more effective than your competitors'.
Action #4: Make an inventory of your competitor's ads and list the key attributes.
5. Develop a Strong Unique Selling Proposition
Now that you're armed with information about your competitors and have refined your understanding of your customers, you are ready to refine your unique selling proposition (USP). What makes you different and better?
Action #5: Write at least 3 different versions of your ads that highlight your USP.
6. Create an Effective Landing Page
Even the most effective Adwords campaign is useless if your landing page can't convert those clicks. Your landing page needs to communicate your compelling offer, be highly relevant to the ad, and provide a clear call to action.
Action #6: If you completed the actions in steps 1 to 5 above, then you're ready to work on your landing page.
Whether you're starting your first Adwords campaign or trying to improve an existing one, you can use these 6 steps as a guide to strengthen your foundation.
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