Here’s a PPC keyword strategy you might want to consider:

Phase I
Use highly relevant keyword phrases of at least 2 words. Try to find as many as possible. The limitation here is that you will not be able to find them or get enough clicks on the ones you do find. In some industries these keywords will be sufficient to make your campaign successful and you will go no further. This is where most people have a problem, they are cannot find enough keywords and people are not finding your site. This is the biggest wall to overcome.

Phase II
If you are not getting enough clicks or would like to scale your activity, find more generic keywords – for example, “music” or “cd”. Make sure your Title & Description are very specific to what you provide to limit the non-qualified clicks.

Manage your bids carefully with generic keywords – you don’t need to be number one, just try to stay above your competitors. In many cases you can command a very good position for a minimal cost.

Phase III
Run your campaign for one month and analyze every click, inquiry, sale and build your statistics: cost per click, cost per inquiry, number of inquiries to get a sale, number of clicks to get a sale. After this analysis you’ll have a good idea of your acquisition costs and if using PPC makes sense for you.

Take X-Rays
When I grew up, my father was an x-ray technician. He was excellent in his profession and rose up to supervise his department. I’ll never forget the words my mother used to say, “Morty, take x-rays!” – as he was trying to figure out how to put the lawn mower back together. She would remind him of how good he was at taking x-rays when he put all the pieces in a box to take to the mechanic.

The point here is this: Let’s say you get to Phase III and have tried everything you know and it’s still not working. Do you have the knowledge and experience with Internet marketing to conclude that it will not work – that you’ve done everything you should have done? Perhaps there are other issues that have nothing to do with the traffic; maybe it’s your web site, perhaps the sales person didn’t handle it properly, or the product was priced too high.

The biggest mistake I have seen with Internet Marketing is inexperience and naivet. I have managed several campaigns where I’ve seen all the competitors come and go, like a revolving door. I’ve competed with companies who could eat me in a single bite – they come and go. Too many people think, “this is simple” and proceed to throw their money away and conclude – “well, I guess this doesn’t work!” Their intentions are admirable but they just don’t have the knowledge or experience.

I’ve never captained a yacht but I sure wouldn’t charter one and decide, “I can sail this – I read the book.” I’ve learned long ago to just, Take X-Rays!

Neal Lebar has been building and managing Internet campaigns since 1996. He has proven that Internet marketing absolutely works and can generate returns far greater than traditional media. Visit – www.innovate-inc.com, www.extenderware.com or nlebar@innovate-inc.com.

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