SEM is for you…and you too!

Everyone is talking about Digital Media and Search Engine Marketing these days - or, “SEM” as the cool kids call it. Maybe you’re not sure what it is, or you’re wondering if an SEM campaign is right for your company. Sound about right? Read on my friend.

Almost 80% of the North American population is online so it’s pretty safe to assume that if you’re online too they’re going to try to connect with you.

Branding through an SEM campaign is a great way to reach your target market as the Google Display Network lets you advertise to very specific audiences using image and text ads. You get to choose the keywords, placements and demographics that best suit your company, and then the magic begins.

For some industries SEM is a very obvious choice - it makes perfect sense that if you’re selling something online then you should attract people online as well so that they buy something from your site.

But you don’t sell online? Well, SEM can still be a great choice for you. Take for example a car dealership, obviously their customers are not just willy-nilly clicking the mouse and buying a car online (we hope), but they might want more information, or to set up a test-drive. So in this case, the goal of an SEM campaign is not to sell your product online, but to attract them to your site and give you the opportunity to start a conversation.

Intrigued but not sure where to begin?

Do some research on what your industry and your competition is doing online, this may help you get an idea of where to start. Because your Adwords campaigns can be personalized to what you want to say and who you want to say it to it’s the perfect addition to any marketing strategy. Google Analytics is a great tool available, it can help you see what your customers are doing when they visit your site, allowing you to create a campaign dedicated to them. Use the tools available within Adwords to make adjustments along the way, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.