Most consumers nowadays go straight to Google for advice when availing products and services. With that in mind, having an effective SEM marketing plan for your business is essential to increase your brand awareness and hit your sales target. But first thing’s first: What is SEM?
What Is SEM?
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a form of paid digital marketing that helps increase a business’ brand visibility through paid advertisements on search engines such as Google. Like search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing, SEM makes use of organic traffic to determine what a user is searching for. The difference is that SEM provides paid search ads, which are advertising space at the very top of the search engine results page (SERP) using the keywords that the target audience is searching for. In short, SEM services place businesses right in front of a market that is actively searching for their products and services.
Google SEM in the Philippines does more than just boost your website traffic and conversion rates. As part of your overall digital marketing scheme, SEM will help establish your brand as a leader in its industry. With a top SEM agency on your side, you can easily connect with consumers and investors anytime and anywhere.
How Does SEM Work?
Basically, SEM involves the following steps:
- The advertiser chooses which relevant keywords to target for the ads.
- The advertiser indicates the maximum cost-per-click (CTC) for the ad. CTC refers to the cost that the advertiser pays every time the ad is clicked.
- The ad will appear on top of the SERP if a user searches for the advertiser’s chosen keywords. Much like SEO’s organic traffic, paid ads will also be ranked according to quality.
- The advertiser is charged his or her indicated CTC when a user clicks on the ad.
Does SEM affect SEO?
SEM does not directly affect SEO, but both work hand in hand to generate optimal results for your digital marketing efforts.
- SEM guarantees that your ad is highly visible at the top of the search results. When combined with effective SEO, the business listing can also appear on the top of the organic results, leading to a double exposure for the business.
- Compared to SEO, the results of your SEM marketing campaign are immediately visible. You can use this to your advantage. With SEM, you can determine which keywords are more effective in driving traffic to your website, and use these keywords to improve your website’s organic standing through SEO efforts.
- SEM increases brand awareness, making users more familiar with your business and eventually leading to organic traffic.
- SEM services and SEO help you reach more local leads.
What Are the Benefits of SEM?
SEM offers several unique benefits for your digital marketing plan:
- SEM reaches quality leads. Nowadays, people have come to rely on the Internet when it comes to purchasing products and services, getting information and more. Google alone generates billions of searches per day. With the right search marketing agency, you can improve your website’s search engine visibility and gain quality leads.
- SEM creates a reputable brand impression. When consumers notice that your business has a consistent presence on the SERPs, they are most likely to establish authority and familiarity with your business. The higher your rank, the more appealing your website will be to users.
- SEM is cost-effective. SEM marketing allows you to target a specific audience. With proper keyword management, you ensure that your ads are visible to those people who have similar search intent. This increases the chance of these people availing of your products and services.
- SEM offers a highly curated user experience. Paid advertisements can direct users to content that is specifically designed for them. This also helps establish engagement between you and your potential customers.
Best Strategies for Building Strong Brand Awareness
As with any marketing effort, the result of your SEM campaign will largely depend on your strategies. Here are a few that you should consider:
- Use infographics. With a mix-match of text and images, infographics allow you to promote information, and in this case your business, in a way that is more appealing and engaging. Along with images, videos and animations, infographics can be posted on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram to further reach potential customers and boost brand awareness.
- Establish a unique and eye-catching approach. Nothing beats an original and clever marketing strategy. Even with digital marketing, you should aim to create an approach that is specially made to catch the attention of your target market.
- Appeal to millennials. Right now, millennials play a vital role in the digital marketplace. They make up the many influencers who can draw attention to your brand, especially on social media. By consulting a top SEM agency, you can easily tap millennials and the influence they can provide to your business.
Advanced SEM Strategies
The competition in the market is consistently growing stronger, and so advanced strategies are necessary to make sure you stay at the top of your game. Here’s a couple of tips:
- Create a sense of urgency. Nowadays, people are accustomed to being on the know or having what is new immediately. You can play on people’s fear of missing out (FOMO) by adding a countdown timer on your ads, or offering discounts and other perks at a limited time. Such ads will push people to decide quickly and click on your ad.
- Customize ads per audience. Simply put, the content of your ad should appeal to your target market, from keywords used to the overall tone of the ad. Tools like Google AdWords can help you start optimizing your ads to optimize traffic and profit return and generate keywords that are relevant to your customers search intent.
How Much Does SEM Cost?
In a continuously growing market competition, SEM marketing in the Philippines is one of the most effective ways to promote what you sell and expand your business. Since every SEM strategy is unique, the cost will depend on many factors, from the number of ads you want to create to the tools you would like to use, and more.
AMPH Advertising is one of the top SEM agencies in the Philippines that provides cost-efficient ways for businesses to drive traffic to their websites through ads. Let's discuss the best SEM strategy for your business today! For inquiries regarding our SEM services, contact us at +63285536002.