trailer industry. After all, your manager will be tasked with picking keywords and writing ads, and you want to make sure that he or she speaks directly to your core market. If you pick someone who doesn’ t know the language, your campaign could end up being a big swing and a miss.
It is equally as important to pick someone who knows how to use AdWords. AdWords is an extremely sophisticated tool and like any tool it’ s most effective in the hands of an experienced operator. Study after study shows how important the right strategy is to running a successful campaign. If you pick an account manager who already knows the ins and outs of AdWords, you’ re much more likely to hit a homerun right off the bat.
How to Select an Account Manager If you’ re thinking of signing up with an individual manager or agency, first ask if they are AdWords certified. Ask whether they’ ve ever managed an ad campaign for a business like yours before with the kind of budget you want to target. If the management option you’ re exploring has done great things for smaller trailer dealers with a few dozen items in inventory and you want to promote several hundred trailers from coast to coast, you might do well to look at other options.
If you’ re thinking of signing with an agency, ask if you’ ll be able to have direct access to the person responsible for your campaign. Ask how much time this person usually spends actively managing his or her accounts. You don’ t want to spend thousands of dollars on a set-it-and-forget-it type of agency only to realize months later that your ads aren’ t keeping pace with your website or your customers.
Finally, make sure the manager or agency you select is committed to transparency. If you’ d like to get regular reports on your campaign performance, set those expectations up-front. If being able to ask questions and make requests is important to you, say so. Will you get access to view your actual AdWords account? If the answer is no, it might be wisest to walk away. A reputable manager or agency will be committed to providing you the kind of communication and access you ask for.
Bottom line: SEM can be an excellent and cost-effective way to build your business, and selecting the right SEM management tools and partners can have an especially positive impact. If you’ re looking for a way to increase your website traffic, generate more leads, and sell more trailers, SEM could be the way forward for you.
For more information, please contact Trailer Central at 800-TRLR-216 or www. trailercentral. com.
46 NATDA Magazine www. natda. org