I’ve been in the corporate world of pay per click search engine marketing since 2004. Back in those days, things were quite different. There was no SEM automation, no AdWords editor, and SEM overall was quite manual. In fact, back in those days it took new search marketing employees at least a month or so to start adding serious value to their employer. These days, however, things have advanced so much. New employees are adding value almost instantly and the leverage in our industry has advanced tremendously. As a result, PPC jobs are changing.
They’re changing in two main ways. First and foremost, advanced analytics, bidding, and testing are becoming mandatory. Second, it’s absolutely imperative these days to go beyond PPC and add value in other areas such as SEO, social media, and email marketing. Today, I’m going to share some quick win tips to embrace these exciting changes.
Tip 1: It’s All About SEM Automation
I’ve talked about this point quite a bit here on PPC Ian so I’m going to keep my first tip relatively short. It’s important these days to bid more effectively than ever, take your analytics to the next level, and manage your campaigns with precision. Why? Back in 2004, the lack of competition created a scenario of somewhat easy money. These days, you not only have to fight to win the PPC game, but you need to prove to yourself, your team, and your company that you’re doing everything possible to optimize your PPC program to the highest possible degree.
How do you accomplish this? Easy! It’s all about getting the right systems and technologies in place. Want to learn about making the best possible purchase decisions for your SEM platforms? Check out my SEM automation buyer’s guide whitepaper. It’s automation like this that will free up your time to diversify your skillset into other areas such as SEO, social media, and email marketing.
Tip 2: Become An Affiliate Marketer, Today!
I wrote about this topic when I first launched PPC Ian with a post titled moonlighting will accelerate your SEM career. I’m more confident in this philosophy than ever. To be successful in affiliate marketing, you must be an incredibly savvy marketer. You must challenge your intelligence, test wild new strategies, and push the boundaries on online marketing. Simply put, affiliate marketing is the education of a lifetime. The education I have gained from my blogging and portfolio of over 80 SEO websites has been truly invaluable. I’ve been able to take this education back to the corporate environment and perfect PPC operations while taking on major responsibilities within other areas of online marketing.
So, how can you get started? I took the affiliate plunge back in 2007. I basically started from scratch and learned as I went. In this day and age, I’m a huge believer in the affiliate network route. A good affiliate network can truly jump start your affiliate marketing career. You want to make sure to have the best offers, the best payouts, and of course expert advice and mentorship. That’s precisely where industry leading affiliate networks such as EWA Private Network and Blam Ads step in! So, what are you waiting for? Go sign up today!
Tip 3: Read Everything You Can Get Your Hands On
To close out today, I want to underscore the amazing wealth of information out there. If you want to get ahead in the corporate world of SEM, it’s imperative to read all of cutting edge material about PPC, SEO, Facebook, social media, domaining, email marketing, display advertising, and more. These days all areas of online marketing are intersecting and you must become an expert in everything.
One thing that’s really important, in my opinion, is to purchase eBooks and online courses that will take your education to the next level. Sometimes, the best information costs a little money (not much, but some). The leverage on your investment, however, is so much that it’s a no-brainer. Two must-haves include Jonathan Volk’s Facebook Ads Guide and Chris Guthrie’s Niche Profit Course.
Image of Change Ahead © arcady_31
Dino Vedo says
Affiliate marketing is a great career but is also really challenging! Newcomers beware ;)!
Ian says
Dino,
Thanks for the comment! 🙂 You bring up a point that I can’t underscore enough. Affiliate marketing is very hard work. There is no free lunch and it’s probably more difficult than most other jobs out there. It’s a career that challenges the limits of one’s intelligence and is truly rewarding once the money starts flowing in! If you can make it as an affiliate, you’ve definitely got my respect!
All the best,
Ian
Mr. Get Money says
I agree with both of you guys. I have tried affiliate marketing in the past. It is a lot of work. People search the internet for how to make money and see these huge paychecks and think they will be able to make tens of thousands a month online from scratch. It takes time and determination.
Ian says
Mr. Get Money,
Thanks so much for the comment. I know exactly those check images you’re speaking of. Those checks in conjunction with aggressive marketing materials make it seem easy, but affiliate marketing is very hard work in reality. 🙂 Thanks so much!
Best,
Ian
Dukeo says
I’ve been in this industry only since late 2008 and I’ve already seen a lot of things changing… So I can only imagine the amount of stuff that has changed since 2004…
Ian says
Dukeo,
Thanks so much for the comment! 🙂 Yeah, it’s really crazy how much things have changed and how they keep changing continually. We’re really in the industry that never gets boring, not for one second. By the way, I like your blog, keep up the great work!
Best,
Ian
Bradley Nordstrom says
I am 11 years old and have been an affiliate marketer since I was 8.If I could achieve becoming a affiliate marketer you can to.It’s easy but hard sometimes.You gotta deal with it. 😉
Ian says
Bradley,
Thanks for the comment. 🙂 That is some great stuff, your story is quite inspiring and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you. You have a huge head start and are on an awesome path!
All the best,
Ian
Dan Palanchuk says
I wonder what the future of affiliate marketing will be. It’s going to be interesting.
Ian says
Dan,
Thanks so much for the comment! The future of affiliate marketing is definitely going to be interesting!
Best,
Ian
uk sim card says
How much do advertising usually pay per click while advertising online? I know that depends on the industry and on the product that one is advertising but if one were to advertise an online business, how much is she/he expected to pay per click if chooses the pay-per-click option? Thanks….
Ian says
UK Sim Card,
You ask a really great question, thanks so much! 🙂 The ranges of CPCs in pay per click vary quite a bit! You might experience CPCs in the $0.10 range for certain verticals and CPCs as high as $30 for others. It all comes down to the quality/conversion rate of the traffic, payout from the offer/product, and competition. Typically CPCs will be in the sub $1.00 range for product shopping while CPCs are in the several dollar range for services oriented verticals such as mortgage. I like your question and may write an entire post about this in the future!
All the best,
Ian