There are many agencies and software companies out there preaching software, software, software. Whether its bid management, analytics, or other SEM tools, you, as an end user must always remember - it is just a tool. A paint brush in the hand of a painter can create a work of art and a hammer in the hand of a carpenter can create a home. When you take away the tools, you take away efficiency and effectiveness but the users still retain the knowledge and skills required to produce the final product. However, take away the artist or the carpenter, and you are left with just a lifeless tool. Sure you can create a system to mimic what a person would do, but you will lose creativity, strategy, and ingenuity.
It seems as though the bigger the PPC industry gets, the more reliant on tools SEM professionals are getting. They are using tools to build out hundreds of thousands of keywords, using software to make bid decisions, and even using software to analyze data for them and explain what is happening with their campaign. These tools only get you halfway to your goal, and if they are solely what you rely on to manage an account, you will fail.
A tool can’t tell you that orders went up or down because of a holiday and therefore should leave your bids where they are since orders will most likely recover to previous levels. A tool does not know that even though you offer a degree program in “online banking” that it would be wise to not use this keyword in your campaigns unless you want to compete against the deep pockets of companies more relevant for this high volume term. Tools and software only know and do what the programmer has told them and only take into account what they are told to. In an ever changing marketplace with hundreds if not thousands of variables affecting each account differently, there is no reliable way for a tool to provide a prepackaged solution for the unique situation that campaigns are placed in on a day to day basis.
An intelligent marketing professional on the other hand, will be able to sort through the data and provide a true picture of the advertising campaign with advice and solutions to reach the goals and expectations of the client. They can use tools to help expedite the process, but be wary of anyone who is selling you their tool and not their people, for intelligence, creativity, and analytical thinking are the greatest tools in this industry, and it is people that possess these tools.
Related posts
