We all know the feeling of getting behind. Once you get there, it can feel overwhelming or daunting as you try to catch up. The easiest way to avoid that is to stay ahead of the game. This means, going above and beyond your routine PPC management tasks to re-examine your accounts, review for efficiency and just as proactive as you can to make sure everything is in tip-top shape.
You could revisit this list as often as you like or need. You could use it when onboarding a new client or as part of your monthly/quarterly/annual business reviews.
Here is my list of proactive PPC ideas in no particular order:
- Double-check that conversion tracking is working properly in all channels.
- Are there any additional goals you could set-up in Google Analytics to show additional value for your campaigns (newsletter sign-up, PDF downloads, key button clicks)?
- Evaluate if automated rules or alerts could be set-up to save you time on some of your tasks.
- Brainstorm new potential testing ideas.
- Ask a coworker if they could use your help (or vice versa). A second set of eyes can easily help with optimization ideas, new opportunities, etc.
- Review industry blogs or Twitter posts (#ppcchat) to keep on top of the latest happening in the industry.
- Perform a long-term analysis of your accounts to see trends, insights, growth, etc. (maybe excluding 2020 in this one, lol)
- Review ad copy key selling propositions, CTAs to think through what can be tested next.
- Run an N-gram analysis using this tried-and-true Google script.
- Peruse Google Tag Manager to see if any tags or triggers should be modified, added or deleted.
- Set-up an experiment in any channel just to gain new learnings.
- Try something new to see how it performs in your account like responsive ads (they are coming at some point anyway), collections ads, slideshow, new campaign objective, new keywords…something!
- Evaluate search partner performance to see if it’s really worth it (this may mean looking over a longer period of time to get enough data).
- Similarly to #13, review social media placement results to see if any should be excluded.
- Double-check all your ad extensions. Are any outdated, disapproved or just accidentally never added based on a site change?
- Review your audiences. Should audience length be extended for remarketing? Should any in-market audiences be added for observation? Has Google suddenly added any similar audiences to your account and you just didn’t see it?
- Do competitor research. Sign up for their emails, review their ads and their ad copy. This is always insightful!
- Plan ahead for any upcoming events, sales, webinars, etc.
- Outline a new or different funnel approach for your efforts to see if it’s time to test a new approach or new CTA.
- Review a new channel. Maybe a lesser-used channel like Quora, Capterra, TikTok, Hulu or SnapChat might have a niche audience perfect for you. Don’t assume your audience isn’t using it. (My 60-something year-old mom is completely addicted to TikTok…you just never know who you might find and where.)
- Take a look at your day-parting bid modifiers. 2020 and work-from-home non-traditional hours may mean you want to try different times of day and/or days of week. You may want to shift bid-modifiers that have been in place.
- Ask your client (or coworkers if you’re in-house) for any new or different reports you can get concerning lead quality, LTV, rejection data, etc. that you can use to make better decisions.
- Generate lists of your best possible leads/buyers and upload into channels to create lookalikes. If you’re already done this, see if there is a new way to segment the data to create a new list for a new campaign (segmented by product type, for example).
- Test your promotions and offers. For example, you might find a response difference between 20% off vs. $50 off vs. on sale now for $199.95 vs. free shipping.
- What was the last landing page test you did? Maybe you can provide some ideas for your client or development team to help improve conversion rates.
- Review your on-going task list for additions and changes moving into the new year. We love this BIG list of recurring maintenance tasks for a place to start.
- Create Excel Macros to automate regular tasks and save time.
- Renew your PPC certifications and accreditations. If you’re up to date, consider getting certified in new channels.
- Review campaign/ad group/ad set settings across all campaigns.
- Plan for 2021! This year is (finally) coming to an end and it’s time to plan strategies for Q1!
I hope this list sparked some new ideas that would be helpful for you. You can even tackle one a day and be done in just a month…all ready to start the New Year on a fresh, clean note!
Did I miss anything? Comment below to share your favorite proactive tips!
