One of the many benefits of paid search is that it has what we like to call “controlled flexibility.” What do we mean by that, exactly?

Paid search has the ability to…

• Execute and launch PPC campaigns in a very short period of time
• Test multiple ad messages and keywords
• Make adjustments on the fly
• Target as narrowly or broadly a demographic as desired
• Control the amount of budget to spend

We’ve executed a number of large-scale paid search campaigns for clients, but it is the smaller, more narrowly defined campaigns that really bring out the best of paid search’s controlled flexibility.

For the past few years, we’ve managed the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association’s (BACVA) paid search initiatives, among other online marketing services.

BACVA has always had a “core” campaign, one whose objective was to drive traffic to Baltimore.org by promoting the city of Baltimore’s attractions and the city itself as a travel destination to nearby drive-distance states and Maryland residents. The “core” campaign has evolved over the years but still remains more top-line and broader in nature and performs exceptionally well with double-digit CTRs and low CPCs.

However, as emphasis on more event-based marketing has increased for BACVA, we’ve turned to smaller, more niche PPC campaigns to meet the challenge. Campaigns targeting events like Black History month, Restaurant Week, the Poe Celebration and most recently, the Waterfront Invasion, have further solidified our love of PPC’s controlled flexibility.

Smaller budgets, shorter flights, more narrowly defined and geo-targeted terms and ad copy have resulted in boosted traffic and even lower CPCs. Not to mention, turnaround time for launching a mini event-based campaign can be as short as a couple of days, instead of a couple of weeks. Talk about flexibility.

Talk to us about how we can leverage paid search for your business objectives. We’d love to hear from you!