One of the most important factors of creating a successful SEM campaign is finding your keywords.  When you find that special keyword, it narrows down the search results and makes it easier for people to find the advertiser’s unique service or product. There are a multitude of ways to find your keywords, including tools that Google themselves provide such as the “Google Keyword Planner.” There is also software like “FreshKey” and the “Ubersuggest” suggestion tool.  Although each of these methods are recommended and can be extremely accurate, you should also use “outside the box” and unconventional techniques without touching a keyword generator to find effective keywords for  your campaign.

1. If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times. Putting yourself in the audience’s shoes and thinking like the customer is more important than you think. After doing research online or speaking with the advertiser, you may have a feeling you know exactly who to target and what search terms to include for your keywords. Take your research to the next level by asking a third party. Call up a friend, your grandma, or even a stranger and ask them what they would search if they were looking for a specific product. Your keyword generator may give you in depth statistics of strong search terms to use, but nothing is more powerful than the human mind!
2. Don’t abuse the following method because too many of these can end up hurting your campaign, however your competitors may not think to create common misspellings of high traffic keywords. You might even be able to bid on these misspelled keywords cheaper than the correct versions. For example, if you’re working on an account that deals with mortgages, you may want to add the search term “morgage”. If you have a client that provides plumbing services, think about implementing keywords such as “plumming.” Sometimes it’s harder than you think to come up with these common misspelled words. You may even stumble onto some of these at unexpected times, like while typing an email. Remember that this could be a great way to increase traffic, but not to abuse it.
3. This last technique doesn’t work for all campaigns or services but experiencing what you’re actually marketing could spark new keywords and profitable ideas. If your client runs a restaurant, why not visit the location? Look at the menu. What deals are they offering? What makes them unique and different from the other restaurants in town? They may even offer seasonal specials or coupons that you can implement into your search terms. Another example would be if your client owns a pet store. Even after 5 minutes walking around the store, you may be very surprised with what you could come up with. Observe the different animals they may have, various pet food, toys, services. Also think about what real customers would ask for, and how they would ask it.

There are an infinite number of ways to come up with keywords for a successful PPC campaign. The Google Adwords Keyword Planner, WordStream, & Google Trends will always be there for you to generate effective keywords. However, brainstorming, speaking to people, understanding your audience, and experiencing the service yourself can lead to new keywords and a better understanding of your campaign.

To learn about Ferocious Media’s SEM campaigns, visit our website!