What do you do if your stakeholders disagree with your SEM strategy?

While stakeholders might not be SEM experts, dismissing their input can limit your campaign's potential. Their fresh perspective could uncover valuable insights, from suggesting specific keywords to refining messaging for various stages of the customer journey. Remember, SEM ads meet real needs and queries, making stakeholder input invaluable. They may possess insights about your audience that you haven't tapped into yet, enhancing the effectiveness of your campaigns. Even in the face of disagreement, listening is key. It opens the door to addressing concerns and finding common ground, paving the way for smoother collaboration and ultimately, more successful campaigns.

When stakeholders disagree on SEM strategy it’s one of two things: 1) the problem your product addresses 2) differences between the language they and your customers are using Some stakeholders might believe there’s no competition or want to focus on a unique name for your approach to solving customers’ problems. Being #1 for terms no one is searching for won’t do anyone any favors. Showing how you can take related traffic and raise awareness bridges the gap between where your industry is today and where you want to take it. A quick way to get alignment is run a few ads with both focuses and compare the results.

I believe the most important act of business education in the field of search engine marketing is to make decision-makers understand the quantity and quality of reach and performance generated over a longer period of time. If you calculate the sum of search volume targeted within a content project for a whole year and multiply this with a realistic Impressionrate and CTR, you will be able to compare to the cpm of awareness measures in the upper funnel and have an idea of the performance output by rechecking and forecasting paid search ctrs and corresponding cvrs. Understanding SEM as a full funnel instrument is key for c-levels to decide on budget allocation in media and marketing.

Are they able to disagree? Do they have the information or knowledge do make such a decision. Most of the time, not. And Secondly: Every strategy is focused on the target audience, as these are the customers.

If stakeholders disagree with your SEM strategy, open communication is key. Schedule a meeting to understand their concerns and present data on current performance alongside industry benchmarks. Find common ground between their feedback and your strategy, then propose data-driven adjustments like testing new ad variations or refining targeting. Frame these adjustments as a collaborative effort and set clear success metrics to ensure everyone's aligned on measuring progress. This collaborative approach can address concerns, refine your SEM strategy, and ultimately achieve better campaign results.

Regular follow-ups and transparent updates post-implementation are key to stakeholder engagement. It underscores a commitment to shared goals and shows the value placed on collaboration and achieving optimal results together.

Ensuring alignment between SEM strategies and stakeholders' priorities can provide a strategic advantage for SEM campaigns. However, in instances where misalignment persists, it is crucial to substantiate SEM proposals with the potential repercussions of failing to capitalize on current SEM trends, particularly in comparison to competitors who are effectively leveraging these trends to propel their businesses forward.