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Enhanced Campaigns 1 Year Later

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This week Matt Umbro (@Matt_Umbro) came up with yet another great question set titled “Enhanced Campaigns 1 Year Later.” The following is the transcribed Streamcap from the live chat:

Q1: In speaking with clients, do you now reference Enhanced Campaigns features as “everyday” campaign features?

  • I don’t mention “enhanced” at all. I just say these are new or everyday features. – Mark Kenndy (@markkennedysem)
  • Kind of. Bid modifiers are a common practice now. And clients are always told they *have* to target tablets if going after desktops. – Michelle Morehouse (@michellemsem)
  • Sometimes, but often time I spout in legacy mode ie: Historically, we would break out mobile specific campaigns, but with EC. – Matt Umbro
  • Campaigns are campaigns. I dropped “enhanced” long ago. – Nate Knox (@nateknox)
    • Yes, but I will talk about how it used to be and how our methodology has changed. – Matt Umbro
  • Yep! no sense in differentiating at this point, unless the client has been out of the ppc game for awhile. – Erin Sagin (@erinsagin)
  • Yep – I just treat them as standard features, but warn clients about the issues with mobile/tablet separation. – Anthony Coraggio (@AnthonyCoraggio)
  • But I rarely actually talk about Enhanced Campaigns directly. No real need anymore. It’s just the lay of the land. – Michelle Morehouse
  • Pretty much. EC features = AdWords features. – Timothy Jensen (@timothyjjensen)
  • I found the first Q4 for Bid modifiers highly interesting. I reckon google made a lot of money from rookie errors. – Andrew McGarry (@beyondcontent)
  • Most clients don’t know/don’t care about EC, we just use the tools we have available today. Could change again next week. – Andrew Miller (@AndrewCMiller)
  • I still refer to “on the new enhanced platform”. But I’m also still very bitter. – Heather Cooan (@HeatherCooan)
  • Keep in mind also that BingAds changed settings to accommodate EC – I do let clients know that. – Matt Umbro
  • Never. I don’t want clients to become “invested” in features no longer available. – Theresa Zook (@I_Marketer)
    • I’ve seen at least 1 company spin their marketing to say they’re offering “enhanced” AdWords features as a perk. – Timothy Jensen
  • Have found most clients couldn’t care less, so there is no point going into it. – Jeff Loquist (@jmloquist)
  • I treat them as the norm now. Especially clients new to AdWords, don’t want to confuse them with old features. – Rod (@rodppc)
  • Bottom line – clients need to know about EC features, but advertisers don’t need to refer to them as “Enhanced”. – Matt Umbro
  • The only time it comes up is if clients ask for mobile-only or tablet-only campaigns. – Melissa Mackey (@Mel66)
  • I educated clients on EC early and now it’s just part of the deal. – Robert Brady (@robert_brady)
  • Had to talk about it with clients during the shift, since then, no one even knows what it is except ppc managers. – Michelle Morehouse
  • Most clients don’t know. Rather keep it simple. – Stephanie Cockerl (@StephCockerl)
  • No. They’re just normal budget-sucking tablet-hating campaigns now. – James Svoboda (@Realicity)
  • I do find that some marketing directors will still ask about features from their heyday, and need to be updated. – Anthony Coraggio

Q2: For those opposed to Enhanced Campaigns from the beginning, have you changed your mind or come around at all?

  • Still irritated about lack of control over tablets. Mobile is *fine*. Could be better. Become a big fan of bid modifiers though. – Michelle Morehouse
  • New features are nice, but that’s never been the problem. – Nate Knox
  • The improvements helped soften the blow, but tablet performance is still vastly different & mobile only targeting was nice. – Robert Brady
  • I’m still vehemently opposed to the things I don’t like. (device targeting) I’ve warmed up to some things I wasn’t sure about. – Lisa Sanner (@LisaSanner)
    • Agreed! the device targeting is a pain, but i’ve come around to bid modifiers. – Erin Sagin
  • Have to admit, I do miss separate mobile campaigns. So much easier to analyze data. – Theresa Zook
  • I think SEMs were just mad because they don’t like big surprises heh. I haven’t heard many disaster stories lately. – Larry Kim (@LarryKim)
    • I enjoy change & new challenges. I don’t like greed, monopolies or exploitation. There’s a difference. – Andrew McGarry
  • Bid modifiers have been ok. Not happy re lack of control over tablets and loss of mobile- or tablet-only campaigns. – Melissa Mackey
  • I’ve learned that greater control does not mean greater control just more complexity and tougher analysis. – Steve Cameron (@adventcom)
  • Tablet part may have been a bit preliminary, but reasons make sense – see Windows 8, Asus Taichi, Lenovo Helix etc. – Aaron Levy (@bigalittlea)
  • As mobility and device use are getting MORE important in marketing, the device targeting cuts are getting more frustrating. – Anthony Coraggio
  • EC improved G’s share price. They sold less control by calling it enhanced. Everyone bought into it. – Andrew McGarry
  • I do think Enhanced Campaigns have made BingAds management easier. – Matt Umbro
  • We were more concerned w/ the EC migration process. It was easier than expected. – Andrew Miller
  • It was a pain at first, but if it forces advertisers to create a better mobile user experience, that’s a good thing. – Rod
  • They are not horrible for all Tablet audiences. Some campaigns see positive results. – James Svoboda
  • After the dust settled, it hasn’t been radically different. Lots is still the same as far as day to day stuff. – Julie Bacchini (@NeptuneMoon)
  • Hi folks! Busy 2014. I wasn’t opposed to the features that were improvements. Still opposed to the other “features”. – Jeremy Brown (@JBGuru)
  • The extra features could have been installed without making it far easier for biz to overspend. – Andrew McGarry
  • It also helped to reengage clients, which is always a plus! – Erin Sagin
  • No, I still have tablet CPA’s $20 higher than they were and my margins cut in half. Haven’t recovered. – Heather Cooan
    • Bad tablet peformance (with no bid modifier!) is still a large issue (especially for Display). – Jeremy Brown
  • In UK, EC kicked in just after a core brand kw cpc price rise trend in my niche so it masked that too. – Andrew McGarry
  • ECs were difficult/annoying in the first couple of weeks but those who spend a lot of time in AWs got the hang of it. – Rich Griffin (@richgriffin_WS)
  • Against originally, but love ag sitelinks, more modifiers (geo/demo especially in GDN!), better contextual targeting. – Katy Tonkin (@katytonkin)
  • 1 of the hardest parts about things like this is explaining the need to spend more to update accts because of a platform change. – Julie Bacchini

Q3: How does employee training differ post EC vs. pre?

  • I think it’s harder, but that may be because still I’m relearning/retooling my own training program. – Melissa Mackey
  • I say “trust me” a lot more now. – Nate Knox
  • I’m not sure I ever got me up to speed on pre-EC campaign management. – Theresa Zook
  • There is more to train on. Different structures for Bing/Goog. More levers to pull in Adwords now. – Luke Alley (@LukeAlley)
  • Training new PPCers is harder now. Setting up new campaigns/accounts in EC adds complexity w/ bid modifiers. – Andrew Miller
  • The whole layering aspect with bid modifiers is tricky & easy spot for big mistakes. – Julie Bacchini
  • It’s gotten a little tougher, especially there’s a ton of outdated info on the web still. – Erin Sagin
  • Not as much fundamentals wise, but new EC setup and management have forced advertisers to drastically change thinking which in turn can potentially lead to training pitfalls between old and new method – think Moneyball. – Matt Umbro
  • We’re thinking in terms of Bid Modifiers – that’s been a big change. – Rob Watson (@robpwatson)
  • Keep it simple! EC allows you to over complicate. Don’t go nuts! Training is similar than before with some tweaks. – Rich Griffin
  • I spend a lot more time talking about CRO, how SEM fits in, & the relevance story. It’s all about the end user experience. – Katy Tonkin
  • Not much. Whether its EC or another new feature, anyone managing an AdWords account needs to be actively on top of developments. – Rod
  • Bid modifiers is the big new piece. – Jeremy Brown
  • I include a section on bid modifiers and why tablet and desktop are not actually the same. That’s about it. – Andrew Bethel (@AndrewPPC)
  • In my experience, tactical training can be taught, but the theory behind PPC has definitely evolved with EC. – Matt Umbro
  • Focus on teaching youngins more about target audience, messaging & context instead of “kw kw device device bid bid” – Aaron Levy
  • Training has become more complex in platforms such as Google &BING. Yet it should be a daily learning experience. – Diana Franco (@DeeGeekChic)
  • By trying to make it easy, workloads are enhanced for us control freaks. Efficiency in ppc mgmt is hurting but better results.

Q4: What feature(s) of Enhanced Campaigns haven’t impacted your management at all? Why?

  • Ad group level sitelinks…they don’t make sense with my account structure. – Heather Cooan
  • Sitelink descriptions – tried a bit, but no noticeable boost, especially when I discovered they only show on brand queries. – Timothy Jensen
  • Ad extension scheduling does nothing for me. – Matt Umbro
  • I use phone extension scheduling for when a business is closed. – Timothy Jensen
    • True, but I’d rather get the call. They are going to find your number somewhere and call. – Matt Umbro
  • Ad group level sitelinks. Nice enough idea, but haven’t needed them much at all. – Nate Knox
  • Ad group level extensions aren’t as useful if campaigns are already granular. Also, how about those Offer Extensions? – Andrew Miller
  • I love adgroup level sitelinks as multi-brand retailers rarely optimise them fully due to 1000s of brands they manage. – Andrew McGarry
  • Ad extension scheduling can be good for call extensions (i.e. – during business hours). – Jeremy Brown
  • Trying to not get distracted by new, shiny options. Keep things simple & effective, don’t do it just to do it. Must make sense. – Julie Bacchini
    • Agree, BUT have seen big dividends from new & shiny, especially with new Ad Extension/Ad Rank marriage. – Aaron Levy
  • Sitelink descriptions for non-brand. Have not seen 1 in the wild yet. Good for brand though. – Jeremy Brown

Q5: How have Enhanced Campaigns impacted your Bing Ads management?

  • Caused more work as I still remain device segmented on BingAds. – Heather Cooan
  • I run mobile & tablet only campaigns on Bing only. Otherwise not much impact. – Melissa Mackey
    • Yup, just have to use excel to import certain ad groups & kw’s. Instead of syncing. – Heather Cooan
  • Bing campaign import will never match 100% of features in EC, but still helpful. Actual mgt hasn’t changed much though. – Andrew Miller
  • Did you know that Bing mobile preferred ads will still show on desktop? – Matt Umbro
  • EC has increased time on Bing only because of the poor Import system. There’s always a lot of clean up work, especially in Geos. – Nate Knox
  • Using bid modifiers on Bing more often as a result. – Jeremy Brown
  • Oddly, it has made Bing Ads more separate in strategy, which has actually been an overall positive. – Julie Bacchini
  • We lead with Bing Ads for lower-budget clients now. – Melissa Mackey
  • Imports are definitely more time consuming, but location bid modifiers have made things a lot more streamlined. – Mori Yagi (@mori_kun)

Q6: What feature(s) of Enhanced Campaigns have proven valuable? Why?

  • Having everything in one place. Less campaigns = Less clutter = More Organization. – Ben Cohen (@Benjam2150)
  • Bid modifiers are nice. – Matt Umbro
  • Geo bid modifiers on radii have helped focus spend for localized campaigns. – Andrew Miller
  • May be drinking the Kool-Aid but for my SMB clients mobile bid adjustments are easier than separate campaigns. – Phil Kowalski (@PhilJKowalski)
  • Having everything in one big campaign! Such fun to battle my data to figure out which parts are (or are not) worth the spend! – Theresa Zook
    • Yup, I prefer data clarity & when you stack mods on top of each other how the eff can you see what you’re doing? – Heather Cooan
  • Bid modifiers. So much so that I want them for Tablets! Very useful for Geos and mobile. – Jeremy Brown
  • My hope is that EC is the intermediate step toward something better. It has potential, but also drawbacks. – Robert Brady
  • If there was a tablet modifier, I’d be much more positive about the whole thing. – Lisa Sanner
  • I will say the enhanced campaigns helped shift my mindset – I look at things much more nuanced now. Made some concepts “click”. – Jason Stinnett (@JasonStinnett)

Resources

More PPCChats

Don’t forget to stay tuned for the next #PPCchat on Tuesday at 12 noon Eastern, 9 am Pacific and 5pm in the UK. Same Chat time, same Chat channel.

Participants

Check out the PPCChat Twitter list to see and connect with all current and prior participants.

• Matt Umbro (@Matt_Umbro)
• James Svoboda (@Realicity)
• Paul Kragthorpe (@PaulKragthorpe)
• Aaron Levy (@bigalittlea)
• Andrew Bethel (@AndrewPPC)
• Andrew McGarry (@beyondcontent)
• Andrew Miller (@AndrewCMiller)
• Anthony Coraggio (@AnthonyCoraggio)
• Ben Cohen (@Benjam2150)
• Diana Franco (@DeeGeekChic)
• Erin Sagin (@erinsagin)
• Heather Cooan (@HeatherCooan)
• Jason Stinnett (@JasonStinnett)
• Jeff Loquist (@jmloquist)
• Jeremy Brown (@JBGuru)
• Julie Bacchini (@NeptuneMoon)
• Katy Tonkin (@katytonkin)
• Larry Kim (@LarryKim)
• Lisa Sanner (@LisaSanner)
• Luke Alley (@LukeAlley)
• Mark Kenndy (@markkennedysem)
• Melissa Mackey (@Mel66)
• Michelle Morehouse (@michellemsem)
• Mori Yagi (@mori_kun)
• Nate Knox (@nateknox)
• Phil Kowalski (@PhilJKowalski)
• Rich Griffin (@richgriffin_WS)
• Rob Watson (@robpwatson)
• Robert Brady (@robert_brady)
• Rod (@rodppc)
• Stephanie Cockerl (@StephCockerl)
• Steve Cameron (@adventcom)
• Theresa Zook (@I_Marketer)
• Timothy Jensen (@timothyjjensen)
 

Enhanced Streamcaps – 1 Year Later

This is a guest post by Paul Kragthorpe; WebRanking SEM Manager in Minneapolis, Minnesota, #PPCChat Streamcap Grabber, SEO Blog Author. Connect with me @PaulKragthorpe, and Google Plus.


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