June 21, 2024 - Meet Megan Murphy, Melon Local’s Senior Director of Paid Search — or as our paid search team affectionately refers to her, “Fearless Leader.”
Despite starting off as a Client Success Manager (a role in which she also excelled), Megan’s real passion was in driving change for our clients behind the scenes.
Upon joining our paid search department, it didn’t take long for her to establish her fearless persona and earn her senior director role for her ability to easily adapt to industry changes, all the while delivering results for our clients.
While our paid search aims for a 30 percent conversion rate on all our ads, many clients have achieved much higher rates under Megan’s leadership.
We caught up with Megan to learn more about how she’s built a strong team, what makes a paid search campaign successful and her thoughts on the future of the industry.
Melon Local: As a leader, how do you foster innovation and collaboration within your team?
Megan Murphy: The success of my department is a result of the collaboration and ideas contributed by its members. We’ve built strong relationships where we provide constructive feedback and support, such as pointing out areas for improvement or sharing knowledge.
I regularly ask my team questions about patterns they notice, challenges they face, as well as fun, non-work related stuff to make everyone feel involved in our processes and department growth.
Assigning responsibilities ensures everyone knows they are making a difference and are essential to our team’s success. I always give credit to the individuals who contribute ideas or complete tasks.
Melon Local: What are the key components of a successful paid search campaign?
Megan: Understanding the 5 W’s — who, what, when, where and why — is crucial as it guides all levels of targeting. For instance, if your “who” is people looking for car insurance, you wouldn’t create the same campaign as one that was made for people looking for life insurance. Similarly, if the goal is to get quote starts, the strategy will differ from a branding-focused campaign.
Fully utilizing all Google features is also essential — the more information you provide, the more Google rewards you. And remember, there should always be base expectations set for potential budgets since a $300 budget won’t achieve the same results as a $3,000 budget.
Melon Local: What are some common mistakes you see in paid search campaigns, and how can they be avoided?
Megan: Common mistakes include a lack of understanding of goals, quality issues and balancing Google’s requirements with client expectations. Changing too many components of a campaign at once or too quickly can also be problematic, as it becomes difficult to identify what is or isn’t working.
Melon Local: What are your thoughts on the future of paid search?
Megan: I’m excited about integrating new technologies into our processes to improve efficiency. Navigating new legal rulings, ad platform policies and corporate compliance guidelines is another area of interest as we strive to provide top-notch services.
And of course, let’s not forget about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). While I believe AI is amazing, I also see it as a double-edged sword. It can be a powerful tool when used properly, but it’s just that: a tool, not a solution.
You still need to have a team that uses critical thinking skills hand in hand. That’s why we always strive for the perfect equilibrium between Melon intelligence and artificial intelligence in all our paid search campaigns.
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