SEM Geek Out - Trada

Ok, so I'm totally geeking out over this new site Trada.  It's just such a great idea, and so simple.  There are probably thousands of search marketers out there wishing they would have thought of this.  Here's how it works according to their site:

Advertisers create a new Paid Search campaign in Trada

Advertisers create a new campaign with some basic information about the company and the product/service that is being sold, and establish the parameters for the campaign like daily budget, maximum cost per click, the ad networks to advertise on, target cost per conversion, etc.

PPC Experts in the Trada Marketplace join the campaign

PPC Experts are alerted to the new campaign and decide if they’d like to work on it. If they join the campaign, they begin generating ad groups, keywords and ads.

Ads begin running on the Google, Yahoo and Bing ad networks

Trada gathers the ad groups, keywords and ads created by PPC Experts for the campaign and sends them to the Google/Yahoo/Bing accounts we’ve created for the campaign, where it begins running. After the campaign launches the Advertiser has the ability to review all of these keywords and ads to make sure they accurately represent the business and objectives.

Clicks and conversions are generated; PPC Experts earn money

If PPC Experts generate clicks or conversions for less than the stated click or conversion price, they keep the difference between what the Advertiser was willing to pay for the click/conversion and what it actually cost to generate it.

According to the article on Mashable, Trada has been privately running in beta since January 2009.  Needless to say, I've signed up as a PPC Expert.  Sign-up process is easy so far - provide your info and Linkedin URL, then take a short search quiz.  They evaluate the application and then let you know in a few days if you're in.  The best part about this is there's no commitment.  You can pick and choose if you want to work on the campaign.  As an advanced SEM - this is what I've been waiting for.  It's not even about earning some extra cash for me.  It's about being able to work on random unique opportunities that you might not get in your current position.  This is the perfect way for an SEM to stay well rounded.  I really hope this takes off - it's an awesome idea, but will only be as good as the marketplace.  Adoption is key for this one.

Comments

[Desirea]

It's really funny how excited I was about this when it was first announced, but I never actually ended up adopting it. I signed up, and was part of the first group of PPC managers in the system, but there were so many rules and regulations about what keywords you could and could not bid on, that it almost seemed pointless. This isn't Trada's fault - it was the advertisers that were first in the system. They are permitted to dictate the rules of their PPC campaign, and like with most clients, some were just too involved. I still love the concept of this though. I think there should be a B2B model of PPC contractors that big agencies can tap into to do supplemental work on their major accounts. Then people would get to work on major brands like Nike, Chrysler, Coca Cola, etc. If someone reads this and decides to do this, I don't need royalties - just a shout out will make me happy :-).