Is Bidding on Your Brand Keywords a Good Idea for Member Recruitment?
In the realm of PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, the question often arises: “Should we bid on our own brand keywords?” It can feel counterintuitive—why spend money to reach people who are already searching for your organisation? However, for membership organisations, this approach isn’t just strategic—it’s essential.
Protecting Your Brand from Competitors
Membership organisations face unique challenges in maintaining their visibility and authority. Competitors, including alternative associations or even commercial entities, may bid on your organisation’s name. Their goal? To redirect potential members or stakeholders to their offerings, often presenting a diluted or misleading version of what you stand for.
By bidding on your own brand keywords, you ensure your organisation stays front and centre in search results. Instead of allowing competitors to control the narrative, you reclaim your digital turf. This not only prevents loss of traffic but reinforces trust, ensuring prospective and current members land on the correct page with accurate, relevant information.
Boosting Visibility and Authority
Brand keyword campaigns don’t just secure visibility—they provide critical data that membership organisations can use to refine their strategies.
- Search Trends: Monitor search volume for your organisation’s name or associated services. This can reveal spikes in interest for particular solutions, events, or initiatives.
- Competitor Analysis: Are rivals bidding on your brand? What messaging are they using? This data equips you to counter their efforts with sharper campaigns and more compelling value propositions.
This level of insight helps you stay proactive, anticipating changes in member expectations and adjusting your offerings to meet demand.
Shaping the Narrative
Membership organisations often face the challenge of articulating their unique value proposition in crowded markets. Brand ads provide a platform to:
- Highlight exclusive member benefits, certifications, or resources.
- Promote upcoming events, training opportunities, or special offers.
- Address concerns, such as negative reviews or misconceptions, with clear, authoritative messaging.
By owning the conversation, you not only attract new members but also retain existing ones by reinforcing the value of membership and addressing their pain points directly.
The Bottom Line
For membership organisations, bidding on brand keywords isn’t a waste of resources—it’s a vital strategy to maintain authority, protect your reputation, and stay ahead of competitors. By securing visibility, leveraging data insights, and shaping your digital narrative, you ensure your organisation remains the go-to destination for members, stakeholders, and partners alike.
When it comes to safeguarding and growing your membership, investing in your brand is always money well spent.
Warning…data is also used by leadership as a bat to beat us with when it comes to marketing activity and spend, but that is a whole different post!
Improve your membership acquisition
If you want to build a marketing strategy that has these fundamentals right, why not speak to us? We’ll help you take the first step on the Member Growth Framework to help build your strategy.
