How Did I Get Started Learning Performance Marketing?

Hey, Ceyda’s here! In my first blog post, I decided to write about my journey to Digital Marketing and the Performance Marketing world. Hope this writing can be a guide for those who don’t know where to start!
Some may wonder how come I want to become a Performance Marketer or even choose Digital Marketing as my future career. When I didn’t know anything about it.
I am a senior Industrial Engineering student and I always thought that I wanted to be a Production Engineer who works in factories. After a few internship experiences and doing the same things every day while having just one question in mind, What is today’s lunch? made me feel bored and tired quickly. Then I decided that a more dynamic and quieter job is what I needed. Joking aside but digital was the thing I found dynamic and renewable which excites me. After realizing I quickly got into some E-commerce programs and found out Digital Marketing is something I must try for myself!This is where my journey with BoostROAS begins. As a part of my internship process or better, DMT-SP process I had to deep dive into Digital Marketing as a Performance Marketing Intern and start the learning process.

My Steps for learning PPC

First of all, I started learning PPC with Google, which is an excellent learning partner.
I have completed the certificates given by Google Skillshop, where you can learn the techniques and metrics that will form the basis of performance marketing and Google Ads. 
Google Ads certifications helped me build a general knowledge about all campaign types and essentials. Google Search certification taught me keywords, matching types, ad texts and extensions, audiences, and bidding strategies. In Google Display certification I learned how important it is to serve the right creatives to impress and catch the audience. 
Google Measurement certificate was definitely not easy but beneficial. It helped me to recognize the metrics and the basics of measuring and evaluating Google Ads performances. And also Shopping, Video, and App certifications helped me to learn the various types of campaigns.

Even though Google is really helpful, it is not always ideally enough for someone who is just learning. So I researched tons of websites to really understand every edge. In this research process, Our PPC team’s Playbook (A bunch of PPC Knowhow) was a lifesaver for me.

After having an idea about the basics, I had a chance to experience most of the things I read and researched. Operations started as Keyword Analysis and Extension Research and continued with brand-level optimization operations within 3 months.
Learning Social Ads seemed easier than Google Ads, the key here was to explore. Interfaces are really easy on Facebook, Twitter, etc. After a while, Facebook became a very exciting playground for me which I felt close to using social media. When exploring, I tested and saw the importance of creatives, ad copies, and the audiences on the whole campaign performances.

Even though I learned about Facebook by trial and error, Facebook Blueprint Courses are helpful for getting to know Business Manager and Facebook Ads.

Besides all the certificates, videos, and research I improved myself with the Best Practices which I found really helpful.

Best Practices I Used While Learning PPC

• Take lots of notes on digital or not. You will need to turn back and check those notes and remind yourself from the scratch.
• Take videos while you are doing an operation. To remember all the details. Visual notes are the best!
• Don’t underestimate the power of knowledge. How much you research is how much the information you got sticks in your memory.
• Make sure you got your lead on the websites that you researched and like what you read. Subscriptions to the weekly newsletter are an important hint. It will help you keep up with learning.
• Youtube videos make everything easier. As a student, I know that when we are limited in time and quickly want the information we need to learn Youtube videos are perfect. You can find any kind of PPC or Digital Marketing related info in videos. Also even if you don’t have a chance to observe a brand’s campaigns’ performances Youtube videos offer comparisons and observations of sample accounts of video owners.
• Use demo plans to understand the basics and try things you’ve learned. Google Analytics has a very good demo option for first-timers which you can understand and observe the basics of performance analysis of a sample brand data.
• Make continuous learning a part of your life. Even though you think you are ready, don’t ever stop researching because digital is growing and glowing day by day. 🙂 

However, the learning process is complicated enough BoostROAS culture made everything easier for me. All the tools we use helped me to organize and set myself up for learning. So here’s why I’d like to share some of the best essentials we use in BoostROAS.

How to set yourself for the learning process: Asana, time tracking, and discipline,15five and OKRs

While remembering these practices, learning in mind is the real deal here. I’d like to introduce you to the best trio helping me on my journey; Asana for the project tracking, Clockify for time tracking, and 15five for reviewing your actions.

Goal determining, planning, tracking, and reviewing is the most important part of a learning journey which helps you to be more organized and learn continuously. From beginning to the end of the learning process I tracked and planned my daily/ weekly actions while using the structure in Asana and explained the tasks I should learn or complete in several steps. I feel successful as I completed the steps and eventually the tasks. 

Clockify was also there for me in the time management area. It might not be very easy to keep track of time when you are new to something. Completing a task might take hours and hours of your time. But when you compare how much time you need to spend and how much you actually spend makes you aware of what you do. Having that awareness has positive effects on time management and motivation.

I personally think that being aware of what you’ve learned, what are your plans or needs are really important. As a quick review tool, we use 15five while answering those questions about self-development, plans, and learnings.

Last but not least, keeping your GOAL’s straight is the key here. Learning journey might be hard and might have ups and downs but when you are clear with your goals this road always leads you to the bright end. Determining my OKRs, in the beginning, motivated me and reminded me why I am doing this and what I will achieve!

Planning every step of the way

Last and least Project Planning! As a part of the discipline of learning new things, planning ahead is essential here. PPC is not all about setting up campaigns, looking after the budget, and hoping for the best results. Data is the one that makes it all meaningful. While completing a task, for instance after activating campaigns in Social or Google Ads, keeping track of the performance data and exploring the changes once in a while made me understand the metrics and their effects better. 

After my Mentor, Esra taught me this method I started to create follow-ups for all the tasks I’ve completed which helped me strengthen my analysis skills.

Talking about analysis skills and insights it won’t be cool if I don’t mention Heybooster tool which is the building block for me while learning metrics, analysis, and interpretation while checking the insights created by AI according to brands marketing data.

Besides all, I need to take a bow and mention the importance of teamwork in the learning phase. I had the chance to prepare presentations for my teammates about what I’ve learned or what I’ve researched and discovered. Which made me reinforce what I’ve learned and filled out my deficiencies. Thanks to the best PPC team ever!

Even though I write this article as I am finished learning, it is just starting! I am excited by the dynamism of digital marketing and love that there is always something to learn to catch this dynamism. I cannot wait to learn new strategies and experience new platforms and tools.

Hope to meet here with better PPC content!