Job Description

We are looking for a passionate, collaborative, forward-thinking SEM Specialist to join us as we grow and thrive in the next stage of our evolution.

The primary responsibility of the SEM Specialist will be SEM account management, including account setup and QA, optimization and maintenance. The SEM Specialist will independently report on, analyze, and optimize campaigns on a daily basis to maintain and grow account performance. In addition, the SEM Specialist will create and launch PPC (pay per click) campaigns, keywords and ads with varied goals and objectives through Google AdWords, Bing Ads, Yahoo Gemini and Google DoubleClick Search platforms.

This position is based in Chicago and reports to the Senior Manager, Acquisition Marketing.

This role touches on all aspects of the search marketing roadmap including keyword management, creation of campaign messaging, bidding strategies, creative testing, and analytics.The ideal candidate must possess a keen understanding of the online space with B2C experience and a strong background in pay-per-click (PPC) management, strong analytical skills with an inherent ability to find trends by analyzing large data sets, and superb organizational skills.

Responsibilities include:

• Manage the day-to-day search marketing activities across multiple search engines including the campaign planning, implementation, budget management, performance review, and optimization of paid search campaigns.
• Keyword research (discovery and expansion), review and editing of creative copy (titles and descriptions), review and analysis of website performance metrics, and optimization of campaigns.
• Grow and optimize the keyword portfolio through testing with ad copy, landing pages, bidding strategies, day-parting, etc.
• Identify and report on key performance indicators, and opportunities for improvement on a regular basis.
• Stay current with new advances in search engine marketing/optimization and the competitive landscape.
• Be proactive in looking for expansion/optimization opportunities on a daily basis including audience development and segmentation for optimal performance.

This role requires someone who thrives on finding ways to constantly improve the programs by looking for new ways to enhance performance.

Required Skills

• Strong analytical skills with ability to drive meaningful actions from large data sets
• Experience in writing simple scripts and work with database queries
• Exceptional copy writing and editorial skills
• Proficiency in MS Office - especially Excel (vlookups and pivot tables are a must) and PowerPoint
• Fundamental knowledge and experience with web analytical tools and interfaces (i.e. Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics) is preferred
• SEO, display advertising, social/native PPC, email marketing experience a plus
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment
• An organized individual with great attention to detail and focus on quality of results
• A self-motivated individual who can work independently or as part of a team

Required Experience

• Bachelor's Degree required; Marketing Degree preferred
• 3-5 years of relevant experience managing paid search programs for well-established online websites
• Experience in driving leads/sales for websites with large inventory/listings
• Hands-on knowledge of best practices in SEM and a proven track-record of delivering qualified traffic from both an acquisition and conversion standpoint.
• Strong technical skills highly desired, with experience writing queries in SQL and/or Python extremely helpful