EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AN SEM SPECIALIST
SAVE UP TO 70% PER MONTH BY HIRING A C9 STAFF SEM SPECIALIST
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Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1
What is an SEM Specialist?

CHAPTER 2
Why is an SEM Specialist Important?

CHAPTER 3
Important Skills and Traits of an SEM Specialist

CHAPTER 4
Where to Hire SEM Specialists?

CHAPTER 5
Hiring Considerations

CHAPTER 6
C9 Staff SEM Specialists
What is an SEM Specialist?
SEM means search engine marketing. This is a kind of paid marketing strategy that allows businesses to advertise themselves on search engine results pages (SERPs). In order to accomplish this, advertisers bid on keywords that search engine users might use when looking for good, products or services. When such a keyword is used, the advertiser has a chance to have his ad seen alongside the organic search results for the said keyword.

This sounds straight forward enough. However, what some advertisers fail to realize is that SEM allows them to put their service or product in front of potential customers who are already, more or less, on a buying mindset. Therefore, it’s not enough to just “get an ad out there”.
Ads used in SEM should be super-targeted and ultra-focused because, for the most part, these provide that final push to turn a mere potential customer into an actual paying one. Search engine marketing service providers in the Philippines understand this well enough that they’re among the most sought after in the world today.
Search engine marketing should be done hand in hand with SEO. While SEO is a powerful means to generate organic traffic, SEM is an effective strategy to make sure nothing is left on the table or slips through the cracks.
The biggest challenge in the work of an SEO Specialist is keeping up with search engines’ ever-changing algorithms. It is a daunting task that requires plenty of analysis and critical thinking.
Why is an SEM Specialist Important?
In marketing, optimum visibility results in greater traffic. And as we all know, high traffic, means high chances of conversion. An SEM Specialist facilitates this by making sure your ads are placed in front of highly motivated leads.
Look at it this way: SEO is your long-term plan while SEM is your short-term plan. While you’re waiting for your SEO to bear fruit, your SEM will be driving the conversions. As soon as your SEO starts getting results, your SEM will take a backseat but will still continue to generate conversions to supplement your SEO. Together, they can drive up to 70% of your online marketing.

Important Skills and Traits of an SEM Specialist
Above Average Analytical Skills – SEM requires a high analytical ability. An SEM Specialist needs to be able to effectively bid on keywords that will mete out the best results.
Effective Communication – he should be able to explain why he’s doing this and that for a page, and for what, especially when it comes.
Marketing and Advertising Skills – an SEM Specialist who can do their own keyword research and conceptualize ads that uses said keywords is definitely more valuable.
Critical Thinking – this is important because a good part of an SEM Specialist’s job is solving problems.
Ability to adapt quickly – an essential part of an SEM Specialist’s job is making changes and adjustments to running campaigns on the fly.
Being receptive to new things – SEM, just like any kind of marketing campaign, is dynamic and ever-changing. An SEM Specialist needs to have an endless supply of curiosity and desire to learn – not to mention patience and a thick skin.
Where To Find SEM Specialists
A common mistake for companies looking to hire an SEM Specialist is assuming that this is just the same as an SEO Specialist. While both are related, SEM is an entirely different ballgame from SEO.

The first thing you need to decide when deciding to hire an SEM Specialist is whether you want to hire local or a remote.
The advantages of hiring locally include:

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Ease of access and the ability to work with you personally – it’s always easier to work with someone face to face.
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Less cultural and social adjustment needed – you’re most probably living in the same city as your designer so you’re in the same time zone, speak the same language and share the same culture. This makes work so much smoother.
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Better team-building opportunities – being in the same place physically creates plenty of opportunity to train, collaborate, build rapport, and get feedback.
On the other hand, hiring local talent can have the following disadvantages:
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Specific skill sets can be harder to find – if you’re limited to a particular geographical area, finding a rockstar will be challenging.
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Overhead expenses – if you hire locally, you’ll be obligated to keep an office which means you have to pay rent, pay for supplies, pay for electricity and other utilities. If you already have an office, you’ll have to provide your new hire with a work space which translates to the same thing – increased overhead.
If you decide to hire a remote worker, you need to decide if you’re hiring a project-based SEM Specialist or a full-time one. In any case,
here are the advantages of hiring remotely

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Access to a global pool of talents – you’re not limited to who’s available in your city and what they know. Hiring remotely gives you access to talented SEM Specialists from different countries who may even charge relatively smaller fees than local recruits. This is true to both project-based freelancers and full-timers.
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Little to no overhead – most remote workers work from home so you don’t need to worry about providing them with work spaces. This is especially true for project-based freelancers. However, for full-time employees, you may be required to subsidize their internet connection, computer equipment etc. But these costs are still far less compared to local overhead expenses.
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Less contractual obligation – you can hire SEM Specialists on a per-project basis. If you like their work, continue to give them projects to work on. If you don’t, just don’t give them any more tasks to perform and that’s that.
On the other hand,
here are the disadvantages of hiring remote workers:
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Trial and error – you can’t really gauge the level of expertise, experience and even work ethic of the remote worker until you take a leap of faith and hire them. The good news is, if you don’t like their performance on the first project, you can just part ways right then and there.
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Time constraints – if you hire a remote web designer, particularly a freelancer, you need to understand right off the bat that you’re probably sharing him with several other clients (some paying more than you). That means your project is at the mercy of the freelancer’s workload. This may not be the case, though, with full-time remote employees.
That being said, here are a few places where you can find SEM Specialists online. Note that in some of these websites, you’ll have the option to hire either locally or remotely. It’s all up to you, your needs and your budget:

Fiverr (remote and local) – contractors already post their services and their fees upfront. However, there’s still room for negotiation once you’ve touched base with a contractor. This is your best choice for one-off projects.


C9 Staff (remote) – specializes in providing remote staffing services from the Philippines, including search engine marketing service. It is considered a concierge service where you don’t simply hire an SEM Specialist (or any other kind of remote worker for that matter), you hire an SEM Specialist with an entire management service behind him to keep him accountable and always on his toes. This is ideal for people looking to hire the best and expecting to get the best while keeping costs relatively competitive.

Hiring Considerations
When looking to hire SEM Specialists, whether it be local or remote, there are a few important considerations you have to keep in mind.
Do you already have an SEM campaign running that you want to boost? Or is this your first venture into SEM? Do you already have a team in place such as a copywriter, a media buyer, an SEO Specialist and you just need a kickass SEM Specialist to complete it? Or are you planning to build a team around your SEM Specialist?
Is it going to be a one-off project or do you have a series of projects in your pipeline?


Finally, how much do you have to spend? Do you have just enough for a one-off deal? Is your pocket deep enough for a part-time or even a full-time recruit? Are you ready to spend good money on a senior-level SEM Specialist salary or is your budget pointing towards a mid-level one?
Why C9 Staff SEM Specialists Rock
Here at C9 Staff, we have SEM Specialists in all levels of proficiency. Whether you need mid-level specialists (with 1-3 years experience) or senior level specialists (with 4 years experience or more), we have one that fits your needs. In fact, we provide the best search engine marketing service in the Philippines.
