I'd imagine most people here make seperate bids for the content network. I was just wondering how most of you came up with your starting bids for the content network compared to your bids for the search network? Do you start out at 50% of your search network bids or something along those lines?
i start lower than that and see if my low bids will trigger my ads on sites. If the ads aren't triggered then i raise the bid a little, if they still aren't working then i raise it a little more, and so on.... this has proven to be a successful way of managing my adwords content bids. Also once i find a site that converts into sales i begin a site targeted campaign on that site with my CPM banners hope this helps!
I start with the same bids as the search network, then adjust according to the difference that I see in the conversion rate (if conversion rate is halved, then halve the cost per click to get the same cost per conversion). I then refine it over time as I get a better idea of the conversion rates in different Adgroups.
For the beginners like me, it is advisable to disable content network initially. The point is, if you are looking for branding your product, this is the way to go, otherwise..........stay away from this.