There are many engagement models that one can choose to grow their business online. Search engine optimization, content and social media marketing are widely deployed practices in this digital age. The objective of every other marketing strategy is to work on relevant insights and audience that is identifiable for the desired products/services. Some free marketing strategies offered by the likes of SEO companies are effective but may take a little longer than usual to cement connection with the target audience whereas going for paid marketing campaigns is no brainer for those who like to get results in a short span of time.
In this blog, we will focus on one of the forms of paid digital marketing that is PPC (pay-per-click) advertising. Websites, search engines, and platforms like Facebook and Instagram drive user engagement by PPC advertising. PPC can be discerned into ads that help drive traffic and ads that help build brand awareness. Demands are high for such types of ads that generate leads and boost user engagement. In PPC advertising, marketers pay a network when a user has taken an action based on the type of ad shown to the latter.
3 places advertisers are using PPC to boost marketing online and how you can optimize it for your market.
#1 Social PPC
One form of PPC services is social pay per click that focuses on advertising efforts on social media platforms. One can target ads based on the user’s demographics, behavior, and relevant interests based on platform type. Social PPC ads tend to appear in a user’s timeline or feed. Advertisers could either opt for a cost per thousand impressions (CPM) or cost per click (CPC) to gain leverage on the target audience.
Displaying your ads on the likes of Facebook, Instagram and YouTube does not go unnoticed and has the potential to drive user engagement. Before commencing with your ad type, take a look at the underlying principles that make social media ads as front runners of digital marketing. There is no golden rule for how ads will work for a particular market and audience but if you have done good enough homework on your target audience and competitors then spending more would not be a gamble for the long run. PPC is considered as an advanced form of paid marketing where the stakes are high and the returns equally rewarding.
Facebook asks for $1.72 for every click on ads across industry verticals whereas $6.70 per 1000 impression is Instagram’s average cost to engage with end-users. The average rate to promote one’s tweet on twitter is $1.35 and to reach 100k viewers on Youtube, the average cost is $20k which is close to $.10-$.30 cost per view.
Keep tabs on the ads you are deploying, landing pages where you have sent your ads to and your target market. Going PPC will not only scale your brand in the existing time but will also pave the way for future campaign efforts.
#2 Search Engine
Be it Google, Yahoo or Bing – businesses cannot choose but must spend willingly to increase their chances to reach the audience of their type. One not only has to use AdWords but also needs to find a viable ad that meets demands based on requirements. Google charges more than other search engines for the simple fact that it has a wider user base.
Startups and businesses who like to take low risks have the option to commence their campaigns on the likes of Yahoo and Bing where the pay per click cost is lower than Google. This will help them better understand the nuances of online marketing and will help them focus solely on their campaigns and how they can take it to the next level. In any paid marketing, there is no guaranteed success so it’s better to kick off your campaigns with fewer stakes and slowly move towards the ladder whilst understanding the market, capital, and audience at the same time.
#3 Launching A Campaign
All successful Adword campaigns begin with robust research. Before you commence with your campaigns ask questions and dig deep into what your audience needs and expects from your products or services. What they have been looking for and what you will provide them with.
Insert keywords relevant to the market and your campaign will be ready to kick off in no time. If the phrases are not matching with what your audience is looking for, then your campaign will be of no avail. Therefore, prioritize keywords to not overshoot your budget indefinitely. Once you have your budget on hand, start working backward. Map out your ideal objective highlighting the expected conversion rate divided into a number of campaigns you’ll be targeting. For e.g. in campaign 1, your objective is to convert 5-10% of your total audience into leads. Then in subsequent campaigns, you can tweak the target depending on the target achieved in the finished campaign.
Once your keywords are finalized, make an ad copy that speaks volumes about your product/services in one go. It should be enticing for end-users to know more about what you have to offer. Craft engaging content with quality headlines, descriptions and display. Make your copy valuable and believable which centers around your USP. A successful campaign is not finished without a powerful call to action, enhanced ad extensions and compelling landing pages. Luck will be on your side with a little bit of hard work and a clear strategy that enables you to be one step ahead of your competitors.
Conclusion
For skilled advertisers, the work does not end by simply deploying PPC campaigns on social media platforms. One has to monitor the performance of ad variations and ad groups on the basis of data collected by analytical tools. Once advertisers have robust data in their hands, they have the option to tweak strategies in real-time by adjusting the keywords in real-time. The optimization process only gets better after the campaigns have begun. New keywords and ads can be added, modified, replaced and tweaked based on target audience data. Sometimes even a qualified and experienced advertiser finds obstacles running PPC campaigns. There can be few hits and misses considering user behavior and competition but there is no doubt that one has the potential to 10X their business with PPC ad campaigns.