Google AdWords is the industry standard for PPC marketing. For the virtue of your ads showing up on Google’s own products like YouTube and Gmail alone, it’s an enormous trove of potential business. And when your business can pop up on millions of sites and reach over 90% of internet users, it’s hard to imagine what your options are if, for example, you’re suddenly banned by the site, or you simply want to use another method.
If that’s the case, you have to get a little creative — and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. These strategies can be used by anyone looking to optimize their PPC marketing strategy, whether or not you’re relying on Google.
Use Alternative Ad Networks
AdWords may be standard, but there are other options out there. Even if your industry doesn’t fall under the purview of restricted sectors, there are plenty of valid reasons to expand your online advertising platform considerations. You can find lower cost per click (CPC) rates, expand your reach or even narrow your reach if that’s your goal. It’s possible to get too many clicks in AdWords if the clicks are low in quality. The broader your industry, the higher your chances of low conversion rates but high costs. The more specific your niche, the more likely it is that fewer clicks will lead to higher conversion rates.
The point is that PPC is a marketing technique that requires consistent, near-constant optimization. By diving into Bing Ads, for example, you unlock a huge network of users who don’t have much Google crossover, meaning the only way you can attract them is through the Bing Ads network. Facebook’s ad network extends to Instagram, and Amazon is a popular place for marketing an e-commerce business.
Focus More On SEO And Your Reputation
Another option is to put more resources into your SEO strategy. Sites with exceptional SEO, whose content is so good that it ranks in the top three results in Google, can only be outranked through the AdWords network. And websites that didn’t have to pay in order for users to find them are inherently more trustworthy and clickable than those with a green [AD] marker next to its result.
For example, if you search “title loans near me” in Google, you’ll be shown companies with content that matches those keywords that are in your region and have a good number of reviews and visitors. If you’re restricted from AdWords or otherwise not using it, you’re cut out from the competition. But if you share an industry that’s been restricted by Google? In that case, you’re all in the same position. In the end, it’s the company that outranks the competition organically that wins out.
Use Email Campaigns And Influencer Marketing
You know what falls outside of Google and Facebook marketing? You guessed it: email campaigns and influencer networks.
For email marketing, look into Mailchimp or a similar service to create a list of leads and to build a subscriber base. You can also use email marketing to reach out to your existing customers to leave you a review, which will improve your SEO. For influencer marketing, there are plenty of networks that host a huge number of niches and a range of outreach levels. It’s also worthwhile to search for the highest-ranking resource sites in your industry and see if they have their own ad networks. Affiliate marketers are a great way to get people to your business, and the visitors trust you easily because of your relationship with the influencer.
Diversify Your Offerings
If you advertise “technical support by third-party providers,” there’s a good chance you’ll be banned, or at least restricted, by Google. But, if you create a richly valuable blog with trustworthy troubleshooting tips, you can pay to promote those articles on Facebook and Instagram, which could draw people to your website and help you attract customers to your technical support service.
Google AdWords may be the dominant force when it comes to digital marketing, but it’s very possible to perform highly successful online campaigns without it. It just takes some time, creativity and the willingness to explore every alternative platform at your disposal. Instead of feeling like the end of the world, it’ll feel like a new beginning in no time.