No matter the scale of your business or the industry you operate in, it’s worth being on the lookout for new ways to market your brand. Pay-per-click (PPC) represents one of the most popular and lucrative ways to make the most out of your content and engage new and existing audiences online.
According to published statistics, 79% of businesses stated that PPC is a huge driver for their companies, with over 80% of marketers allocating their budgets toward search, social and remarketing ads among others.
Pay-per-click can be a powerful advertisement tool at your disposal if you combine it with the right content marketing strategy. To that end, let’s take a look at several steps and guidelines which will help you integrate PPC into your content calendar for higher engagement rates and revenue.
Segment your Audience
Depending on the type of business you conduct online and whether you work with B2C, B2B or both types of stakeholders, you should start by segmenting your audience. While some stakeholders prefer using social media channels such as Facebook or Twitter, others prefer blogs, eCommerce storefronts or online discussion forums.
Knowing which channels to target with PPC advertisement will allow you to better craft your content to suit those needs. It’s worth noting that you can retrofit the same content for different platforms with editing tools such as Hemingway or Supreme Dissertations.
Social media, for example, emphasizes short-form content while articles or blog posts require more time to go through, thus allowing for more detailed PPC content. Once you know who your target audience is for the upcoming content marketing cycle, it will be far easier to implement PPC into the fold.
Create a PPC Plan
Content plans can help you differentiate content types, messages as well as the look and feel of your marketing pieces. This will allow you to cater to different audiences during the same marketing campaign as well as avoid coming off as spam or obnoxious after several viewings.
It’s good practice to rely on a professional PPC management platform and Google Ads in order to provide a constant stream of fresh content for your global audience. Once your content plan is in place, you will have a much easier time creating relevant PPC content which will encourage users to click and engage with your services.
SEO Research is a Must
Even though PPC will help you reach high search engine ranking and assist you in reaching more stakeholders, SEO can still be a valuable asset. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in terms of PPC can help you in terms of crafting keyword-optimized headings and Meta descriptions.
This strategy will add additional optimization and give your content a professional look, further making good use of your PPC budget.
It’s important to use every tool at your disposal to stand out from the competition who will undoubtedly also implement PPC tactics in their marketing efforts. Add an extra layer of SEO on top of the content you create in your marketing strategy and your incoming traffic will grow as a result.
High-Quality Content Matters
Even though PPC can bring traffic to your doorstep, you still need to engage your audience enough to make them convert. To do this, you should provide your visitors with high-quality reliable content above all else.
Make sure to brand your content with industry-specific keywords, product placement, internal links and most importantly – original and trustworthy information. You should make it a habit to follow industry-related news sites, social media pages and industry leaders for information about trends, happenings, and breakthroughs.
Stay ahead of the curve and be informed about the latest things happening in your niche. That way, your PPC links will add tangible value to your visitors, adding to your content marketing efforts.
Integrate Calls to Action
Calls to action are a tried-and-tested marketing tool which can be integrated into PPC advertisement quite seamlessly. CTAs can be used in written content, blog posts, and Meta descriptions just as they can be found in visual advertisement content such as banners or popups.
You can write your headings and Metadata in a way that “hooks” the reader into clicking on the link and visiting your website as a result. This can be done in several ways, most importantly by raising interesting and relevant questions related to the subject of your content.
Don’t provide final information or answers to your target audience in the PPC-promoted content. Instead, offer a glimpse of what they can find out if they follow the link and visit your website. Also, don’t resort to “click bait” titles which trick viewers into clicking on a link only to find misinformation or inconclusive data. Find a healthy balance of sales speech and marketing lingo and your PPC budget will pay itself off quite easily.
Provide a Professional Follow-Up
Lastly, the best way to maintain your credibility as a company with an online presence is to follow up on your PPC advertisement. If you promote eCommerce store discounts and product sales, make sure that those sales are ready and waiting once potential customers come knocking.
The same goes for industry news, reports, research and any form of information related to a non-discussion format. Blog posts and opinion pieces are open to debate in terms of validity and long-term value since they represent personal opinions of a writer or an industry expert.
However, products, services and any form of corporate interaction advertised in PPC ads should be true to what is advertised. Failing to provide that level of quality to your audience will soon make your PPC efforts lose value and credibility.
In Summary
Pay-per-click advertisement is a worthy tool, but a tool nonetheless. Make sure to back up your marketing efforts with content relevant to your stakeholders and long-term company goals. Merge PPC and your content marketing in a smart way and you will reap the full extent of what paid advertisement has to offer on Google and other search engines.