Is your business utilizing pay-per-click (PPC) marketing?
If not, you should consider it. According to research from Tech Jury, the return on investment for the average PPC campaign is 200 percent, and a PPC ad can increase brand awareness by 80 percent. Need more proof? PPC generates twice the number of visitors as search engine optimization alone.
How can you integrate PPC into your marketing strategy, and what does it look like long term? We break down everything you need to know below.
Target Customers at Every Stage
PPC campaigns are a great way to target customers at every point in the customer journey. Below, we break down the customer journey at every phase and how PPC campaigns can help you drive sales:
- Top of funnel campaigns: customers at the top of the sales funnel aren’t aware of your business. A PPC campaign that uses targeted keywords is a great way to introduce new customers to your business, as are social media ads. Something to note, though – your customers won’t be using branded keywords, so be sure to tailor your campaigns accordingly.
- Middle of funnel campaigns: these customers know the problem and may know that your business offers a solution. They may have even visited your website! In this instance, the goal of a PPC campaign is to continue presenting your business to the consumer. This situation is where remarketing can shine – showing your brand to users who have visited your website as they navigate the web.
- Bottom of funnel campaigns: a customer at the bottom of the funnel knows their problem, has conducted research to try to find a solution and is ready to make a choice. These customers will be making choices, so branded keyword ads, high intent ads, and cart remarketing are all integral.
Tracking your customers at every stage of the process is an integral part of a PPC campaign. Watching this data can help you see how your customers behave – and how those behaviors change over time.
Increasing Touchpoints
In every buyer’s journey, they’ll have multiple ‘touchpoints’ with the brand they eventually choose. Of course, the number of touchpoints required for a customer to make a sale is different for each customer journey, but it requires more than you think for many customers. According to the sales experts at True List, the average customer takes eight touchpoints before they purchase a project or service, and 60 percent of customers say ‘no’ or ‘not now’ four times before saying ‘yes’.
One of the many benefits of a PPC campaign is that it increases the number of touchpoints your customer has with your business ahead of a purchase, especially if you choose a retargeting or a social media campaign. When you have a PPC campaign working for you in this way, more touchpoints mean more customers (and a faster conversion time).
Increased Customer Understanding and Agility
As the PPC experts at 10x digital say, “PPC is not a ‘set it and forget it’ marketing tactic. Most campaigns require almost daily monitoring and optimization.” What does this mean for your long-term marketing strategy? First, it means that the decision to use PPC campaigns is inherently a long-term choice for best results. However, it also means that you’ll need to adjust your strategy to account for these changes. Before you panic, remember that the agility and adaptability of PPC campaigns is a good thing! If 2020 taught us anything, customer needs and demands could change on a dime – McKinsey released a consumer report in 2021 demonstrating just this. What drives a customer to your business could change overnight, and it’s essential to keep an eye on the pulse of your consumer base. So, what should you look out for in the long term?
- Keywords: over time, the phrases your customers use to search for your business may change. It’s essential to optimize campaigns frequently.
- AdWords: Google’s advertising software updates and changes regularly. Keeping on top of these changes could radically affect how you target and convert customers.
- Retargeting campaigns: not all retargeting campaigns are created equal, and in 10x digital’s experience, these campaigns can be most complicated to manage.
The best part about these changes? All of these metrics are very easy to track and change.
PPC campaigns are a valuable part of your marketing strategy. As your customer base and business change, they’re a tool that will continue to grow and adapt – a crucial part of any marketer’s arsenal.
