Drawing people to your business, in an ever-growing market, is becoming more critical than ever. And one sure-fire route to getting you front and centre in front of your customer is through PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising. This model of internet marketing is a way of buying visits to your site, by paying a fee per click on your ad, rather than gaining those clicks organically through SEO optimisation.
PPC advertising is a valuable way to drive relevant leads to your business. 64.6% of consumers click on Google Ads when they shop online, so by implementing this effective digital marketing tool; you are providing your business with almost instant leads, traffic and customers.
For your Pay-Per-Click advertising to be successful, you must approach it in the right way, as it can be either extraordinarily profitable or a waste of time (and money). You must first choose which type of PPC ad is relevant to how your potential customers search and shop. After this, you need to make sure what you are putting in your advertising is eye-catching, informative, and appealing enough to gain a click from a potential customer.
There are 8 PPC ad types you can use, so you can ensure you are targeting your potential customers most appropriately:
Search ads are, exactly what they say on the tin. They appear at the top and bottom of the Google Search Results Pages (SERPs). You can easily recognise these from actual organic results because you will see these ads tagged with the word ‘ad’, which indicated paid content. There are no visuals; it’s just text-based.
An effective search ad relies on choosing the most relevant keywords to use in your ad copy. Keywords trigger your ad to appear in search results, so it is essential to get these right. Long-tailed keywords (specific, detailed search queries) can work well for search ads, as long as they don’t have high competition rates, as they are not as expensive and demonstrate a higher conversion rate because your content is more tailored to the search term. However, it’s vital to check competition, as going for more specific terms with low volume can waste your money if your competitors are doing the same.
After you have chosen your keywords, you can then bid on your ad’s placement. You can set the amount you are willing to spend each time someone clicks on your ad. With your bid amount set, and how Google rates the quality of your ad, your placement will be determined. You might need to work on different solutions to get your desired placement, whether it means using different keywords or amending your ad copy.
At TFA, we have a team of copywriters at the ready, who are experts in how to write ads and research keywords for effective search ads. Read more on our Digital Marketing Services page.
Display ads are PPC advertisements that appear on Google’s partner websites. Display ads typically include an image and text, instead of just being text-based. You can target customers more specifically, with this form of PPC ad, this is done by creating ideal target markets or focussing on targeting people who visit similar websites to your own
Setting up a display ad follows a similar process to search ads. You need to set a bid amount as to how much you want to pay when someone clicks. The difference is the copy and the addition of the image. You will need to get the copy approved by Google and make sure your image follows Google’s ad image requirements; otherwise, it will get denied. TFA’s expert Design Team know how to produce stand-out, creative visual advertising and are clued up on how to design compelling Display Ads, and we are available to help your business.
Next, you will select all the industry-related sites that you want your ad to appear on. Make sure you do your research on customer behaviour, to ensure that you are reaching relevant users who will click on your ad.
As well as working on getting you more clicks to your site, these ads come into their own when used for brand exposure. So, if you are more focused on getting your brand in front of an audience, Display ads are a great choice.
Social Media Ads
With Facebook having over 2.4 billion monthly active users, Instagram has 1 billion, and Twitter boasting 300 million, there are bound to be missed high-quality customers that you can target through Social Ads. These ads appear on the social media platform’s feeds and is a great way to connect to users.
There are multiple social media platforms to choose from, so decide wisely;
- Facebook – Largest Social Media Platform and offers advanced targeting options and diverse ad types.
- Instagram – Great for visual-based advertising, and Instagram has a higher engagement rate than other platforms.
- Twitter – Text, video, .gif or image-based, you can put your products and services right under your target audience’s noses.
- Pinterest – A platform for ideas and inspiration, with 87% of pinners purchasing a product because of a Pinterest Pin.
- LinkedIn – If you are looking to target by profession, skills, industry or professional interests, LinkedIn advertising is a great choice.
Most social media platforms offer a variety of formats, and some will be more suitable than others with what you want to achieve from your campaign. Also, they provide advanced tools to help you set up your ads through advanced targetting. For example, with Facebook you can run a campaign and target customers based on;
- Education
- Behaviours
- Location
- Demographics
- Interests
We’ve recently worked with Mortgage Buddy to set up and run their PPC campaign across Facebook. Their goal was lead generation, and with our Paid Search Specialists’ expert guidance and the help from our fantastic design department, we slashed their advertising costs by 92% per head, and they generated thousands of new leads. To read further about the work we completed for Mortgage Buddy, you can read our Mortgage Buddy Case Study.
Our Digital Marketing team are experts with all things Social Media, so why not get in touch to see how we can help you with your Social Media Marketing.
Local Service Ads
Local Service Ads are perfect for customers finding a service-based business that operates in their area and for your business its a great way to get your business known to your local audience and book more jobs. It’s the most exclusive form of PPC as Google only supports it for a few areas, including;
- Plumbers
- Locksmiths
- Electricians
- Cleaning Companies
These PPC ads operate separately from Google Ads but are very simple to set up. You just need to sign up as a service provider, set your budget and turn on your ads if you are ready for new customers, or turn off if you are fully booked.
If you need advice to effectively set up your Local Service Ad, to help your business drive more local leads, get in touch with us for ahead-of-the-curve marketing consultancy.