Did you know that there are companies out there that will manage your pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns for you? If you are looking for Jacksonville digital marketing services, it might not be a bad idea to hire a PPC management company. A professional will be able to save you time and money by providing expertise and following the campaign in real-time. If you are considering running a PPC campaign, check out these four things to know about PPC campaign management.
What is PPC Management?
PPC management is when a third party oversees all aspects of a company’s pay-per-click campaign. In general, pay-per-click campaigns evolve and change over time, and those changes can be driven by a variety of forces ranging from changing target demographics to finding keywords that are more effective. There are several key areas that PPC partners may oversee including keyword analysis, channel strategy, monitoring and campaign optimization, ROI tracking, competitive analysis, landing page creation, and more.
Keyword Analysis
Knowing what keywords are currently popular and which searches will likely result in leads for the company is an important piece of creating a successful PPC campaign. A PPC management company has the knowledge and skill to properly analyze current keywords relevant to your business and alter the campaign as needed to target the best keywords.
Channel Strategy
It’s important to keep in mind that while Google Ads is an effective platform for PPC marketing, it is not the only option available - and for some businesses, it may not be the most productive. A PPC management company will analyze the available channels for your campaign such as Google Ads, Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing), affiliate networks, or social media such as Facebook/Instagram or LinkedIn Ads, and determine which ones are the best for your campaign. Different channels offer different ad options, pricing, and reach/demographics.
Monitoring and Campaign Optimization
Once the campaign is in place, it will continue to change and evolve. This is where the PPC partners you work with come in and help your business make the most of your ad spend budget. Monitoring the campaign is one of the top benefits of hiring a PPC management company because allows you to make changes to your campaign in real-time as the market changes.
Catering to the proper target market will create a narrow pool of potential clients intentionally searching for your products or services rather than a large pool of people whose intention is not there. In addition, monitoring and optimizing for top-performing keywords can inform budget decisions.
ROI Tracking
Throughout the campaign, the amount of money spent on advertising will fluctuate. However, it’s important to have a good idea of your average ROI and how much these normal fluctuations can affect it. A PPC specialist will be able to track the overall ROI to determine an effective campaign budget for your business.
Competitive Analysis
There are many advantages to knowing the details of your competitors’ campaigns to help inform your own decisions. By knowing what strategies your competitors are using, you can either match them or contrast them by taking advantage of the competitive gap. For example, if your competitors are bidding for certain keywords, you can choose to start a bidding war or find another keyword that competitors haven’t taken notice of yet. Good PPC management includes competitive analysis to help you make those decisions.
Landing Page Creation
Getting clicks isn’t the only goal when running PPC campaigns. The ultimate goal is to get conversions after the click. Once you entice the customer to click the ad, you have to give them a reason to follow through on the purchase. An effective landing page engages customers by providing them with the information they are looking for immediately. With a well-designed, informational landing page, it becomes much easier to improve conversion rates.
PPC Management Relies on Planning and Data-Driven Goals
Before you jump into a PPC campaign, it is important to create a strategy that relies on hard data and has a clear cut goal. In other words, your campaign should recognize and reflect where your business is today, and where you are trying to land. The goal should be attainable and use data to support feasibility.
This all begins with understanding where your company is at the moment and tracking progress throughout the campaign. Some KPIs to consider may include customer lifetime value, customer acquisition costs, return on ad spend, return on investment, average deal size, and product margins. As the campaign progresses, these indicators are tracked to determine the overall health of the campaign with a well-rounded, data-driven approach.
Rely on Google But Be Willing to Branch Out
Google is a powerful marketing tool to use, but that doesn’t make it the only tool out there. There are a lot of great features and capabilities that Google offers, allowing you to get a clear picture of the campaign. However, when you rely only on Google you run the risk of wasting money, limiting your audience, and stifling your overall campaign strategy.
There are a number of other search engines, social media sites, and other sites where you can run an effective and productive PPC campaign. In many cases, these other options include additional tools to help you focus your efforts and increase your ROI. You will quickly find that when you have a variety of sites to place your ads, you’re able to get the most bang for your buck, as well.
You Will Need Spend Money Before You Can Make Money
PPC campaigns are not always cheap and they can be highly competitive. It is important to remember that choosing to invest in paid advertising will require just that - an investment. When putting together a PPC campaign, you will likely include keywords and campaign elements that simply don’t work. However, once you find the right mix of keywords, ad sites, and design elements to draw in your target demographic, you’ll quickly find that the ROI for paid advertising more than makes up for the overhead costs.
At the end of the day, a PPC campaign is not a simple undertaking, but there are simple solutions to navigating the market. By hiring a Jacksonville digital marketing services and PPC management company such as CTRL+ALT Digital, your company can save time and money, and ultimately know your campaign is in good hands.
