Yes, internet marketing strategies are much less expensive than other marketing approaches. However, that doesn’t mean that mistakes aren’t costly. In fact, when it comes to running a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign, a single mistake can all but blow your budget. Paid traffic has its benefits but also its drawbacks if you ignore the five essential tips to mastering PPC management.
1. Avoid the Cheapest Option
Going with the least expensive keywords is sure to blow your budget. You’ll save on the cost per click (CPC) but you’ll be driving all kinds of traffic that won’t convert which won’t help you win business. Narrow down your keywords to the most descriptive terms of what you offer, your products and your services. Avoid the obvious keywords and high volumes of bids associated with those words and include keyword-phrases and different keyword combinations that clearly define what you’re offering.
2. Track Results with A/B Split Testing
Running a comparison between two or more PPC campaigns with A/B split testing is a great way to identify your best performing keyword. Start with one campaign with one keyword and track results. What is the click-through-rate (CTR) on the campaign? How much traffic was generated? How many visitors were converted? How many of those visitors became customers? Run another PPC campaign where you use another keyword or an added keyword and compare the results. Stick to one change at a time so you can isolate the benefit of any one change. Look at the keywords, how they’re placed, the fonts, the images etc.
3. Define the Costs of Winning Customers
Your internet marketing strategies should be measured by how many customers they bring you and how much it costs to win those customers. A low CPC and high conversion rate means nothing if you aren’t closing business. You need to define your costs of customer acquisition. Only then can you define whether your PPC campaign was successful and whether your chosen keyword and keyword-phrases were the right ones.
4. Accentuate Your Offer - Make it Pop!
Stick with impactful keywords that speak to the value your solution offers. Don’t get caught up in trying to describe your product within your PPC campaign. Instead, focus on the payoffs. How does your product or service help your customers? Identify the most common issues and concerns industry-wide and accentuate the benefits of your offer within your PPC campaign. High-value keywords that demonstrate the overall benefit of your product will surely catch your audience’s attention. Get to the point, make your claim and again, be willing to do A/B split testing on different ad copies.
5. Your Landing Page is an Extension of Your PPC Campaign
Driving traffic to a non-descript and poorly put together landing page that doesn’t convert visitors is a waste of time and money. You must make sure that your landing page is an extension of your PPC campaign. The interest your PPC campaign generates and the message your landing page conveys must be one and the same. It must be a seamless introduction for new visitors. If you advertise one benefit through the PPC campaign then it must be substantiated on the landing page with factual assertions and supporting data.
Yes, PPC campaigns are far less expensive than those outdated outbound marketing approaches of the past. However, it doesn't mean that mistakes can't be made and that those mistakes can't be costly. The wrong approach will drive the wrong kinds of traffic to your website and landing pages.
We are experts in PPC campaign setup and management. If you need a forward-thinking partner to manage your next PPC campaign, or any one of your other internet marketing strategies, then contact us. We can discuss data-driven marketing and how it can help ensure that your inbound marketing strategies will be successful. Request an assessment today.
Written By: David Carpenter
