Are you looking to get more customers to visit your small business’ website? An effective way of doing this is through pay-per-click advertising, otherwise known as PPC. As the name implies, this is a form of digital marketing which charges the user every time a potential customer clicks on the ad. This means you are only paying for people who click through to your website, rather than paying for people to see your ad, as is the case with more traditional advertising.
The most well-known PPC platform is Google Ads, however, there are also social media platforms which offer PPC ads. When using Google Ads, you’ll see your ad appear at the top or the bottom of the search results page. Where your ad displays will depend on the competition for that particular keyword and your budget. The more you pay, the more likely it is that your ad will rank at the top of the page for that keyword. Don’t stress if you don’t have a huge budget – there is no minimum cost to start a PPC campaign.
However, there is more to it than just simply setting up an ad and letting it run. You need to ensure your Google ads are actually gaining customers. So how can you use PPC to get more customers?
1. Know what platform you’re going to use
Step one is deciding which PPC platform you are going to use, or whether you’re going to use multiple.
As mentioned above, your biggest options are Google Ads or social media platforms.
Facebook and Instagram are both used within the same platform. However, you don’t need to advertise on both – you will just have the option to be able to do so. You can choose manual placements and only select to place your ads on Facebook or Instagram. You can also select where they will be shown – will they display in news feeds only, or stories as well?
However, if your audience isn’t using Facebook and Instagram, advertising on it may just be a waste of money. Other social media platforms to consider include Twitter and LinkedIn. These may be more appealing to businesses that are trying to attract other businesses. However, many people use Twitter for personal use, so if you’re trying to attract customers, it is not a platform to discount.
2. Know your target market
So you’ve picked which platform you’re going to use. Now what? Before you launch your campaign, it will help to know who exactly you’re targeting. If you don’t know who is already purchasing your products and who is likely to, you may end up targeting the wrong people and waste your money.
Some key factors to know about your target market is their gender, age, education, where they are physically located, what they do for a living and what their interests are. This will help to narrow down who sees your ad and ensure you use your budget more effectively.
3. Automate communications
You know your audience, you’ve picked a platform, and your Google ads in Brisbane have started running. So what happens once people start clicking your ads? You can use this vital information to help ensure people actually purchase your products or services.
One way to do this is through automating your email marketing. For example, you can make sure your customers automatically get an email when they abandon their shopping cart, or when they leave products in the cart. This will help to encourage your customers to purchase their products rather than forget about them altogether. You can also use PPC to see how customers came to your site, and create automated emails to send to them. Just always make sure your emails are relevant to the interests of your customers, and it encourages them to take action. There’s nothing worse than getting an email and not understanding the point of it. Always include a call-to-action within your communication.
4. Optimise your landing page
People are noticing your PPC ads, they’re clicking through to your website, but they’re not converting. How can you stop this happening?
One of the problems may be the landing page. If the user experience isn’t good, people are going to leave the website before purchasing anything. Make sure your website has a clear action for people to take, so they know exactly where to navigate to.
If you’re running a PPC campaign, you’ll want to have a landing page dedicated to the campaign. This page will not only help people to convert, but it will also be a good way to get people’s personal information, including their email address. Once you’ve got this, you will be able to contact them and add the customer into your automation email campaigns.
Once you add these steps to your PPC campaign, you will notice you’ll be able to gain more customers than you otherwise would have been able to. As with any digital marketing activity, make sure you track your progress as you go, and alter your strategy if you’re not achieving the goals you set out. Monitoring your campaign will ensure you can convert the most customers possible.
Want to start a PPC campaign? Contact Patch Agency’s PPC experts today.
