Pay Per Click Marketing: How to Create a Successful PPC Campaign

Patrick Yuan - 5.26.2011 1:30 PM

It should go without saying that the easier you make it for your Website visitors to become customers, the higher percentage that will convert (buy a product, fill out a form, sign up for a newsletter, etc.) Unfortunately, that simple logic is easily forgotten if you are overwhelmed setting up your Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign. Having a clear, consistent message throughout your campaign will help you maximize your conversion percentage and minimize your cost per conversion. There are three areas you need to be aware of with regards to your messaging: your keywords, your ads, and your Website.

1. Keywords: You may be asking yourself how your keywords are part of your messaging. Keywords play the most important role in your message: they not only dictate what your message will ultimately be about, but they dictate who you are speaking to. In PPC marketing, you have complete control over the keywords you show up for. You decide not only what you want to bid for, you can also dictate which keywords you don’t want to show up for (negative keywords).

Let’s say you have a house-painting service. You may choose to go after the keyword “house painting”, but unless you decide to make it an "exact phrase match", searchers who type in “professional house painting” or “house painting equipment” will see your ads. While “professional house painting” is relevant to your service, “house painting equipment” is most likely not. Adding negative keywords can filter out people looking to paint their homes on their own.  It will prevent you from wasting money on the wrong people. Eliminating wasteful clicks will not only lower your cost per conversion, it will free up your budget for keywords that do convert, leading to more conversions.

2. Ads: Your ads are important not only for getting people to click through to your Website, they also set expectations. Maybe you do want as many people as possible to visit your Website, though you should remember you are paying for these people to visit.  The idea behind driving only "potential customers" is that they will eventually become customers and eventually pay you back the money spent. Your ads should be enticing yet informative. Yes I know, you have to fight strict character limits, but it is important to get your message across in those 95 characters. Some examples of things that compel consumers:

-Tell them why your services are better than your competitors

-Give them a special offer

-Speak to their pain points

Once they click, you should be prepared to close the deal on your Website.

3. Website: One of the benefits of PPC is the ability to choose exactly which page your visitor lands on. This landing page can be designed 100% for the conversion process. Your content should speak to the ad they clicked on to reinforce the messaging. You can continue to differentiate yourself from your competitors in detail, restate your offer, or finish speaking to their pain points with how you can alleviate that pain. Here’s an extra tip: your page should make it as easy as possible for the visitor to become a customer.  Put a lead form right on the page or make it one click to start the purchase process. Don’t handcuff your results by making it impossible for your visitors to do what you want them to do.

PPC can be the lifeline of a business when executed correctly. Just remember that simplicity and consistency are key. Pick the right target market with your keyword strategy, and continue to narrow it down with negative keywords. From there, you can speak to your target market with your ads in an enticing, informative, albeit brief message. At this point the people who are still with you should be interested in what you have to offer, and your landing page is the “closer.” Finish out strong by elaborating on your ad and making it easy for visitors to become customers. While there is much more to PPC than that, following these guidelines will set your campaign up for success.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about internet marketing, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
 

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