There are many forms of online advertising (PPC – pay-per-click), but with 68% of the search market share, Google holds the crown for largest reach in online advertising. According to Google, over 1 million companies are currently using AdWords advertising. Should your company use pay-per-click advertising?
But, I Tried AdWords Once and It Didn’t Work
Yes, we hear this all the time. “I tried it. It didn’t work.” And the message between the lines is that since AdWords didn’t work for me that one time, AdWords must not be effective in general. What we’ve found is that typically, someone who knows something about marketing or computers is put in charge of running an AdWords campaign, but that person doesn’t actually know enough about AdWords to run an effective campaign. If you’re going to spend the money on PPC, you need a knowledgeable partner who can bring the ROI you need.
Check the three main reasons companies are using PPC or AdWords to generate ROI and see if these reasons might work for you.
Reason #1 – Faster Ramp Up
Do you need quick wins online? Do you have a new product or a new website that needs ramped up quickly? PPC is your best friend in these cases. Organic digital marketing is extremely effective, but it takes time to build up. PPC is practically instant compared to organic. A well-strategized campaign with killer keywords will bring amazing ROI in a very short period of time. (Note: “very short period of time” is typically 3-6 months.)
Reason #2 – Retargeting / Remarketing
Have you ever been surfing the web and noticed repeated ads for a website you recently visited? Sometimes it seems almost as if that website is following you around the internet and reminding you of that widget you didn’t buy. Wouldn’t you know, that’s exactly what is happening. This is called Retargeting (Google calls it Remarketing.)
How can this work for you? Remarketing is a tool within the PPC toolbox. You use a special code, create the ads, and then those ads start showing up for your website visitors. Retargeting/Remarketing is remarkably effective for keeping your brand and products at top of mind for potential customers.
Reason #3 – Broad Keyword Reach
Sometimes, it’s just too difficult to beat the big dogs with the broad keywords. Maybe you rank organically for “3-line customized red ball-point pens” but you just can’t break into the first page of Google for “tradeshow pens”. This is a case where you can use PPC to buy the keywords you can’t rank for organically.
Realize, you’ll pay quite a bit for these broad keywords. PPC that is effectively replacing organic is never cheap. However, if it drives qualified traffic that ultimately buys from you, it may very well be a good investment.
BONUS Reason #4 – Don’t Do It Alone
Before you invest in PPC, evaluate the talent available to run your campaigns. It’s very simple to set up an AdWords campaign, and it’s very simple to choose the keywords you want to use in your campaign. The hard part is making sure you’ve chosen the keywords that are going to bring the greatest ROI. Unless your in-house talent has successfully run PPC campaigns previously, you need to consider partnering with an outside firm to generate the results you’re looking for. Don’t become another one of the, “We tried it and it didn’t work” stories.
Want to talk with a Pay-Per-Click Expert? Call Marketing Essentials at 419.629.0080 and find out how PPC could benefit your bottom line.
