For a small business with a limited budget purchasing "clicks" or Pay Per Click (PPC) Marketing might seem like an expensive prospect. The reality is that Pay Per Click management can be a very cost-effective tool and a way to reach a huge audience. The control, immediate results, measurable data, and a host of configurable options that come with running a PPC campaign make it all the more attractive. A good PPC campaign can enable a small business to reach a targeted audience on par with much larger companies that have much larger advertising budgets.
PPC advertising also allows small businesses to test their products and validate their business model. If users click through as the company intends, and then doesn’t convert or purchase, then it's possible the product is not attractive enough, priced correctly, or even targeting the correct audience. This feedback can be invaluable to a small business early in the development cycle of its product.
Here are some of the benefits of a PPC Marketing Campaign
- Only pay for Clicks
- Target a Specific Audience
- Get Instant Page 1 Ranking
- Control the Schedule and Budget
- Quick and Measurable Results
In order to realize all of the above-referenced benefits, a PPC campaign needs to be effectively managed and executed. Here are the steps to launching and running a robust PPC marketing campaign.
Choose Keywords Wisely
While a budget may dictate which keywords a business can afford, targeting long-tail keywords can both reduce cost and improve results. Long-tail keywords involve stringing multiple words together to get a more accurate result. Customers who are entering very specific search criteria often know exactly what they want. A firm's ability to match an ad to those precise results will increase the likelihood of sales or conversions.
It is also a good policy to include negative keywords when setting up the parameters of PPC marketing. The often-overlooked negative keywords are another great way to focus the search and exclude users who may be looking for terms like “free,” “cheap,” or “inexpensive” options that don’t fit the business model. Negative keywords can exclude having to pay for clicks that won’t convert.
Keep it Cost Effective
Any small business is likely operating on a budget and should start a PPC campaign with a slow and steady approach. The trick is to purchase clicks and then monitor the results closely. If the keywords and click campaign are successful, only then should more be invested in the campaign. If it is unsuccessful, pursue other options.
Only target the right demographic is another great way to keep costs low. Small businesses that only serve a particular geographic area would do well to include those indicators as part of the keywords. Otherwise, they would be competing with national companies and paying for an audience that may be beyond their reach.
Another cost-effective marketing approach is to place the PPC in a time box. Target high-volume keywords for only a short period. Choosing a high-priced keyword for only a short time frame keeps costs low while still benefiting from a piece of the high-volume clicks.
Measure and Adjust
The direct results and availability of data is a tremendous benefit to PPC advertisers. Any marketing campaign should involve a hard look at all the data and an adjustment to the keywords, timing, or search engine according to the results. Small business PPC marketers should only pursue the clicks and keywords that are providing results.
If after employing all of the tactics laid out above, a PPC campaign fails to produce results, there could be other issues. Failed PPC conversions are a good indication that the landing page needs updating, the sales funnel is off, the pricing is wrong, or the product itself is falling. PPC is not a set it and forget it kind of advertising campaign. It requires a lot of attention and adjustment to be successful, but the feedback and results are invaluable to small companies. Visit here to learn more about how to increase Adwords profit.
