Using PPC as a marketing campaign

Hey everyone. It’s Sunday the 25th of October at 5:16pm. I don’t usually write on the weekends as it’s my time to spend with my wife and do stuff, but something has popped into my head that I would love to share with you before I forget it. Well, it really didn’t pop into my head, it was kind of like wanting to write about this because I am seeing a lot of people ask about it and some people wasting a LOT of money on it. I would like to talk about PPC advertising as a marketing campaign. I may break this up into 2 parts, depending on how I feel when I get into writing this. We will see.

So let’s start. What is a PPC marketing campaign? First of all, what the hell is PPC? PPC stands for Pay Per Click. I’m sure many of you who read this are familiar with Google AdWords. This is the most widely used PPC program available on the web. Whenever most business people or home marketers think about advertising a product or their company on the Internet, they think AdWords.

So what exactly is AdWords? In a nutshell, AdWords is an Internet program developed by Google Inc. to allow advertisers to build a text or image advertisement and have it shown on relevant pages in the natural searches or on the network of publishers, or both. You set a budget and daily limit for how much each click will cost you and you bid on certain keywords that will trigger your ad to show up in searches or network content. Now, some of these keywords can be pricey. Like in excess of $7 per click. Now that is ridiculous if you ask me.

On average, depending on how good of a copywriter you are, and they type of market you are advertising to, most people who click on your advertisement will not buy the product. Why is this? Well, I would like to make something clear to you right now. People in general do not buy everything they look at. We call these types of people window shoppers or browsers. So, if you are paying in excess of $7 per click on your ad that probably only 2% of these people are going to buy, you are loosing money big time. That’s no good people. If you are a marketer, you are in this business to make money. Not throw it out the window…

So how can we cut this cost down so we can make more money? Research your audience! Find out what they are searching for. What search terms are they using. This is very very important to your success using PPC as a campaign. When you find out what terms people are using to find a product in your niche, check the CPC or Cost Per Click and search volume and decide which would be better for you. Also, often there are search terms that do not have a lot of competition and are cheap. But the thing is, people still search for products and solutions using these search terms and keywords. This can really be a break through for you and your campaign.

The next thing that I would like to talk about is setting up your campaign ad with AdWords to work best for you. When you are writing your campaign, you should keep in mind what the landing page, or pitch page if that’s what you wish to call it, is trying to convey to the visitor. One thing that you definitely need to do is choose key phrases that are included in your landing page. Make sure that your ad link and description is relevant to the content on the landing page. This is important. Use a catchy keyword rich title that gives a quick preview of what you have to offer. The description should not be about features or what your product is, but what it can help your potential buyer solve. People buy for reasons. The biggest reason is because they have a problem they need to solve. So understanding your buyer persona will help you know what problem they have. So don’t describe your product…. Describe what it can solve. That will get you more relevant clicks and ultimately more sales.

OK, OK….. So I have went on for some time now. Like I said, it is Sunday. My day. But now that I have went on this rant, I think I will finish it. You won’t have to wait for the next part, thankfully lol.

So when you are writing an ad for AdWords, it all boils down to research of your buyers in your market. You need to know what they want to hear, and what they want to solve. Then make sure your landing page speaks the same message the ad did. Then you throw some keyword research into the mix, and make sure the pricing is right and that your competition is low. Then you set your budget and let her fly. This all seems so great on paper, but, let me give you my opinion.

Now I have used AdWords for a while. I’ll admit it. I have seen success and sometimes, not so much. There are just so many factors that determine whether or not you are successful, and sometimes it’s not AdWords fault. Sometimes, the market just isn’t right. But, before you do go out and slam down all of your hard earned cash, let me make a suggestion. There are so many other programs out there like adwords. I will give you a short, but good list. You can use different programs like Kontera, AdBrite, YPN, Clickbank (if you have a mini-site and product), Vibrant, Bidvertiser, and so many more. Check them. Maybe inline text links would be best for you. Another I would like to suggest to you, depending on your buyer persona, you can use Myspace advertising, which is very easy to set up, and can really bring you a great degree of success. Myspace advertising is banner advertising. Sometimes this can be more profitable because it lets your potential buyers see a visual of what you have to offer. But the same thing applies to banner advertising as link advertising. Make your ad tell the “prospect” how your product can solve their problem. No exceptions.

Well, I hope you have some insight now on how to make your AdWords campaigns more profitable for you and your business. There is a lot to go through before you post your ad, but in the end, it is worth the extra time to do your research. It is often more than just some text on a search page linking to your product. If you follow these extra steps, you can gain higher profits and greater success.