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When PPC ads fail to bring in leads, what went wrong?
Our marketing agency works with clients in a variety of industries – from B2B industrial equipment to CPG retail, and we’ve noticed that failures in PPC advertising are always related to one of two reasons: ad structure and market variables.
For many marketing managers, the question isn’t so much “what went wrong” but “how do you fix it?” Thankfully, our marketing agency is here to help you identify where the gap is taking place, and will proactively adjust your PPC ad structure to adapt to changing market variables.
Here are some of the factors to take into consideration:
PPC Ad Structure – Targeting
If your ads aren’t optimized, you’ll “lose” the click to your competitor.
Even if you’re able to get a click to your website, you’ll “lose” your lead if the content on your website isn’t exactly what they’re searching for.
When it comes to your PPC funnel, there are dozens of factors that affect whether or not your lead will drop off, and your ad structure directly affects all of them.
Cast too wide of a net, and your ads will feel watered down and untargeted. Cast too narrow of a net, and you’ll miss the “bigger picture” and lose out on a large portion of high-quality potential leads.
When it comes to targeting, not only do you have to identify the right keywords, but you should also consider your target market’s geographic, psychographic and behavioural traits.
PPC Ad Structure – Platform Considerations
Where does your market live? Are you even on the right platform?
There’s no point in social media marketing, if your client doesn’t use social media. Likewise, you wouldn’t want to run a radio ad if your target market lives online and not in their day-to-day vehicles.
Hopefully, you’ll have already identified the correct platforms for your market.
Are you using the strengths of your platform? Just because Google PPC works for one business, doesn’t mean it works for the next. There are clear marketing differences between Facebook and Google PPC, for example, that will affect the optimal way you should structure your ads.
Are you advertising for a very straightforward purchase? Optimizing for a very specific keyword with purchase intent should be your go-to marketing strategy.
Does it take a long time for your lead to convert into a sale? Perhaps you should consider a more visual-heavy ad campaign, coupled with several retargeting touchpoints.
Whether it be Facebook ads, Google PPC, LinkedIn or even Twitter ads, each have their own pros and cons, as well as their own best practices for ad promotion.
MARKETing For A Different Time
You may have heard of the famous quote – Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results
At our marketing agency, we actually follow the opposite principle altogether – Insanity is running the same marketing campaign and expecting the same results every time. Here’s why.
Just because radio ads worked in the past, doesn’t mean that they’ll work in the future. The same goes for all marketing best practices that we know and love today – what’s going to happen when people start searching by voice via Alexa or Siri?
An eternal truth is that markets change – whether it be through technological advancements, political climate, or simply cultural norms – we need to adapt our marketing to cater to these changes. This is why it’s called MARKETing!
MARKETing By Benchmarking
Can you think of how much has changed in your life in the past month? In the past year?
With the speed of which marketing changes, huge shifts can take place at a moment’s notice. 64% of brands have indicated that they will be spending more on PPC advertising in 2019/2020 – where are they spending their budgets?
A recent study has indicated that nearly 50% of the US (this was a US-based study) listen to podcasts, while only 4% of businesses have considered marketing in the channel. What about new platforms on the horizon – like TikTok? What happened to Snapchat? Are people using Instagram TV?
Your business has a limited marketing budget, so it’s imperative that you spend your budget wisely. This is an ongoing process – meaning that a familiar platform that you know and love, may already be not as effective as it was in the past.
The only way to know if you’re still on the right track, is to have proper Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) in place and regular benchmarking sessions to ensure that you’re still getting the most out of your marketing amidst changing market variables.
Is PPC Advertising A Barrier To Growth?
Complacency is the #1 killer of businesses worldwide.
Last week we discussed barriers to growth stemming from infrastructure and marketing, and how a marketing agency can help you define and execute processes that provide a foundation for growth.
You cannot afford to be complacent with your marketing, and your PPC ads need to reflect your ability to change with the market. Whether it be refreshed targeting through your ad structure, or strategic shifts in your strategy by keeping a pulse on your market, you need proper marketing structure in order to grow your business.
As someone who is a stakeholder for your business’ marketing, your goal is not to keep your business afloat, but to help it grow in changing times. Do you agree with us? Head over to our LinkedIn Page to share your thoughts and the most creative comment will be entered to win a free Brand Audit!
Did this article strike a chord with what’s going on in your organization? Do give us a shout and set up a discovery marketing meeting, we would love to see if we can help, or stop by our marketing agency in Vancouver, we always have chocolate!