PPC advertising, or pay-per-click advertising, is a powerful way to generate leads and prospects for your sales pipeline. But how can you use it effectively to reach your ideal customers and qualify them for your offer? In this article, you'll learn some best practices and tips to optimize your PPC campaigns for sales prospecting.
Before you launch any PPC campaign, you need to know who you want to attract and what problem you can solve for them. This will help you craft your ad copy, keywords, landing pages, and offer to match their needs and interests. You can use tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Audience Network, or LinkedIn Campaign Manager to research your target market and create buyer personas based on their demographics, behaviors, and pain points.
Defining a target audience is crucial in PPC advertising because it ensures your ads reach the right people, maximizing effectiveness and ROI. By understanding your audience's demographics, interests, behaviors, and pain points, you can craft tailored ad copy and select relevant keywords. This increases the likelihood of attracting qualified leads who are more likely to convert, leading to higher click-through rates, lower cost-per-click, and ultimately, improved campaign performance. Additionally, targeting the right audience reduces wasted ad spend on irrelevant clicks, optimizing your budget allocation for better results.
While designing websites / defining content strategies we used to define a "customer persona". For some campaign the persona was woman age 35 , married, young mother, graduate and working with salary of 80K or more per month. Similarly , What is the age , sex, buying behaviour, pain points, challenges, aspirations etc. I would use same method to define target audience for ppc campaign .
Depending on your target audience and your sales goals, you may want to use different PPC platforms and channels to reach them. For example, if you want to generate awareness and traffic for your brand, you may use Google Ads or Bing Ads to bid on relevant keywords and appear on search results. If you want to nurture and engage your prospects, you may use Facebook Ads or LinkedIn Ads to create custom audiences and deliver personalized messages and offers. You should also consider the cost, competition, and conversion rates of each platform and channel to maximize your ROI.
The right mix depends on your business' size and goals. For the most part all the PPC platforms provide more or less the same approach to targeting your marketing funnel, however, choose the ones where you can actively and easily produce and test different creatives to find the right mix for your audience. For example, if it takes you 60+ days to produce a video for a Youtube campaign and you cannot test multiple versions of your video ads, you most probably will end up with a campaign that is not fully optimized for your audience, hence your performance will be quite limited.
Choosing the right platforms and channels in PPC advertising involves understanding your target audience's preferences and behavior. Start by researching where your audience spends their time online, whether it's on search engines like Google, social media platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn, or niche websites related to your industry. Analyze past campaign data to identify which channels have generated the most engagement and conversions. Consider factors like demographics, interests, device usage, and search intent to determine which platforms align best with your goals. Experiment with different channels, track performance metrics closely, and adjust your strategy based on what works best.
One needs to start with target audience. Typically below platforms have following audience demographic characteristics : 1. Facebook : Broader Audience 2. Instagram : Younger audience (Gen Z, Millennials) 3. LinkedIn : Professionals working people. More suitable for b2b type businesses to create leads 4. Twitter or X.com : Trending topics, real time engagement 5. Pinterest. Quora : Niche platforms Goals also decide : 1. Collecting leads by asking users to visit some website or click a link is works for LinkedIn 2. Brand awareness / engagement : Works on Instagram or Facebook even Twitter 3. Competition analysis can be good idea to choose platform as well. Whatever you choose need to doing research continuously is very important.
Your ads and landing pages are the first impressions that your prospects will have of your business. They should be clear, concise, and convincing, and highlight the value proposition and benefits of your offer. You should also include a strong call-to-action that encourages your prospects to take the next step, such as downloading a lead magnet, signing up for a webinar, or requesting a demo. You should also test and optimize your ads and landing pages for different variables, such as headlines, images, colors, and copy, to improve your click-through and conversion rates.
Compelling ads grab attention with engaging copy, visuals, and relevant keywords, prompting clicks. Landing pages reinforce ad messaging, providing a seamless user experience and guiding visitors towards conversion. Clear CTAs and persuasive content enhance user engagement, leading to higher click-through rates and improved ROI in PPC advertising.
To know if your PPC campaigns are working for sales prospecting, you need to track and measure your results. You should set up conversion tracking and analytics tools, such as Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, or HubSpot, to monitor your key performance indicators, such as impressions, clicks, conversions, cost-per-acquisition, and return-on-ad-spend. You should also use CRM software, such as Salesforce, Zoho, or Pipedrive, to manage your leads and prospects, and follow up with them through email, phone, or social media.
Not all prospects are created equal. Some may be ready to buy, some may need more education, and some may not be a good fit for your offer. That's why you need to segment and qualify your prospects based on their behavior, interest, and fit. You can use lead scoring and grading systems, such as BANT (budget, authority, need, and timeline) or CHAMP (challenges, authority, money, and prioritization), to rank your prospects and prioritize your outreach. You can also use lead nurturing and remarketing strategies, such as email sequences, webinars, case studies, or testimonials, to build trust and rapport with your prospects and move them along the sales funnel.
PPC advertising is not a set-it-and-forget-it tactic. It requires constant testing and refinement to optimize your performance and results. You should always experiment with new ideas, platforms, channels, audiences, keywords, ads, and landing pages, and compare them with your existing ones. You should also analyze your data and feedback, and identify what works and what doesn't, and why. You should also keep an eye on your competitors and industry trends, and adapt your strategy accordingly.