Should You Do PPC? Well, Here's an Overview of What it is..
PPC (pay per click or CPC) can be used in most digital advertising campaigns but is most common in search. It’s basically the way you’re being charged (per click). You can also pay per impression or per acquisition. Deciding which method to use typically depends on the purpose of the campaign (awareness, engagements, sales).
Using PPC in search (Google, Bing, Yahoo) allows you to target certain keywords that your ideal audience is searching for. It also allows you to write a custom message (or ad copy) for each search category. For example, if someone is searching for “UFE Treatment,” the below image shows an ad geared towards that search. When you add extensions to the ad (Ie: New Patient Packets), it improves it’s prominence in search results.
Instead of writing a bunch of blogs on UFE treatment and optimizing your site for these searches with SEO, you can place yourself right at the top of search results - for a price.
Understanding What Your PPC Budget Actually Is
How you rank in search results depends on how much you’re willing to pay per click. Some industries are extremely competitive and expensive. Others have plenty of opportunity. It would be hard to analyze your situation without knowing what you’re up against. Before investing in this type of strategy, you’ll want to determine what your ceiling CPA (cost per acquisition is). If it doesn’t make sense to spend more than $200 to acquire a new customer, then use this number as your baseline.
If you discover it’s going to cost you an average of $10 per click, then you know you have 20 chances to convert (or close) the click. If you want to be #1 for all searches, it may cost you $15/click. But, if you implement a strategy, you can drop CPC down to a $2 average and improve your odds with a 100 click max.
This is why it’s so important to focus PPC campaigns around intent. Bidding on keywords that almost guarantee someone is in the market is ideal. Using general search phrases can be risky - unless they’re super cheap (like $0.08/click). Take all of these things into consideration and decide if investing in PPC is opportunistic. In most cases, it will be - with the right focus.
How You Can Improve the Effectiveness of Your PPC Campaigns.
At PreFocus, we like to bid manually on our PPC campaigns. This allows us to be more strategic with where we want our ads to rank. Some target audiences skip ads and go directly to organic results. In this case, ranking 2nd or 3rd (closer to the organic results) improves the ad’s visibility - while dropping click costs. This varies per market which is why it’s extremely important to hire someone that knows what they’re doing.
The Importance of Quality Advertising Strategies
Lazy or amateur PPC managers can waste thousands of your hard earned dollars without you even knowing you could be doing better. PreFocus on everything you're investing in. Please. One bad experience can ruin your perception altogether. Below is a video I did with Nate Seeley of Bluesoft, discussing how we're working together to debunk the misconceptions of pay-per-click advertising.
If you're nervous about dumping a lot of money into your business to acquire new leads, I get it. Advertising can be nerve wrecking. That's why it's so important that you take the time to understand the initiatives you're investing in before allowing someone to sell you on what they think is best. Their prerogative may not necessarily be your success. Especially in today's marketing realm. Be purposeful with everything you do!