There are a number of different techniques behind a successful marketing strategy – one of the most effective being PPC. However, it’s essential to know the best practices behind creating a strategy that can assist in driving sales, revenue, and growth for your brand.
Ahmed Chopdat, Commercial Director at specialist PPC agency, Circus PPC, shares just a few of his countless tips and learnings during his career.
Don’t get SEO and PPC confused
Many people confuse SEO and PPC, which leads them to missing out on the opportunities offered by PPC experts. Whether you have an in-house team, work with a full-service, or work with a specialist agency – be sure that they are fully aware and clear on the differences between SEO and PPC, and why PPC in particularly is an important individual component of a marketing strategy.
Work with an expert
Finding an expert to manage your account is crucial. PPC is a very complex subject and needs an expert approach to drive real results. Don’t leave your marketing to chance!
If you had a really nice car, would you trust yourself to manage it? There’s no doubt you’d get the job done with huge investments of both time and money, however would it be at the same level as an expert whose job is to do this all the time?
Make sure the PPC specialist you’re working with is ACTUALLY a specialist
Many people, including the likes of web developers or marketing generalists, claim they know how to set up an effective PPC strategy. However, generalists are not PPC experts – so be wary of a “know-it-all” approach. You wouldn’t put a professional footballer in your all start cricket team no matter how great they are at football.
Prioritise detailed reporting
For an effective PPC strategy, you need detailed reporting, so make sure that your agency offers this. It’s also important to ensure that you maintain access to your accounts. In the past, I’ve seen reports that simply state the amount spent on PPC, with the amount made back – which isn’t enough to know what is and isn’t working. At the bare minimum, ROI should be provided on PPC specifically.
Ensure your website is ready
Ensure your website doesn’t contain errors, is fully updated and has been completed. If your website can’t handle the traffic driven by PPC, then investing in this type of marketing is a waste of money for now. However, improving your website is an ongoing project.
Have KPIs in place
If you don’t have KPIs in place, there is no way of measuring the success (or failure) of an account – or anything for that matter! Setting a KPI should come from considering your business needs, and you and your team should understand why it has been set. Rather than choosing a KPI for the sake of it, make sure it’s something that is beneficial for profitability and business growth.
Set a budget
Always agree on a budget! A good agency will work with your budget, but a great agency will discuss budgets and realistic, achievable results, even if you don’t go to them with a set budget in mind. Keep an open mind and keep some budget spare for the good months. Some months, performance could increase significantly, and with more budget comes the opportunity to drive even better results.
Take a hard look at your ad copy
Effective ad copy is crucial for any PPC marketing strategy, and should always be targeted to your audience to deliver your message loud and clear to the right people. Also – it may sound like ad copy 101, but it’s important to avoid spelling mistakes – which never look great.
Nail down PMax
Performance Max has combined a lot of the previously separate strategies, meaning that the way you think and manage campaigns is very different now. Previously, you might have had separate search and shopping budgets, but unless you go ‘old school,’ this isn’t realistic anymore. Make sure you’re aware of the changes that have come with PMax so that you understand how campaigns are effectively managed.
Test, Test, Test
Testing is integral, and can spell the difference between a quickly progressing account, and a stagnant one. Preferably, have a separate budget for testing alone to ensure that it remains a priority. Sometimes, testing might reveal some things that are unexpected and go against your original beliefs about the account, but in the long run, will be extremely valuable for the progress of your account.
These are just a few of the things that you should be doing to ensure that your PPC account is best set up for growth, and there are many more things that would give help your progress your business, and your PPC account performance, even further.
