Patience Hurlburt-LawtonTo make the most out of paid advertisements, focus on PPC audience targeting. This marketing technique for small businesses will help ads reach the right customers in a crowded market.
Let’s be honest: It’s a crowded market out there.
At every corner of the World Wide Web, consumers are flooded with ads. Competitors are basically lurking in the dark. Understandably, things can get pretty overwhelming for a small business owner like yourself.
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is an excellent way to increase online traffic. In fact, you’ve probably already factored it into your marketing budget.
Not so fast, though. This doesn’t mean paying fees and hoping for the best. In order to turn clicks into sales, PPC audience targeting is key.
What in the world is PPC, anyway?
Pay-per-click is an online marketing model in which the advertiser (that’s you!) pays for users to click on their ad. It’s the opposite of organic search rankings, which are fueled by SEO.
Because PPC ads are sponsored, they show up above those organic search results.
Think of it like mailing an invitation to a potential customer. You can create the perfect flyer, but without postage, the customer might not even see it.
PPC advertising improves visibility, site traffic, and brand recognition. It gets you ahead of your competitors – and who wouldn’t want that?
But here’s the thing. If you approach PPC ads without a game plan, you might as well throw cash into a black hole.
Audience targeting gives your dollars a purpose.
PPC isn’t about paying for just any old visitor.
There are a lot of people out there. Are your paid ads ending up in front of the right ones?
It comes down to audience targeting. In PPC marketing, this technique lets you choose the specific individuals that see your ads. These folks will benefit from your products or services.
Remember, everyone isn’t going to need what you offer – and that’s OK.
For example, let’s say you sell socks. Sure, your socks might be awesome, but you wouldn’t market to new homeowners on the hunt for tables and sofas, now would you?
Ultimately, PPC audience targeting places ads in front of your ideal customers. It simultaneously filters out users that won’t benefit from your offerings.
In a nutshell: Even if you create the perfect ad, it won’t matter if “your people” don’t see it.
Here’s how to tackle audience targeting like a pro.
Successful audience targeting makes the most out of your PPC marketing campaign. It’s also a multi-layered approach, but here’s the gist of it:
1. Keyword Research
Use keyword research tools to find PPC keywords and phrases that best represent your business. By using the most relevant keywords, your ads will be more likely to show up when an ideal customer searches for related products or services.
Don’t forget about negative keywords, too. These prevent unwanted clicks by hiding your ads from people outside of your audience.
2. Regular Updates
It doesn’t stop at choosing keywords. Successful PPC audience targeting also depends on updating and expanding your list of keywords and phrases.
In every industry, the needs of consumers are constantly changing. Regularly updating relevant keywords and phrases will create more chances to bring in new customers.
3. Ad Groups
To take keyword research even further, make ad groups. These ads share a set of relevant keywords or phrases.
With multiple ads on the same mission, it will be easier to organize PPC campaigns, monitor performance, and save money.
4. Landing Page Optimization
So, someone ended up on your PPC landing page. Is it optimized to meet their needs and convert them into a paying customer?
If not, you’re basically spending cash on empty visits.
When your page is optimized to covert, search engines notice. They consider your ads to be valuable. In turn, they charge less per click and rank the ads higher, helping your PPC audience targeting strategy flourish.
Solutions 8 will take care of your PPC woes.
Is your head spinning yet? Well, it should be.
Audience targeting has lots of moving parts. Plus, even after finding the perfect customer, your website needs to convert clicks, build relationships, and keep people coming back.
PPC management is a job within itself, but luckily for you, we’re all about this stuff.
To use PPC ads to your advantage, contact us at (480) 442-7648 or info@sol8.com. You can also request a 15-minute call. We can’t wait to chat!
Need a hand? Solutions 8 has your back.
If you own physical stores, running Local campaigns in Google Ads is key for increasing foot traffic. It will market your ads to local people who are already interested in what you have to offer—and make it easier for them to find you.
Plus, if you work with a Google Ads agency like Solutions 8, we can help you get approved to track in-store visits.
You can find more Google ads tips and guidance on our Google Ads YouTube channel. We also invite you to contact Solutions 8 for a free Google Ads action plan. Email us at info@sol8.com or call us as (480) 908-8609. Talk to you soon!
