The Four Secrets of Successful PPC Campaigns (Part 1)
by Barbara Fischer / Trendhaus Pty Ltd
Over the past decade, online marketing has become an integral part of most businesses’ marketing strategies. In particular, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) have become one of the most common channels for any business to sell its products and services. In this article, I will share some insights into successful SEM and SEO campaigns.
The attractive quality of SEM and in particular pay per click (=PPC) advertising is that the results are measurable. As a strategic marketer, I have never come across any sales or marketing tool which is so transparent and cost-effective. PPC campaigns allow you to see vital statistics on user behavior, text ads, keywords and much more. Best of all, however, is the fact that you can use PPC campaigns as “instant sales generators”: You can pause your campaign when sales are high or you can switch them on again when sales are low to get a new sales boost.
Secret 1: Have an online strategy in place before you start!
Prior to implementing your online strategy you should consider the following:
I. Define the purpose of your online marketing campaign.
Some businesses use PPC purely as a “sales generator” tool, other businesses use it as a way to encourage new client leads and others simply for increased brand awareness.II. Identify the medium and long term online strategy
It is important to have realistic medium and long term expectations. Bear in mind that online campaigns deliver improved results the longer you run them.III. Set a realistic monthly budget
Always consider your budget relative to your product’s profit margin. PPC can have a massive effect on sales and lead generation, but
In our experience, we often find that very few businesses develop a strategy before they start their campaign. The alarmingly common approach of “let’s allocate some budget for 6 months and see what happens” is a recipe for disaster.
Particularly for the first weeks of your PPC campaign run time, it is imperative that you dedicate a significant amount of time to fine-tuning key words and text ads.
An alternative solution is to employ an agency and ask them for a trial PPC campaign in which the results are assessed after 4 weeks. If your agency cannot deliver results within the first 2-3 weeks, chances are that they are not allocating your budget to the right key words and text ads or did not consult you properly in the first place.
Secret 2: Prepare your website!
Statistics show that you have got exactly 6 seconds to convince a visitor to stay on your site. If the visitor does not instantly find what he or she is looking for, your budget will not translate into business or leads.
It is critical for your website to have the following characteristics:
Enticing images - If you offer a service, pictures of happy people will give the impression of satisfied end users. If you are offering a product, make sure that your images are clear and represent your product in a true manner.
Good web copy – Remember that less is more when it comes to web copy. Don’t clutter your site with unnecessary text. Good web copy should fit in one frame.
Call to action phrases - Tell your visitors what you want them to do. Examples of good call to action phrases are: “Call now!”, “Buy today!”, “Contact us!”.
No scroll bars- Wherever possible, fit everything into one screen or frame. The more a user has to scroll, the more chance you have in loosing the visitor.
Site design in HTML – Flash websites might look great, but are a killer for any SEM campaign. You may incorporate some flash images to enhance your site’s look and feel, however keep your site predominately HTML.
Remember: Unless your site is ready, your traffic will not convert into sales or leads.
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