What is PPC Marketing?
There are countless ways to market your small business, whether it be through direct mail, email, social media, or even via signage at neighboring businesses. We cover marketing tips for just about any medium, but today the focus is on PPC Marketing. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) marketing is a way for businesses to advertise their services online, paying a fee for every “click” they receive on their ad. This strategy is effective for a number of reasons we’ll be outlining for you – let’s dive in!
The Basics of PPC
Pay-per-click marketing is, in its most simplistic form, a way for you to buy visits to your website. You, as the advertiser, create a campaign to be hosted on a search engine or other website. Every time someone clicks on your ad, you pay a fee. Straightforward, right? We see PPC ads all the time as consumers, popping up on the siderail of websites we visit. But one of the most popular forms of PPC marketing is called search engine advertising. Search engine advertising is also something you’ve seen countless times. It’s a strategy in which advertisers bid with search engines like Google and Yahoo to display their ads among search results for specific keywords. If a customer is searching “Italian takeout,” they may see an ad for Olive Garden listed prominently at the top of the search results page; that ad is a form of search engine marketing.
Keyword Optimization
You want your ads to target the right audience, otherwise you end up paying for clicks from folks who end up having no real interest in your product or service. That’s where keyword optimization comes into play. The Word Stream keyword tool is one such research tool that can help you determine the most appropriate words to use in your ad campaigns. The more relevant the keywords, the more relevant the clicks, the more likely you are to land a sale.
How Do I Track PPC Campaigns?
You’ll want to know if your PPC efforts are having an impact on your business. For this reason, tracking your campaigns is key. You’ll want to know which websites the majority of your clicks are coming from, what page positions see more traction, which keywords perform best, etc. If you’re running multiple campaigns using different strategies, tracking will also allow you to learn which of those strategies are performing best. Search Engine Land has a great article on tracking PPC and which metrics are key to understand—check out PPC Guide: Tracking and measurement for PPC campaigns.
When it comes to small business financing, there’s no better place to turn than ARF Financial. With our expert loan consultants and decades of experience, we’re ready to help you create the best loan product to meet your business goals. Interested in embarking on a new marketing strategy? Consider tapping into a business line of credit that can put hundreds of thousands of dollars at your fingertips. Looking to ramp up for a busy sales season? A working capital loan is a great option to help you keep your business operations running smoothly during times of transition. There’s no hassle, no hidden fees, and no collateral needed—and those are just a few of the perks of working with ARF Financial. Stop by today to learn more!