The advantages of using PPC adverts to promote your business, marketing campaigns or events are boundless. It might seem daunting at first, but so is anything new. We’re here to help demystify the search engine marketing tool that is PPC. But first… let’s get the basics down.
What Is Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC)?
PPC is an acronym for Pay Per Click advertising that is set up and delivered using Google Adwords. The name suggests exactly how it works, you only pay per click on your advertisement.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a great way to get your website ranking in search engine results pages. But it is highly competitive and can’t always guarantee that you’ll be placed at the top of the results.
PPC adverts are the answer to that dilemma. If you are able to optimise your PPC ads properly, you can sit at the top of your search results for the chosen keywords that you want to compete for.
The advantage of this is that you’ll only receive targeted traffic from users that are genuinely interested in your brand, product or service. Anything that you want to promote can be done via PPC. Plus, it can help you get the traction you need for your ideas to come to fruition.
Selecting Keywords For Your Campaign
PPC advertising campaigns are based on selecting the right keywords. You then use these in the advert as well as the landing page that it links to.
These keywords would relate to the words that your users would type into Google when searching to find your service or event. Ample research needs to be put in to determine which keywords are appropriate.
Google Adwords has a tool called Keyword Planner that allows you to search for keywords that other users have included in their campaigns. These keywords also come with data that give you a better idea of the following:
- How much competition each keyword has, ie: how many people use it for their campaigns
- How many people actually search for that keyword using Google
- What the estimated cost will be for you if you use the keyword in your campaign (CPC – cost per click)
There is a lot of other information that can be gleaned from Google Adwords. But if you’re just starting out, this is the most important information for you.
Keyword Planner also allows you to search for keywords via a particular location. This is ideal if your event is only in Johannesburg. Why would you want to promote it to Capetonians or Durbanites? Unless you’re throwing your net wide to capture additional interest, it would be better to focus the adverts to ensure the best possible results.
Using PPC Adverts For Timed Events Or Campaigns
One of the most exciting features of PPC is that you can use Google Adwords to determine specific date ranges for your promotions. Once you submit your campaign and it is approved by Google, they will run from and to the dates you specify. This will give you all the attention you need at the right time.
You can also have a range of different adverts that fire off on different days or that are relative to different keywords. This way you can segment the market you are talking to and give your users information that speaks specifically to them.
For example, if your event is an exhibition for exotic pets:
- You can have an advert that speaks to people who are searching to buy exotic pets. This advert can be more of a direct sell to get people to attend the event.
- You could also have a different advert that speaks to people who would want to exhibit their exotic pets at an event like this, enticing them to sign up for a stall.
The most important thing for event-specific PPC adverts is to remember to include your end date in the Advanced Settings. It’s futile paying for advertising for an event that has already passed and you will want to kick yourself for that.
Does all of the above make sense to you? We are just getting started! If you missed our initial blog post on PPC 101, give that a read for some more background.
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