PPC is seen as a quick and easy way to advertise your business.
PPC means pay-per-click. It is a way to advertise your business and the best thing is that you only pay when your ad is clicked on. This sets it apart from traditional advertising such as television or billboards that require you to pay despite people not taking part in your campaign.
Let’s look at the benefits for using PPC:
Increases Website Traffic
One of the biggest benefits of PPC is the amount of traffic that will hit your website. You are paying for Google to feature your company on the first page of its results. This is a quick way to get instant results and increase visibility for your site.
Budget Control and Real Time Tracking
Again, unlike most marketing strategies, you can stop or change ad campaigns if they aren’t working. With PPC, you can modify your strategy by playing with keywords or adding discounts to encourage your customers to buy.
Increases Sales and Re-marketing
PPC is inherently a targeted ad, which will help encourage buyers to your product. The fact that PPC will track someone’s visit to your site and re-display the product on other sites will increase your sales. This method will also help your brand recognition as your customers associate the product with your company.
But, could PPC be dying out?
Here are the five crucial reasons why you should not be completely dependent on PPC for your business…
1 ) Expensive Service
PPC is a paid service, which may seem fine on the outside as you are only paying for the clicks, but it all adds up. You will also need to get an expert to help you create an effective ad campaign. In comparison to SEO, PPC is expensive and complicated. SEO is free and, even if you have to cash out for a SEO specialist to help you, they won’t charge as much as PPC. The fact that Facebook Ads are getting more expensive each time adds to this.
Josh Sturgeon, a growth marketer of EmberTribe, states that Facebook ads are getting more expensive because there is less supply than the increasing demand. This supply is in regard to the total number of people to target and the placements that can showcase these ads.
2 ) New Lack of Brand Control
With the rise of self-automatic technology, Google Ads and other platforms are using AI-based methods to create these ads. Basically, your ad copy will be altered by these platforms and this could be problematic for companies that have strict brand guidelines as Extra Digital states.
3 ) Google Ads As the Forerunner
The biggest disadvantage of using PPC is the results (or lack of results), that you get from other platforms. Google Ads is the largest paid platform and in comparison, the other platforms will not give you the ROI you expect. If you are spending money on other PPC beyond Google Ads, it is just money down the drain.
4 ) Sponsored Ads Are Ignored
According to a recent Google survey, 85% of people say they ignore sponsored listings when searching via Google. As it is so clear that they are sponsored ads, people are sceptical of advertising. At the end of the day, you are trying to sell something and people will want to avoid it.
So, is PPC worth it?
PPC is an instant way to get sales and leads for your company, but you cannot rely on it solely for your business. For small businesses especially, PPC is too expensive and you will lose the visibility as soon as you run out of money to display the ad campaigns.
Facebook ads are also getting more expensive as Facebook have changed their system of advertising.
Here’s the most crucial reason why you cannot pin your business on PPC…
If the PPC platform changes its algorithm, your business is at the mercy of it.
Social media platforms like Facebook change frequently and this could disrupt your business. You will have to completely restructure your marketing strategy if it changes.
We suggest using PPC if you know how to use it and it is a secondary part of your business marketing strategy. PPC is not a bad thing, but you should look to prioritise content & engagement over it. You need to know why and how you are going to market your business.
If you need help working out your marketing strategy, we offer training to help you convert leads into paying clients.
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