Making the Most of Your Paid Advertising Campaigns — What You Need to Know as You Start

Making the Most of Your Paid Advertising Campaigns

Paid advertising is the quickest way to get more customers to patronize your business. While many strategies exist today to help businesses make the most of their online presence, paid advertising (PPC) campaigns remain the most efficient strategy for generating instant traffic, more engagements, and more conversions.

Content marketing and SEO campaigns are fantastic, but a digital marketer looking for ROI as quickly as possible, would want to take advantage of paid advertising. A $50 spend on social media ads can generate as much as 10,000 visits to your site, if well executed. That’s how effective it can be. Converting these visitors then depends on how relevant your offering is to visitors.

That is why businesses that understand the power of ads spend thousands and millions of dollars on ads annually. Imagine reaching hundreds of thousands of customers just by running a $20,000 ad on Google? Chances are, you’ll make 10 times more in returns. But budgeting a lot of money for ads is just a part of the process; so much more is involved.

Just as organic search engine rankings require dedication to creating and sharing insightful materials on your blog and social media channels, successful ads require some serious level of commitment as well. First, you need an executable paid advertising strategy; then, you proceed in a step-by-step manner, which typically includes analyzing your ad performance along the way. So, if you’re looking to get started with paid advertising for your business, hang on a little longer. You could use the insights from this guide.

Let’s dive in!

1. First, research your audience, understand where they hang out, and strategically target them

It is not enough to understand what your target audience is looking for; you’ve got to be able to reach them where they are. In general, digital marketing experts have embraced the use of personalization to create a more enriching experience for users or visitors. However, without an in-depth understanding of the audience’s unique needs, it might be difficult to offer the customer such an experience

This involves researching what they're looking for, the types of questions they’re asking (which, in turn, helps you understand where they are in the buyers’ journey), and where they can be found (digital channels that they use). Once you have this sorted and executed right, the chances that your business will experience increased conversions from your ads will be higher.

A crucial part of this first process involves keyword research. To maximize your ROI using Google Ads, for instance, you need to know the buzzwords or keywords that appear the most in your target audience’s searches. Before we go any further, keep in mind that defining your target audience by demographics is another aspect you need to pay attention to. This means that you need to create an ad that is specific for a particular kind of audience based on where they are located, their age, businesses, needs, and any other relevant parameter. Understanding this will also influence which channel will deliver the best results for your campaigns.

It’s a no-brainer that if you have a website, you definitely should try out Google Ads. Additionally, social networks like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Snapchat are there for you to leverage. Social media is crucial for paid advertising today. If you’re a fashion brand, Pinterest and Instagram will do you a lot of good.

2. Create your first ad and set up a compelling landing page

At this stage, you’re set to create a welcoming environment for your visitors. Everyone clicking on your ad will be led somewhere — your landing page. If they arrive and realize that what they want is not there or the page is poorly optimized for user experience, chances are, they’ll bounce off. If you’re using Google Ads, you have two main channels to your website; search and display network (which involves working with a network of other websites that display your ad).

When setting up your search ads, the important areas to pay attention to are; the Headline, URL, Description, and Network features. It is at this point that you integrate the target keywords from step 1 into the ad campaign. Also, remember to write a concise and compelling landing page copy. It doesn’t have to be too long. Keep it as explanatory and direct as possible.

In addition to the two channels mentioned above, social networks are other means through which you can drive traffic to your website. And if you’re running ads on Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram, you want to ensure that it still leads to your site’s landing page. Keep in mind that there are rules, such as the Facebook advertising Policies, which you must adhere to. If this seems overwhelming, perhaps, you could use an expert on paid advertising or hire a digital marketing agency.

3. Launch your first paid ad campaign!

Since this is your first go at paid advertising, it is advisable to start with a small budget, especially if you run a small or local business. That way, you also get to study and understand the platform on which you are advertising. Note that you may not get too many clicks just yet, since your budget is small.

As you evaluate your results and performance, you decide to scale or make adjustments where necessary. You can try a budget of $3 per day on Google Ads and $5 or even less on Facebook for a start. You’ll be surprised at the results you’ll get. Try to optimize your ads by using the robust features available at the second stage in the process. Facebook, for instance, allows you to use a set of very robust targeting options to reach your preferred audience.

4. Revisit your ads, make adjustments, and optimize them for more targeted campaigns

After a while, ROI might likely begin to decline if people continue to see the same ads repeatedly. From time to time, you need to go back to the settings, take out or add in a couple of things, tweak the ads according to new insights gained. This is how you stay on top of your campaign and attract more unique visitors to your business.

Since your focus is on driving increased revenue, it’s important to note that the entire process must get a customer to make a purchase or sign up for a sales call, or demo. Your landing page plays a crucial role in this regard — that is where they’ll make up their minds, so it has to be compelling. Making your marketing campaign more effective starts with defining this aspect. In essence, before you even start, be sure that you’ve spelled out what you hope to achieve from your PPC campaign.

Wrapping Up

Making the most of your digital ad spends often begins with defining what you want to achieve from your campaign. Then go ahead to research your target audience for insights on how best to reach them before launching your paid advertising campaign.

Remember to always go back to your ads and tweak them for better performance. Before long, you’ll see a growing ROI. As you master the process, it becomes easier, and you can create more effective strategies, instead of waiting for organic search engine rankings to yield the results. For more insight, feel free to contact us at Mission HR. We are a team of experienced growth strategists, sales, and digital marketing experts, and we’d love to take through every step to creating smart digital marketing goals and achieving them.

We provide result-oriented services for small and medium-sized organizations and government contractors, serving as a trusted partner in integrated human resource compliance, risk management, employee benefits, employment practices liability insurance (EPLI), and payroll processing. If in doubt or still unsure of what next steps to take, contact us today at The Mission HR to schedule a consultation.