Pay-per-click marketing (PPC) took off during the pandemic. But then, everyone was at home, using their devices and shopping online. Now, with fewer people at home using their devices, it’s time to adjust your PPC strategy to maximize return on investment.
This article will give you the five best strategies to turn your ROI around. Your ROI is the most critical piece of data in PPC marketing. Increasing click-through and conversion rates should be top of your priority list. We’ll look at some strategies to increase click-through rates, conversion rates, and pay-per-click ROI.
- How to increase conversion and click-through rates (CR & CTR)
First, one of the best ways to increase CR and CTR is A/B testing. However, we’ll discuss A/B testing as a strategy in tip number five. CTR is essentially a metric to define how well your ad grabs attention. In contrast, the conversion rate is more holistic to your product, website, and authority. Ads with the highest CTRs always include what’s known as a “curiosity hook.” The hook can be a claim, promise, or even video that’s attention-grabbing.
Depending on the platform you use for advertising, the people you advertise to will be used to a particular format. The best example of this is TikTok. On TikTok, everything is in video format and highly personalized. That means you want your TikTok ads to not look like an ad but look like a TikTok. People on TikTok are programmed to swipe up immediately when they hear words marketers use a lot. You’ll want to structure your ad in a way that fits the platform.
Once you’ve hooked their attention, you need to give them a reason to click. Keep in mind that people don’t buy things because of features—they buy because of the benefits. If you were selling golf clubs, you wouldn’t want your ad to say “made with graphene in the USA.” A much better string of copy would be “increase your drive at least 10-15 yards with our graphene clubs.” Notice the difference?
One final way to increase CTR and CR is by improving your brand reputation. Brand reputation isn’t necessarily measurable. However, you can still improve it without spending large amounts on advertising. Actively pursuing social media is one of the most effective ways to increase your brand reputation. Additionally, when people click on your site, one of the first things they should see are tens of positive reviews. These tactics both incorporate social proof and are highly valuable to your business.
- Use multiple platforms
Similar to buying stocks, you don’t want to have all eggs in one basket. Ideally you’ll have three to four marketing channels that send traffic to your site. This might look like Facebook, Google, and TikTok ads for an e-commerce store.
When it comes to using one singular platform for advertising, several problems could occur. Using multiple channels allows you to avoid these problems:
- Advertising costs on that platform could increase.
- Only specific demographics use specific platforms. For example, TikTok attracts a higher percentage of younger generations than Facebook.
- The platform could remove your account.
- Use more lookalike audiences
Lookalike audiences was a feature rolled out in 2013 by Facebook to give advertisers another option. Since then, the feature has taken off because of its effectiveness in driving conversions.
This is how the algorithm works: First, you’ll need at least 30 conversions in the last month. Then, the platform will ask how similar you’d like the audience to be to the first one. Next, the platform compares data from people who’ve bought from your store against those you haven’t advertised to yet. The ones who “lookalike” will see the ads.
For some businesses, lookalike audiences are the most lucrative form of ads. Other companies don’t see the same success. It’s up to you to test that. Another way to advertise is retargeting, which is similar to lookalike audiences. This allows you to target people who were potentially interested in your ad but didn’t click.
- Focus on mobile and video
In 2022, two of the biggest marketing trends are mobile optimization and the use of video. Therefore, you should incorporate both of these tactics into your PPC marketing strategies.
In 2021, more than 50% of internet traffic was from mobile. That number has risen over the past five years and will continue to do so. As a result, mobile optimization will get your ads and site more impressions, clicks, and conversions. Unfortunately, many businesses forget to optimize for mobile, but it’s becoming more prevalent every year.
So, why has the use of video been trending the past few years? Well, in marketing, it’s a lot easier to explain your product by having someone else use it rather than trying to use words to describe it (video versus copywriting). In addition, it’s just easier for someone to watch videos rather than to read articles.
You should use video on your site, in your advertisements, and on your social media pages. It’s an excellent way to market without using any words. (Bonus points if you can show the benefits of your product in your video!)
- Test, analyze, eat, sleep, repeat (A/B testing)
If you’re unaware of what A/B testing is, it’s the process of showing a certain percentage of an audience content A while showing the other audience content B. Then, you analyze the data between the two, see which content converted more, and continue scaling the piece that performed better.
You’ll see A/B testing on advertisements, landing pages, and email subject lines. A/B testing saves you time and money. For example, you’re able to run double the ads simultaneously and for the same price as one ad. Additionally, according to Digital Authority Partners, A/B testing is the best way to refine your PPC campaigns.
Final Thoughts
With advertisers spending more after the pandemic ended, many PPC campaigns became unprofitable. As a result, some e-commerce stores had a negative return on ad spend. Looking forward, optimizing your PPC campaigns will make a significant impact on your business. The ROI on certain PPC campaigns sometimes beats out SEO, which says something. Knowing your target audience, grabbing their attention, and convincing them to click on your ad are the central components of PPC marketing. Perfect them, and your PPC campaign will see success.
