When it comes to getting in front of new consumers, the effectiveness of paid search advertising can’t be beaten. We know that the vast majority of consumers begin the buying journey on search engines like Google and Bing, so relying on PPC ads to show up when they search is a safe bet to get your business found.
But, if you’re relying solely on search advertising, you’re missing out on opportunities to capture new customers along the full buying journey. You don’t want to show up just when they begin their search – you want to show up every step of the way.
The question is: Where do you start?
In this post, we’ll explore six marketing strategies that perfectly complement PPC advertising to help you generate leads and get new customers.
Let’s dive in!
1. Get Seen on Search Engines & Social with Facebook Advertising + PPC
Facebook advertising is exactly what it sounds like – advertising on Facebook. And, because Facebook owns Instagram, you get the added benefit of advertising there as well.
While we know that consumers start their searches on search engines, we also know that 76% of Facebook users visit the site daily, and the average user spends 50 minutes per day on the site or in the app. Plus, 48% of consumers use some form of social media and search engines to make purchase decisions.
Additionally, in one study, businesses running both Facebook advertising and paid search campaigns saw improved PPC clickthrough rates, lowered cost per click, and more clicks per combined campaign spend.
So, by running both paid search and Facebook advertising, you’re enabling your business to reach more of your target audience and increasing your chances that your brand will be seen at the crucial times they’re making purchasing decisions.
2. Increase Awareness (& Conversions) with Display Advertising + PPC
Display advertising allows you to show a visual ad on sites across the web. These ads are meant to increase awareness for your business and can also help drive traffic to your website or to a specific landing page.
When used in conjunction with PPC, however, display advertising can help you increase conversions and show up when users are searching for you.
Studies have shown that 27% of consumers conduct a search for a business after seeing their display ad, and there’s a 59% lift in conversions when users conducted a search related to a display ad.
3. Convert Even More Customers with Retargeting + PPC
Retargeting is a form of display advertising that allows you to specifically target users who have searched for your business (search retargeting) or visited your website (site retargeting). Like regular display ads, these ads show on sites across the web, but you can tailor the messaging or images to align with what users previously searched for or clicked on your website.
You’ve probably seen this happen multiple times. You might search for a dentist, click on a paid search result for one near you, then click off the site. In a day or two, you might notice an ad for that same dentist while you’re on your local news site or online shopping.
Retargeting is the perfect complement to PPC because few people convert on their first visit to a website, but retargeting makes them more than 40% more likely to do so. This increases the effectiveness of your PPC advertising (not to mention your other digital marketing tactics!).
4. Dominate Search Engines with SEO + PPC
SEO, or search engine optimization, is a strategy that focuses on optimizing your website and web presence to help you rank on search engines for searches related to your business.
If you look at a typical search engine results page, you’ll see:
- A few paid search results (this is where PPC ads appear).
- Maps listings (for local searches).
- Organic search results.
Organic results outlined in green.
SEO works to rank your website in organic search results, which can also include Maps listings. If you’re running both SEO and PPC, you have the opportunity to show up multiple times on the search engine results page, increasing your chances of a user clicking on your website.
In fact, according to a report from Bing, businesses that were running a PPC campaign saw a 31% increase in the number of clicks over companies solely relying on organic techniques.
Running both local SEO and PPC can also give you valuable information about your target audience. For example, if you’re a plumbing company and notice you’re getting more visits to your website when people search for “toilet running,” you can run a paid search campaign targeting that keyword to capture even more searchers.
5. Boost Local Search Visibility with Listings Management + PPC
Another way to increase your chances of appearing organically in local search results is to invest in a listings management strategy. Listings sites, like Google My Business, Yelp, CitySearch, and many more, source your business information to help people find you in maps apps, on review sites, and on search engines.
Google My Business, specifically, is a must if you want to show up in the Maps listings on the Google Maps app or in the Google 3-pack in search results.
When you run PPC ads with a listings management strategy, you can increase your chances of showing up on search engines for local searches, which make up 46% of all searches on Google.
6. Improve Your PPC Ads with Google Reviews
Reviews are another facet of local listings that can impact your PPC campaigns – specifically reviews on your Google My Business page.
Google reviews can increase your PPC ad’s clickthrough rate and raise your Quality Score. A better Quality Score can lead to lower cost per click and better Ad Rank.
Google reviews can also appear in your local PPC ads under the Google 3-pack, which gives you another opportunity to show up on page one of Google and builds trust for your business.
Reviews are important for your business because they lend your business credibility and can impact purchasing decisions. In fact, nearly 90% of people trust online reviews as much as they trust recommendations from people they know, and almost 70% of people are influenced by reviews.
So, by incorporating reviews into your online marketing strategy (and your PPC strategy), you can influence consumers to choose your business when they search.
Build on Your PPC Foundation
PPC is a versatile and effective online marketing strategy that can help you reach an array of goals from building awareness to driving website visits to getting new customers. But, the best PPC strategy works in conjunction across channels to reach consumers no matter where they’re spending time online.
If your marketing plan includes PPC alone, then you’re missing out on additional ways to get in front of people who might become your customers and a way to grow your business. Try some (or all!) of these marketing strategies to take your PPC – and your marketing – to the next level.
