by Marianna Muscat | Oct 28, 2020 | PPC
How can you get more out of paid search advertising? Let’s discuss ad conception, creation & how that ties in with your landing page.
Pay-Per-Click, or PPC for short, is the model used by Google and other advertising services. The model charges the user’s account for every click on an ad. The amount charged is dependent on the competition for a specific keyword and the user’s budget for the ad campaign.
You can gauge competition for a keyword by using the Google Ads Keyword Planner.
Make sure you have a Google account so you can use the feature. If you have a Gmail account, you can link that to any other Google services.
The keyword “digital marketing” has average monthly searches of 1K to 10K and medium competition. At the time of writing the top of page bid low range is R9.55 and the high range is R41.81.
What this means is to be guaranteed of outbidding the competition for the keyword, you need to bid R42 or higher. Generally, the bidding process is fair by giving all bids within the low and high range a fair chance. The number of impressions your ad receives will depend on your budget.
Please note the information above pertains to the South African market. Targeting different territories will impact on the competitiveness, search volume, and cost.
Keyword research is the cornerstone of any copywriting. If you find a keyword with a high search volume and low competition, you’re well on your way to success.
Creating The Paid Search Advertising Campaign
Okay, you have the perfect keyword. What now?
Decide on your budget, both Google ads and Microsoft Advertising allows different ways to set your budget. The most common method is setting a daily budget. Both engines will then aim to keep your spend within your daily limit.
For this article, we’ll be focusing more on Google Adsense.
Choose a budget of at least R100 a day. If your daily budget is too low, you might only get one click per day. That makes it hard to gauge success. You can set up a maximum cost-per-click (CPC).
Setting up a maximum CPC will help you gauge over time whether your bid is sufficient for your industry.
Great, you have a budget in mind.
Consider Your Goal
Placing your first ad is a lot like starting a new blog. Be prepared to make some mistakes and don’t expect overnight success. Since the platforms allow for various ad types, you’ll have to consider your end-goal.
Some of the types of campaigns to consider are:
- Generating sales
- Leads
- Website traffic
- Product and brand consideration
- Brand awareness and reach
- App promotion
Whatever you decide on, remember the benefits of split testing or A/B testing. You may want to generate sales, but you can run the same ad to get website traffic. Sometimes one ad type will outperform the other.
The most experienced digital marketers know this, and they always split test. It’s essential for blog headlines, email subject lines, and ads. In time you will get better at it.
The simplest and most common in the beginning is targeting website traffic with search-based ads.
Continue Creating Your Campaign
Name your campaign (for example, men’s watches) and continue setting up. You’ll need to choose the network for the ad to run on. Google will display ads in search or across other relevant sites for your niche.
In the case of the latter, that approach has become less successful over the years. In part due to ad blockers, and part because fewer webmasters are using Google ads on their sites.
Set up your start date and end date. Without an end date, Google will continue running your campaign indefinitely.
Now you need to choose your target location. If you’re only selling in the South African market, or your business is based here, you may only want to promote ads in South Africa. Similarly, if you own a furniture business in Cape Town, you can (and should) narrow down even further.
Narrowing down your target demographic can end up costing you more money. So again, consider A/B testing here to see what works for you.
Creating The Ad Group
After setting up your campaign, you can now create the ad group. Your keyword planning from earlier comes into play here. Hopefully, you have done your research by now.
Some other planners to consider are Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest or Keywordtool.io.
Using brackets around the keyword will tell Google to look for an exact match instead of a broad match. Google ads describe them like this:
- Keyword = broad match
- “keyword” = phrase match
- [keyword] = exact match
Creating The Ad Itself
After setting up the ad group, you can now create the ad itself. You can create multiple different ads within the same ad group. Remember, your daily budget covers one or multiple ads. So, if you plan on running more than one ad, consider raising your daily budget.
At this point, you’ll be able to see which ad performs best. You can either tweak the others or remove them and focus the budget on the best performing ad.
Google will allow you to create multiple headlines and will display a preview of your ad on the side. Keep tweaking and keep your keyword and goal in mind when creating headlines.
Add a description for your ad. Now you’re ready to publish.
The Landing Page Can Make or Break Your Ad Campaign
There’s a couple of things that make a landing page successful. The first is brevity and a focused approach. Great design helps, of course. You want to entice the customer to take action by offering the value of your product or service as succinctly as possible.
Secondly, make the visitor understand what you’re selling immediately. Make sure your headline urges the visitor to read on.
A landing page with a simple design and direct message increases your conversion rate.
Your entire campaign will fall flat if you don’t optimise the page load time. Make sure it’s quick to load.
Ensure the ad matches up with the landing page’s message. If you have a message mismatch, you will immediately lose visitor trust. Combine it with a strong call-to-action.
Don’t lose the message by showcasing too many features. Instead, show people why they should trust you with testimonials and real solutions to real problems.
Conclusion
Paid search advertising is only as effective as the landing page. Be sure to master both and make them the best they can be.
by Marianna Muscat | Oct 20, 2020 | Content Marketing
Meta descriptions are important for content marketing because when customers or consumers type your brand name into Google, they are getting an impression of your company whether you like it or not. In this way, you can use meta descriptions as a digital marketing tool. A good meta description will also increase your SEO rankings on search engines like Google.
A meta description can be thought of as the first impression you make during an interview – it can either make or break you.
How To Write A Good Meta Description
Ever hear how marketers go on about using storytelling as a content marketing tool? The same goes for meta descriptions. You need to make your customer the hero of the story. This means that your digital marketing strategy needs to focus on the customer and their needs and wants. Another way to ensure your meta description is successful is by making sure that it matches your brand image and brand message. The description should also make sense when used on different content marketing platforms. Lastly, meta descriptions should just sound good and make potential customers feel good, while also maintaining your brand’s identity.
Three Important Factors To Consider When Writing Meta Descriptions
Your customer’s problem
You need to show your customers that you are aware of and understand their problems – their pain. You can do this by describing the specific challenges that your customers face. Showing emotion and offering a solution to their problem are also effective ways to show that you care. If you are unsure about your customer’s needs then you need to ask them, so that your content marketing strategy can really pull at their heartstrings.
Your business’ solution
This is your opportunity to state how your products or services can alleviate their pain and problems.
The outcome – both in results and emotion
This final step will act as the differentiator between a good and great meta description. It’s important to show your customers the result of your solution, including how it will feel and what their life will look like. It’s a great idea to use emotion and discuss your brand’s beliefs when doing this.
Even though meta descriptions are just a few characters, they make a huge difference to your SEO rankings. They show your customers that you are caring and relatable; while also making a great first impression. Meta descriptions are a great digital marketing tool and if you can spend hours writing blogs for your brand’s content marketing strategy, then a short meta description won’t hurt!
by Marianna Muscat | Oct 17, 2020 | Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is the most popular way to reach potential clients since everyone has a smartphone in their hands. What do you do when your target audience isn’t on social media, though?
Although social media is at the forefront of marketing, there are other ways to reach your target audience without social media marketing. Here are some useful tips that will help you connect to potential clients:
Keep your social media accounts active
Even if your target audience isn’t on social media, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should abandon your social media platforms altogether. Once somebody has heard of you, they will usually check out your company’s social media platforms to make sure that your company is legit. Hold their interest and establish your company as an authoritative figure by constantly sharing relevant content that lets them know you are passionate and knowledgeable about your field.
Standout by establishing yourself as an industry expert
Establishing yourself as an expert in your field will allow for more potential customers to come across your brand when doing their research. To do this, you need to create helpful resources for your target audience to use. A great example would be a blog that discusses the core issues and questions people may have when using your product or service. HappyFox is a useful example of the above.
Start a podcast
Podcasts are a great way to share knowledge and connect with your audience. With millions of people tuning in weekly to listen to podcasts, you are sure to tap into your target market at some point. Providing a podcast that is both informative and entertaining will ensure that listeners keep coming back for more, as it’s both helpful and a great way to keep people entertained on their way to work, or even at work. Check out the Marketing Speak podcast as a good reference in terms of how you can approach it.
Conduct research and compile white papers
By conducting original research on your industry and putting together an in-depth report on a key topic, you will easily manage to connect with and inform your target audience. Giving people useful statistics and data will help you establish your brand as an industry leader and you will, in turn, be quoted by other key individuals and organisations. You can also provide the information via a white paper, which highlights the problem and gives solutions.
Contact WSI OMS for help with social media marketing
By trying out the above-mentioned methods as a way of connecting with your target audience, you will be able to easily connect with them in a user-friendly way, without having to break the bank either on fancy marketing tools.
Looking for some extra help with your social media marketing? Contact WSI OMS today!
by Marianna Muscat | Oct 15, 2020 | PPC
We all know that feeling when you login to your various ad dashboards to see how your Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads are doing and seeing a sudden spike in CTR and a drop in ad spend. This is part of why we run these ads, isn’t it? To feel that smile stretching across your face as you see the first results – even if they might only start paying off in a few days’ time since launching an ad campaign. It’s become an effective tool for inbound marketing, but with so many platforms popping up and changing ad choices, which ones are considered to yield the best results?
Our list of top PPC platforms
Since Google is the most popular search engine, it only makes sense that this platform will remain one of the top options for online advertising.
Your distinguishing advantage with Amazon is that you have an audience that is already intent on buying.
Not as powerful as Google AdWords, but keep in mind that Microsoft installs Bing as its default browser on Windows 10, so its reach is wider than you might assume.
Being the most popular social media network in the world, Facebook is still one of the top places for targeted ads.
Perfect for concise and powerful ad copy, with various campaign types.
If you’re hoping to get your content in front of industry professionals or for B2B connections, this is the answer.
As a side-note, PPC trends for 2020 suggest that using video content in advertising will continue to dominate, simply because it has the ability to retain attention and elevate brand identity.
If you would like to consult with a digital marketing agency on the perfect PPC strategy for your business, contact WSI OMS today.
by Marianna Muscat | Oct 1, 2020 | Digital Media Marketing
As the world adjusts to a new normal brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, more companies are allowing employees to work remotely. Others have had to adapt by going full e-commerce.
Nobody knows what the future holds, but telecommuting looks like it’s here to stay even after companies start reopening, as the digital marketing world has been changed forever.
How has working remotely changed consumer spending?
Three areas have seen a major shift in consumer spending thanks to remote work. The first is the space and physical surroundings of a home office. Interior design firm Storey Design told Recode that people are already starting to think about redesigning their homes in a way that better accommodates working remotely. Overstock.com has said that home office furniture sales have doubled. There’s been a drastic increase in the demand for laptops, monitors and webcams too.
The next category is the goods and services that support remote workers. Spending has shifted in this area as people don’t buy coffee on their way to work anymore for their colleagues, and no longer hit their local gym. Now, people stock up on their snacks beforehand and buy home gym equipment.
The third way that remote work has changed spending is the shift towards more convenient shopping methods. Grocery delivery has taken centre stage and is a convenient way to shop while also social distancing. On top of that, it takes extra stress away from someone who may already be juggling working from home and taking care of kids at the same time.
What factors are relevant to the remote working movement?
In specific, these products and services have made a world of difference in the working remotely trend:
- Home office goods. This helps people comfortably work from home with an environment that gives off a work feel for ultimate concentration.
- Technology/tech gadgets. Technology is essential in making sure work is done efficiently and communication flows as it should.
- Food delivery apps. People don’t want the dreaded grocery run to add to their stresses, and it supports social distancing efforts. Healthy snacks have also become popular.
- At-home training equipment has become popular due to gyms closing, as people still want to keep up with their fitness and stick to a routine as much as possible.
How can your brand connect with the working remotely crowd?
Companies that align with the work-from-home trend are set to benefit massively. Here’s what you can do to tap into this exploding market:
Grow a loyal base of support
Growing brand relationships will give you repeat shoppers. Focus on growing customer loyalty and you’ll create a flowing pipeline with happy customers becoming brand advocates. They tell their friends, rave about you on social media and improve brand awareness.
Build an online community
The isolation of working remotely has created a need for more human interaction and building an online community will fulfil that need. There are lots of ways you can do this, including hosting live stream webinars or highlighting customer product photos on your newsfeed. It’s also helpful to give customers a platform so that they can connect.
Use technology to ace e-commerce
There’s no doubt that online shopping is a trend that’s here to stay. Embracing e-commerce will give you a competitive edge. Reviews, ratings and user-generated content can give your company everlasting business growth and establish online credibility. Customers that see this will want to learn more about you and can lead to potential sales.
Using digital marketing to your advantage during the working remotely trend
The tips mentioned above are great ways to take advantage of the unique digital marketing methods during these times. If you’re looking for a helping hand with your online credibility, social media or copywriting, get in touch with us today.
