How can PPC search advertising work for your business?
There are several factors that make paid search ads a very effective marketing and sales tool for many businesses.
1. The buying process has changed
The way people start their purchase process for all products has changed in the last 7 years. Each day there are hundreds of millions of search inquires made on Google, Yahoo and MSN and many of these people are looking for solutions to product and service needs. Most buyers in many product categories now start their pre-purchase research on the internet and a majority identifies who they will buy from through this process. Examples of this can be seen in the auto industry where research indicates that more than 60% of buyers conduct research on the internet and narrow down their purchase options in this way. They typically start this process using search engine inquiries.
2. Search ads assure you are seen on page one
Although a company can appear on page one of a search result, there is no guarantee that will happen. Even if you are on page one today, search engines are constantly changing their software and this can drop you to page ten tomorrow. In addition, a change in a competitor’s site can bounce you down just as easily. A well run search ad campaign, however, can assure that you are always seen on page one.
3. Reach people who want to buy your product
When one of your web site pages shows up in the main search result, the text shown there will simply be the first few words from the home page, not an offer that fits that customers search words and not even a good description of your service. In contrast, the text shown in your ads will be selected to closely match the prospects specific topic of interest.
4. Great timing
Since the people who will see your ad have taken the time to conduct research before they make a buy decision, your ads reach the buyer at just the right time.
5. Match the right sales message exactly to the buyer
Each click off a Google ad can be directed to a page on the website that fits the interest of that specific prospect. In this way someone that is searching for storage for medical records will click on an ad and go directly to a page that fits them. Delivering a well-matched message this way can improve the conversion rate.
6. Search ads reach far beyond the Search Page
Search ad programs also deliver visibility on thousands of other sites that carry their ads. In this part of the program your ads will appear on other web-sites that relate to your product or service.
7. Cost efficiency.
Search ad programs only charge when someone actually clicks to learn more about your service. This is a much more effective use of marketing dollars than other media methods, such as magazines, radio and TV, where you pay for a total audience, even though most of those people aren’t interested in your product at that time.
8. Yes, search ads work for business to business markets.
With the emphasis on speed in the busy business world, owners, managers and buyers rely on search engines as their first stop for gathering information on potential products and service solutions. Several recent research reports indicate that 60-80% of business people use the internet as their first tool in the buying process and rely on information gathered there to create a short list of potential vendors.
9. Search ads can be used to reach a specific geographic market.
If your business serves specific cities or regions, you can structure a PPC search ad campaign to reach only those markets and avoid wasting ad dollars on clicks from people you can never serve. Each Search service has its own method for this, but almost every city, state and region of the USA, Canada and many other countries can be specifically targeted in this way.
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