By Tom Mason, Communications Director
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising might be the closest thing to having a marketing tap that you can turn on and off again.
(Although that’s a very simplistic view so please don’t let that be the only thing you take away from this article!)
Unlike organic campaigns that take time to build momentum, PPC lets you see results fairly quickly and, crucially, lets you control how many prospects enter your sales funnel.
But before you start throwing money at Google Ads, it’s worth understanding what makes a PPC campaign both effective and worthwhile.
Why PPC gives you control over your marketing
PPC advertising is a relatively simple activity from a high-level perspective:
You submit an advert to Google and then you pay each time someone clicks on your ad.
You can target the exact keywords your ideal clients are searching for, choose the locations you want to appear in, set the times of day your ads run and even decide how much you’re willing to spend per click.
If you write and design it well, you can get great results from little investment.
If you don’t, you could end up spending money on clicks from people who would never engage with your brand and therefore you’ll be wasting your money.
This level of control means you can top up your funnel enough to meet your business goals if you have the money to do it.
You can also respond to demand spikes, fill gaps when other channels underperform and test messaging to see what converts best.
However, as I mention above, PPC isn’t a magic button and it’s easy to burn through budgets without generating quality leads.
Choosing the right keywords, avoiding clicks from irrelevant audiences and continuously optimising ad copy and landing pages are all essential.
That’s why businesses often see the best results when they work with an agency that understands both strategy and execution.
How to make Google Ads work for your business
Here’s a realistic approach to PPC/Google Ads that we often use as a guide when speaking to clients about this subject:
- Objective setting: What is a “lead” and what does it mean for your business? How much are you willing to pay to acquire one?
- Choose the right keywords: Focus on terms your ideal clients are actively searching for, not just popular phrases.
- Optimise your landing pages: Ensure the page users reach is relevant, fast and designed to convert.
- Test and adjust: Monitor performance regularly, tweak targeting, ad copy and budgets and scale what works.
Partnering with a marketing agency takes the guesswork out of this process as we manage campaigns day-to-day, interpret data and optimise your budget to make sure every click is worth paying for.
If you’re looking to see more leads without losing control of your marketing spend, it’s time to consider PPC and with the right help, you can finally manage the sales funnel with confidence.
Ready to start controlling your lead flow? Book a PPC consultation today.
