Advertising and Pay-per-Click Management Services
Pay-per-Click Management Services
Pay-per-click management services augment your broader web marketing strategy. They achieve visibility quickly and reliably and are a great way to gather data and test keywords. They are typically only capable of achieving a click-through rate of 3–5%, so they should not be pursued without additional content-creation strategies. However, if the payback and return on investment (ROI) can be demonstrated, keep them going.
Google AdWords includes the text ads that show up above organic search results.
If a category is profitable enough, we will frequently continue to run ads, even if you are achieving organic page results. The click-through rates for ads are materially lower, so you are effectively making two impressions at a relatively small cost. Other forms of pay-per-click advertising include product ads, mobile ads, display ads, and re-marketing ads. Each of these areas is nuanced.
Be especially aware of trying pay-per-click advertising yourself. It can be dangerous and frighteningly easy to spend a fortune without achieving meaningful results. CEOs often tell us about their attempts to use AdWords—the companies almost always waste too much time and too much money . . . without seeing results. We know how to set up campaigns, control spending, measure results, achieve iterative improvement, and vastly increase success rates.
Social Media Advertising
Social media advertising is less direct in its business objective. However, a small investment here can help get the ball rolling when you’re trying to build an audience. An early commitment to social media can set your company up for long-term social media success.
Search Ads
Pay per click ads like AdWords are part of a broader strategy because they typically have a maximum 5% click-through rate. They are great for testing new keywords, sometimes prove to be profitable, and can be worth scaling up.
Mobile
Mobile ads are managed slightly differently than normal ads. Bids are usually tweaked up or down depending on the strategy, and additional extensions like a click-to-call function can be implemented effectively.
Display Ads
Display ads include re-marketing ads, which are shown to users who have previously visited a page on your website. They can be profitable when implemented properly, but otherwise risk being annoying.
Social Ads
Social ads are a helpful way to build receptive audiences on social networks. Posts can be targeted based on interest and can be a great way to promote buzz.