Which PPC Platform Should You Use?
When a company is having difficulty getting traffic to their website, PPC (Pay-Per-Click) is a popular option. There are many different platforms out there for advertising which all have their own strengths and weaknesses. Choosing a target audience should be an important factor when deciding which PPC platform you should use. Whether you are targeting a specific keyword, a specific industry or even a specific individual at a company, each platform have different features to offer. At Dallas Riffle Media, we know a thing or two about online advertising. This brief guide about PPC targeting should be able to help you decide which platform would be the best fit for what you’re trying to market.
Keyword Targeting
Dominating specific keywords on search is one of the main objectives of organic SEO. While on-page SEO does play a factor, an effective PPC campaign allows your company to target those searching for specific keywords even if your search rankings are not especially high. Google Adwords is the “800lbs Gorilla” of the paid search world. If you are looking to dominate search among those searching for a particular product or service, Adwords is your best bet. While Adwords is an extremely powerful tool, it is also very complicated and can be difficult for those who are not trained on the platform. This is why Google offers a test to become Adwords Certified.
For those looking for an alternative to Adwords, Bing Ads is another option. Bing offers a very similar platform to Adwords to the point that it actually lets you import an Adwords campaign into your Bing dashboard. Twitter also offers some functionality in this regard as well by allowing users to target specific keywords but Google and Bing are better ways to connect with customers ready to buy. Yelp also offers a pretty extensive PPC package that included a premium business listing, a company video and more. Unfortunately, Yelp isn’t great for all industries and works best for B2C companies such as restaurants.
While Adwords is primarily used for text ads that appear on the top and bottom of Google search, it does have functionality for display ads on websites and mobile apps along with video ads on Youtube. The versatility of Adwords makes it very appealing for those who are interested in targeting those searching for something. While Adwords has very nice features for targeting by geography and device type, it can be limited for targeting too specific of a demographic. Since usable keywords are based on high volume searching, attempting to use keywords that are too specific can lead to your ads not running. It doesn’t help that the character count within your ads is strictly limited. If you cannot represent the information you want within a search ad, you may want to consider another type of platform.
Persona Targeting
Targeting the general populous is not especially difficult. But when you are targeting a specific type of group or individual with your ads, this can be a bit more challenging. While Adwords and Bing are very powerful tools for dominating search, their lack on information beyond basic geographical location and device type makes it difficult to get too specific in your targeting. Social networks on the other hand, have extensive information about its users by design. Social network advertising in many cases allow you to target by gender, age, marital status, career, interests and more. This additional information allows you to be very granular with targeting.
Facebook is by far the most popular form of social media PPC. This is partially due to the informal paywall for businesses, sponsoring content is one of the only ways to receive sizable reach. Facebook targeting is actually quite powerful compared to other platforms. If you want to target female music teachers between the ages of 25-45 in Colorado, Utah and Nevada who like the Beatles and do not like System of a Down, you can! The feature to target those who have a specific job title is especially powerful for B2B companies. While many see Facebook for mostly consumers, the platform has 1.71 billion active monthly users. It is more than likely that if your ideal customer is out there, they are probably using Facebook. While Facebook Adverts are very effective, the platform is definitely not very user friendly. There is also a very strict rule about graphics being able to have no more than 20% text. While Facebook Advert Manager isn’t perfect, once you learn its quirks, it can be a very powerful tool.
Twitter and LinkedIn also offer good tools for those who are looking to expand beyond Facebook advertising. Twitter’s platform is very similar to what Facebook offers albeit a bit more simplistic. Since Twitter does not collect nearly as much information about its users as Facebook does, its targeting features are slightly more limited. It does allow you to target for keywords, interests and profiles followed so it is a step beyond what is offered by Adwords or Bing. LinkedIn is even more simplistic than Twitter but is a powerful platform for those who want to advertise B2B products and services. One interesting feature with LinkedIn is the ability to target those who work within a specific company or even a specific individual working at a specific company. If you’d like to target the Marketing Director of AT&T with a personally tailored ad, no matter how creepy that may sound, you can! LinkedIn is a great alternative for companies looking to advertise directly to professionals.
With so many options available, putting together a proper PPC strategy can be difficult. This is why your company needs Dallas Riffle Media. We are a full-service marketing agency located in Fairview Park, OH near Cleveland. We have trained PPC professionals who are Adwords certified and can help you get the most out of your budget. Regardless of your industry, we are your one-stop-shop for advertising, branding, web design, video production and more. Give us a call at (216) 245-0835 or send us a quick email to request a quote. For more information on our services, visit our website.
