Bradley Hall is Head of Paid Search at Glass Digital, where he spends his time designing and executing pay-per-click (PPC) marketing campaigns to get maximum return on investment for clients. In this post, he’ll be explaining how businesses can adapt their strategies to stay one step ahead of the competition.
The key to success with any pay-per-click (PPC) campaign is being able to think in advance and predict consumer behaviour. But, that’s often easier said than done, especially when something unexpected comes along and blows your plans out of the water.
The coronavirus outbreak and resulting lockdown have turned everything we knew about consumer behaviour upside down, throwing business owners and marketing managers a real curve ball in terms of how to get the best results with paid search ads.
So, just how can business owners ensure their PPC campaigns are geared for success in this challenging and unpredictable trading period? The solution lies in being agile, creative, and forward-thinking. In this article, I’ll explain how you can change your tactics to take advantage of changing consumer behaviour during this tricky time.
Look to the future
As with almost all marketing tactics, it’s crucial to think ahead of time so you can pre-empt changes in consumer behaviour. You need to keep up to date with the latest news and insights for your industry and consider how these changes are going to affect your customer base specifically.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every business but in different ways. Some have enjoyed a huge surge in ecommerce orders driven by consumers who are spending more time at home. Others may have seen leads and sales trickle to almost zero, particularly electricians and other tradespeople who rely on face-to-face contact and in-person services. So, you need to be thinking in terms of how the needs of your consumers might change, depending on their individual circumstances.
This will be especially important over the coming months as the lockdown begins to ease. For example, if you supply electrical parts for businesses that are due to re-open later this month or in early July, then you’ll want to amp up your spending and campaign activity now to capitalise on this flurry of consumer interest. Or, if the latest insights suggest that a subset of clients won’t be needing your products or services until September at the earliest, you’ll be better off holding back on ads targeting them until nearer the time.
Spend when your competitors are being cautious
The pandemic has caused a lot of financial turbulence in almost every industry, and this has forced a number of companies to scale back their marketing budgets in order to divert funds to other areas of their businesses. That means that competition for many high-value keywords is now much lower than normal, and companies that can spend more will be able to access better cost-per-click (CPC) rates. So, if you’re in a position to do so and competition has slowed in your industry, this could be a fantastic time to take advantage of these low CPC rates by increasing your spending.
You may find that some of your competitors have moved away from certain products and services during the lockdown in order to focus on keywords that have more value right now, such as those relating to PPE. As such, ad spaces that were previously out of your reach could suddenly be far easier to obtain, meaning you could land more leads and sales for a lot less. So, be sure to keep an eye on what your competitors are doing in case an opportunity like this presents itself.
Review your ad copy
Another way you can ensure your PPC campaigns are getting the best possible results is by reviewing your current ad copy. Daily life for many of your target consumers is likely to have changed completely since the lockdown started, so it’s only sensible that the sort of language and copy you use in your ads reflects this.
For instance, if you’ve had to change the way your businesses operates, you may need to tweak your call-to-action from “visit us today” to something about buying online. If delivery options have changed, this should be clear in your ad copy, too.
The tone of your ads might need to be reviewed, as well. In these anxious times, consumers are likely to be seeking reassurance, so you’ll need to make sure the message you’re giving with your ads is right for the current climate. For instance, softer, more sensitively worded copy — like “we’re here for you” or “count on us” — will show your customers that you’re aware of the sort of challenges they might be facing at the moment. Many consumers are dealing with financial worries, so deals, discounts, and pay-later USPs should all be emphasised in your ads, too.
Ensuring your ads are aligned with consumer behaviour and attitudes in this way could increase click-through and help you to bag more leads. And, if you find a particular tactic or phrasing works well, then you can double down and spend more on it at a time when competition is low.
The best way to stay one step ahead of your competitors is to be informed, agile, and creative with your strategy. By adapting your PPC tactics to suit the latest developments, knowing your customers’ shopping habits, and constantly reviewing your ad copy, you can give yourself the best chance of success.
