Pay-Per-Click Marketing: Is It For You?
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Most marketers I talk to often tell me that they are losing money with Pay Per Click marketing. I too have had mixed results with PPC. The question I found myself asking was, "who is using PPC and making money?" In my experience, it takes a lot of research to win at PPC, but win you can.
When I started with pay per click advertising, I struggled a great deal. Either I got tons of traffic and no sales or little traffic and no sales. Over time, with the proper tracking, I learned which bidding strategies improved my quality score and click through rates. Once I was driving traffic, the key was to improve conversions.
Improving conversions is not an easy task. Again, the only time I started seeing success was once I began testing - much like I did for years with my direct marketing efforts. The testing was time consuming and tedious. I would only change one element at a time and let it run for 2 -3 weeks before I could draw a conclusion.
The good news however is that once you make these distinctions: choosing the right keywords, finding your top performing ads, and optimizing your landing pages, you're basically on auto-pilot. So if you're struggling with PPC, just hand in there. I recommend that you break down the task of PPC marketing into small steps and attempt to make progress one stage at a time.
Best of luck with your PPC. Whatever you do, don't get discouraged simply stay the course!
When I started with pay per click advertising, I struggled a great deal. Either I got tons of traffic and no sales or little traffic and no sales. Over time, with the proper tracking, I learned which bidding strategies improved my quality score and click through rates. Once I was driving traffic, the key was to improve conversions.Improving conversions is not an easy task. Again, the only time I started seeing success was once I began testing - much like I did for years with my direct marketing efforts. The testing was time consuming and tedious. I would only change one element at a time and let it run for 2 -3 weeks before I could draw a conclusion.
The good news however is that once you make these distinctions: choosing the right keywords, finding your top performing ads, and optimizing your landing pages, you're basically on auto-pilot. So if you're struggling with PPC, just hand in there. I recommend that you break down the task of PPC marketing into small steps and attempt to make progress one stage at a time.
Best of luck with your PPC. Whatever you do, don't get discouraged simply stay the course!
Marketing Blog founder and top-selling author Michael Fleischner has been featured on The TODAY Show, ABC World News, and Bloomerg Radio. 
6 comments :
I had a brief flirtation with ppc advertising, simply to try it out. I abandoned it after a few days because I knew that I had to focus on Call to Action, and also because I knew that if I were lucky enough to be successful with a campaign, I couldn't fulfill enquiries this year as I was due for two major operations and needed time for rest and recuperation subsequently.
But I did try the Google multivariate testing tool on Call to Action. Firstly, I had to make both pages, the landing page and the contact page, html pages rather than php. Google did not give specific advice on how its code should be implemented.
Secondly, for whatever reason, the Google code 'broke' the design of my pages in Internet Explorer. Not in Firefox, Chrome or other browsers. I still don't know why this was, even though I left a message on the relevant Google group.
So that effort was abandoned too.
I don't know if you employ a top-notch designer to implement code changes on your websites. A lot of people out there who know something about implementing code on their websites like to do it for themselves. And they could do with a bit more help and feedback from Google.
Perhaps I just haven't seen the relevant video.
Thanks. Sue.
Thanks for all the tips and advise. as you said it is no easy,but we just have to do in-depth research and not giving up. All beginning is hard.
I have used Google's multivariate testing tool with some success. I have not tried to completely different pages, I just change button locations, images and some text. Although there has not been big increase in conversion rates, there has been some. As you mentioned, hopefully now on auto-pilot, it will deliver results in the long term.
PPC works depending on your business. If you sell a $20 product and are paying $4/click, then you need a 25% conversion rate just to break even, almost impossible. But if you sell a $1000 product, then it is definitely worth is, assuming good leads come through PPC.
I'm sorry I'm not posting advice, instead I'm looking for some. Reading previous comments on the cost of acquisition of sales, I'm looking for cost a effective (isn't everyone) way of driving sales of a low priced online booking service for small business.
I've tried a few online PPC sites (Google, Live, Facebook) and I'm starting to get traffic but not many conversions (I'm working on the site landing pages to sort this). Do you have any alternative suggestions? One option would seem to be some form of affiliate sale or bonus credits/rewards for existing users who sign up new users.
Alex
OpenYourDiary.com
I am always excited to visite your blog because you have relevant information and great tips. Thanks!
PPC is work only when you are going to target right market rather than to attract uninterested users. For this you have to focus on nechi. last weak i visted wholesalepages.co.uk (UK wholesale Supplies) and find it very imressive regarding attaining right traffic stratgies to their directory..
Well nice experience by the way !!!
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