Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising means bidding on certain keywords. When users put these keywords as search queries on Google, for example, your result will come on the top or bottom as an ad. You only pay for the clicks and not for anything else, so when a PPC campaign is set up properly, it can be an excellent way to get more traffic to your landing page, more leads via forms, or even direct calls if that’s the kind of ad you want to run (you can also choose the hours at which the ad will run).
You can ask any marketing agency for home services and you’ll find that they put a lot of stock in PPC ad campaigns. They have become instrumental to success today and can be a quite cost-effective way to get a lot of leads reliably and for the long term.
Why PPC?
Before we move on to discussing the exact strategies, we need to briefly understand why you should invest in PPC. Also, it’s important to know that your first PPC campaign might not be a success. It’s important to start small and experiment before you get the winning campaign.
Whether it’s HVAC digital marketing or digital marketing for plumbers, one thing that’s common in all types of home renovation and related businesses is that the competition is simply too high. You can’t just rely on organic methods like SEO and social media marketing—It will take too long. PPC is a tool that can get you a steady stream of leads that you can convert at your own leisure.
Also, PPC ad campaigns can be fine-tuned further with the help of competitor analysis and A/B testing, which makes them more effective over time.
Do Your Research
The first PPC strategy is to do comprehensive market research.
First of all, you should identify the core keywords that you want to rank for. These could be “home renovation” or “kitchen remodeling,” for example. Once you have these keywords, see who is ranking for these keywords in your area and what kind of ad copy they are using. Also, make sure you check their landing pages so you have an idea of what features to talk about. Of course, this is just for inspiration and you should improve upon what’s working and discard what doesn’t apply to you.
Once you have a list of some good keywords, you can now use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner to find high-volume and relevant keywords that are worth bidding on. More competitive (high volume) keywords cost more.
We suggest you select a mix of broad, phrase, and exact match keywords to target different search intents. This helps you diversify your PPC strategy and bank on any opportunities missed by your competitors.
Ad Copy That Sells
The next strategy is to write ad copy that sells. Don’t be robotic and dull when explaining your service USPs. Everyone is doing that. To really stand out from the crowd and attract more eyeballs, you must create multiple ad groups based on your keyword categories and try out different combinations.
We highly recommend A/B testing or split testing because you never know what will work the best.
Always use attention-grabbing headlines to highlight the value proposition or differentiator of your service. Your ad descriptions should ideally showcase your expertise and mention key benefits. The call to action also needs to be bold and create some urgency.
Here are some tips to create better ad copy:
- Take your time to refine your headlines and descriptions. As you have limited space, it’s very important to make use of every letter. Use verb contractions (can’t vs. cannot), numbers (3 vs. three), and symbols (& vs. and) to create shorter and crisper text.
- Stick to a few core themes. It’s a good practice to only try and pull focus on three things in a single ad. Any more and you run the risk of overwhelming the reader or sounding phony.
- Banking on a desire, pain point, or emotional appeal always works better in all forms of advertising including PPC campaigns.
- Focus on the results and practical benefits, not the exact features. In other words, you should talk about the benefits customers will gain from your service, rather than just listing your features. Explain how you can solve their problems or improve their lives. Give real examples.
- Evoke emotions that resonate with your audience’s aspirations or concerns. Use words that trigger feelings of excitement, happiness, or relief.
- Ensure that your ad copy aligns with the content on the landing page. If this is not ensured then your advertising can be construed as misleading.
- If applicable, use customer testimonials, reviews, or ratings to showcase positive experiences with your product or service.
In Conclusion
Use all of these tips and strategies to make sure that your PPC campaigns work.
Your PPC ad campaigns should not only focus on sales but also on general brand awareness. It’s okay to have a smaller ad budget for awareness type of campaigns. For example, if you run an ad campaign for remodeling marketing ideas, you can get a lot of traffic toward your guide or resource (like an ebook or video tutorial). They get the value and a fraction of them will also convert.
This increases your brand awareness.
Such types of ads have a higher click-through rate than generic, competitively created ad copy. As long as you can ensure that some people will convert after reading such highly useful guides with a good and fast website and good calls-to-action, this can be a pretty terrific way to outrank your competitors without outbidding them.
