Pay per click search engine marketing programs like Google's AdWords offer you the potential to attract purchasing agents and buyers who are actively looking to make a purchase today or at least within the not too distant future. What they do not necessarily represent is a fast track to sales, meaning your website has to be in good shape and ready to effectively greet them or you won't be able to hold their attention long enough to convince them to buy from you.
Whether you attract purchasing professionals through organic listings or via a search engine marketing program like AdWords you are faced with the task of persuading them to select you above all others. The fact that you offer what they need and are convinced that you can help them is not enough. Sounds simplistic but it is critical to understand exactly what makes you competitive and ensure that both your ad text and your website content clearly relays that information in an easy and engaging way.
To set the stage for a successful pay per click search engine marketing campaign consider the following:
Map Out Your Campaign Goal
"Make sales" is too broad a goal. Create a clear objective and map it out from presentation of the ad right through each step of the process that ultimately results in the sale. By clearly identifying each step you make it easier to track what is working and what isn't. You can then make the appropriate adjustment to fix the problem area without affecting what is working well.
Do Your Keyword Research
Don't guess what your target audience groups are using to search. Find out. Hire a professional if need be because using the right keywords and phrases is critical to the success of your campaign. The obvious choices shouldn't be left out but keep in mind that they will be your most expensive options because they will be your most competitive.
Be creative but be accurate. Your tracking and analysis reports should reveal the terms that are serving you best as well as those you should perhaps retire from the campaign.
Identify What Makes You Competitive
Make a list of what you can concretely offer a buyer such as JIT (just in time) delivery, VMI (vendor managed inventory), short production runs, kitting, that you are a local provider, emergency 24 hour service, 20 years experience providing customers like (recognized or well-established company name) with solutions, and so forth.
It is all well and good that you state that your customers come first, or that you pride yourselves in producing quality products, but the more effective way to make that impression is by stating what you give and then let them know how long you've been giving it and to whom. Present the 5 - 10 things that make you competitive as bullet points on the targeted landing page that links from your targeted text ad.
Create Text Ad with Clear CTA
Make it known what you want your reader to do: Buy Machine Screws Online. Now that's clear. And it contains the keyword that will attract the target audience. It is not a good idea to use your company name to attract buyers even if what you are offering is contained within the name because it fails to tell the reader what you expect of them. 'Machine Screws Company' is just too passive. Even though you get typically three lines of ad text, your readers will respond to the first line and most likely won't read the other lines at all so you want your motivating phrase within that first line.
Link to Clear & Concise Landing Page
Link each targeted ad you are running to a designated landing page that accurately reflects what is offered in the ad. Identify on that page both visually and with accompanying text and titles what you are offering. Clearly guide the respondent through the purchase or request for quote process with instructive links that lead neatly to the next step. If there is a lot of information to be presented that serves to influence a purchasing professional's decision then organize the page with clean pockets of information or links that lead to that information should they decide they would like to know more. Provide your web developer with the map of your campaign goal so that each step of the conversion process will be accommodated with clarity, precision and analytics tracking code for future reporting and analysis.
Track, Report and Analyze
Have your web developer implement tracking code so that you can accurately measure the success or problem areas of each aspect of the campaign from ad creative to webpage creative and conversion process. Make changes as needed but be careful not to upset what is in fact working well. If web analysis is not your thing then it is worth hiring a professional to manage the ad campaign for you.
Conclusion
Search engine marketing, just like life, doesn't offer you any guarantees; however, with thoughtful planning, paying close attention to the details, and making the right adjustments when needed, the chances for success increase exponentially. Approach it mindfully with the right ingredients and pay per click search engine marketing can bring you the business you desire.
For more information about IWS search engine marketing pay per click services, call (800) 399-9859 now to speak with a web marketing specialist.
Contact us to learn how to prepare your website to attract, convert and track leads.