Let’s face a not-so-happy fact here: it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get your brand and content in front of the right eyes, organically-speaking.
Changes in Google’s algorithm mean that it’s much harder to get your pages ranked well, especially if you’re operating in a highly competitive industry. When it comes to social media, your luck isn’t the best, either. In fact, nearly half of all content shared on Instagram or Facebook doesn’t get any shares, likes, or at least put in front of the target audience’s eyes.
However, don’t let this news bring your mood down. There’s still hope, and that hope comes in the form of paid advertising.
You see, every business needs some kind of promotion. While you can try your luck with billboards and radio station announcements, arguably the best and most effective method of getting your brand out there is paid online advertising.
For a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising methods (again, think billboards and such) you’re able to effectively and accurately reach your target audience on many different online platforms.
With that being said, it’s also very easy to waste tons of money on paid online advertising, especially if you’re running ads that are poorly targeted and poorly executed. To help you avoid that scenario, we’re here to help. Let’s take a look at five quick and handy paid advertising tips to help you get the best bang for your marketing dollar.
1: Plan accordingly.
Before you begin advertising, make a plan or checklist to keep you on track. What platform(s) will you be working with? Who is your target audience? What is your budget? These are all important questions to ask yourself in the beginning.
2: Start with good visuals.
You can have the best product or service in the world, but if your visual content for your ad looks like clipart, you’ll get no sales conversions. In today’s visually-driven world, it’s important to have a high-quality and accurately-targeted visual for your ad.
If you’re not well-versed in creating visuals, hire someone to do it or use an app like Canva.
3: Choose target keywords carefully.
This is where paid advertising may get a little technical. Keywords are a vital element in your paid advertising efforts. Aim to choose keywords that describe your business accurately and target the right audience. For example, if you’re a legal firm catering to those injured in car accidents, you wouldn’t choose keywords focused on, say, larceny.
4: Split test your ads.
Sometimes it's a better use of your money to split test, meaning to launch two separate ads that feature different keywords or visuals. After a few days or a week, revisit your ads to see which of the two is performing better.
After taking some time to analyze why this ad is better-performing, optimize your strategy for future advertising plans. Split testing allows you to learn what works and what doesn’t without spending too much of your budget.
5: Understand the shopper’s journey.
Paid advertising goes well beyond just creating a great visual and posting it. Aside from the advertisement itself, it’s important to optimize the process your potential buyer goes through so that the journey from initial interaction to point of purchase is quick and effortless.
If a shopper has to go through five pages just to get to the actual purchase page, they’ll most likely abandon your site beforehand. Whenever possible, create a simple landing page that your customer sees after clicking the link.
From that landing page, provide a direct purchase link to your product or service. Efficiency and minimalist design are key here.
We build your business online with marketing ideas that work for you. Designedbycarla has been a part of the online marketing industry for over 17 years and specialized in many aspects of (SEO) Search Engine Optimization. We are an experienced marketing & consulting company based in Huntsville, Alabama, and specialists in niche marketing. We appreciate working with small to medium-size businesses to build an excellent partnership with our clients to understand their business thoroughly. Meet Our Team