The Coronavirus pandemic changed the face of our world in a matter of months. One year later, we’re still seeing the far-reaching implications of the changes it brought to our lives and businesses.
In my work, I’ve had the privilege to help many small businesses survive and thrive in the midst of the pandemic. These hardworking individuals didn’t have a “plan B” in case their business failed. They needed to establish or strengthen their web presence, and fast.
This was especially noticeable where we live, in Hawaii: tourism dropped by 80%, and with it went about 50% of revenue for local businesses. That’s right, in the matter of a month, proceeds were cut in half for businesses.
But when the going gets tough, the tough get going. We saw our clients embrace the digital marketplace in a new way and come up with creative solutions to get their numbers back up.
For almost all of our clients, we ran targeted PPC campaigns on Facebook and Google to bring a new influx of web traffic.
My question is: are you positioned to do the same for the businesses in your area? Can you confidently say that your PPC management is enough to help your clients survive and thrive?
If you want to know for sure, read on.
Also Read: How To Use PPC For Lead Generation
PPC Management: The Top Skill For Digital Marketers
When someone wants to open a digital marketing agency, and they come to me for advice, the first thing I talk about is PPC advertising. Some people think I should teach SEO or web design first, but I disagree.
Simply put, PPC advertising drives traffic in a way organic SEO can’t. Sure, if you invest hours into SEO and get everything “juuuust right,” you will see a genuine increase in traffic over the course of a few months. But, do your clients have a few months to spare? Most people I work with need reliable results, yesterday.
A business has limited funds for marketing and even less during pandemic conditions. Rather than invest that money into redesigning and rewriting their website, we run a couple of PPC campaigns. Once their campaign starts converting, then we reinvest that revenue elsewhere.
That being said, PPC is incredibly difficult. It requires constant monitoring, attention to detail, copywriting skills, and follow-up.
Also, the landscape grew more competitive during the last year. Millions of businesses went digital, and tens of thousands of people tried their hand at digital marketing. All of them are trying to claim their piece of the pie, but there isn’t always enough to go around.
To sum up, the digital marketing agency that can manage competitive PPC campaigns and help their clients win will win, in the long run.
Also Read: Direct Mail Vs. PPC
PPC Management Tips from our Agency Growth Machine Curriculum
My partner Tom and I developed a solution to help, called the Agency Growth Machine. We designed this core training to be all you need in order to start scoring clients who’ll pay you $1,000-$2,000 a month to handle their marketing. We want all our students to get to six figures of income a year as soon as possible.
In addition to PPC management skills, this curriculum also provides checklists, scripts, unlimited listings, a built-for-you influencer website, and live coaching calls.
To give you a preview of what we teach, here are a few things we go over:
- Hunt In Blue Oceans By Bidding On Forgotten Keywords
Do you know the difference between a red ocean and a blue one? In a red ocean, competition is high. When a new fish enters the ecosystem, all the sharks fight over it.
In a blue ocean, there is far less competition. You tap into a new market and eat your fill.
The same thing goes for selecting keywords. Avoid bidding on expensive, competitive keywords. Everyone wants them, so when you choose them, your ad shows up less often and costs you more per click. That’s not ideal.
Find less competitive keywords for cheaper.
- Don’t Play Catch and Release: Set Up a Dedicated Landing Page
Beyond hunting in red oceans, another mistake people make is sending traffic to the business’s homepage, or a generic storefront page, through the advertisement. That’s like playing catch and release. You had someone click on your ad, and you sent them to a place where they have to do their own searching.
Instead, set up a special page just for people who click on the ad. This way, their click is rewarded. Having a dedicated landing page funnels your traffic and asks them to make a buying decision.
- Watch Your Numbers Like Sports Center Watches Athlete Stats
Analysts on sports television are funny. They’ll say, “This is the most points so-and-so has scored while wearing a green armband since 2011.” Or, “This is the highest batting average we’ve seen for blond MLB players in the month following Memorial Day.”
You need the same dedication to your campaign’s numbers. Use the tools Google and Facebook give you. Adjust your campaign once every two days and only change one variable at a time. Become as numbers-obsessed as the analysts on sports TV.
- Beware of the Sunken Cost
Finally, the best PPC managers know “when to hold ‘em, and when to fold ‘em.” There’s a trick your brain plays on you called the Sunk Cost Fallacy. It goes something like this, “I’ve already spent this much, so I can’t pull out now.”
In PPC terms, it’s, “I’ve already spent half my ad fund, and I’m not seeing the results I want. I need to stick to it.” If you think about it, this is sheer lunacy. Your past investment shouldn’t affect your current or future investment. Your best idea of the results should impact investment decisions.
Don’t “overeat” your client’s ad spend. If something isn’t working after a few weeks, get out of there, and live to fight another day.
All of this and more is available as part of our Agency Growth Machine Training, currently available for $300 off! Soon we’ll be bumping it back to full price, so check it out today.
