The Holistic Approach To PPC | Paid Digital Marketing As A SME

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

A

s a SME, with limited resources, deciding how to approach digital marketing can be overwhelming. After all, this is a new art. Pay-per-click or PPC is a digital advertising model that allows marketers to place ads on a platform and pay the host of said platform every time their ad is clicked. The aim is always to convert this click into sales. It provides an unmissable opportunity to effectively target your audience according to demographics, receive a wealth of data and increase brand awareness. Our CEO and founder William Scott Forshaw thus explains the highs and lows of PPC as a SME and why a holistic approach that balances creativity and technical knowledge is the best method of all. To implement PPC campaigns most effectively it must be a collaborative style between agency and brand, set within the wider digital marketing landscape.

Firstly, it is important to outline the disadvantages of PPC. Ultimately, it is understanding every aspect of this medium that will permit you to exploit it to the greatest extent possible. PPC takes time which, as a SME, can be one of the most limited resources. More specifically, in order to optimise and improve the campaigns, they must be altered as new information is gained. There is little point in setting up an ad campaign and then simply leaving it when the performance data you receive offers the potential for improvement. Of course, alongside this, effective campaigns take practice. This is why in the early days it can be useful to work with a specialist agency as you learn the intricacies of this form of digital marketing. Nevertheless, a level of knowledge is required as costs can quickly add up. Return of investment is key and it is important to reach a target of returns with each campaign. At Maxwell-Scott nowadays we look at a a 4-1 return (seasonal changes) spend over £500,000 a year which means that for every £1 that we spend we want a £4 return. Otherwise a campaign needs to be altered or paused. Thus, it is important that clicks convert once they reach your website. As such, through each step from ad to landing page to purchase you need to be convincing the user to become a customer. This is just one of the reasons why a holistic approach is key. PPC fits within a wider landscape.

Simply, PPC is complicated. Moreover it is incredibly competitive which means that it is hard to do well and exploit as much value as possible. SMEs therefore understandably struggle to have the skills in house. As mentioned then, it is important to work with a large or small agency to find your feet as an SME in this technical sphere. Agencies are key. This can, however, cause problems. External companies may be great at implementing the technical side of campaigns but they will never fully understand the finer details of your brand. Part of the struggle as a luxury brand in particular is that it is a such a specific, quality product that is being sold. Consequently, William argues that it is absolutely vital that keywords are checked by the brand as you know your brand/products better than any external force. For example, for Maxwell-Scott, we have to aim at long tail keywords in order to reach the right demographic. This means that rather than targeting “laptop bags” for instance we will have to include further qualifiers such as quality, Italian leather or handcrafted – in essence our USPs. This is incredibly difficult yet, in the end, being as granular as possible has proved to be the most fruitful. In fact, long tail keywords will not only be more likely to produce a final sale because they are so specific, they should also be cheaper to bid on. This will allow you to pick up highly specific traffic at lower costs. Importantly though, Maxwell-Scott’s International Marketing Manager Julia Munder adds that:

Long tail keywords are not as effective in Germany, for example, due to the differences in language. This is where native understanding of language within a marketing team is invaluable. PPC requires investing a great deal of time in learning, researching and editing keywords as in house knowledge will always be vital too.

The time investment, nonetheless, should pay dividends and PPC does provide plenty of advantages that can bolster performance. Whilst if you don’t monitor campaigns costs can run away, PPC really is highly cost effective because you only pay when a user reaches your website. Though, it is most cost effective because it is so targeted. Whatever your budget, you can so distinctly focus on your demographics like location, language and device and customise these campaigns as you continue. Crucially, this gives you an opportunity to increase your brand visibility among your target audience, and even overcome the power of big brands within your niche. This direction is measurable too, easily highlighting exactly how much your return on investment is. Through this, the data here provides a wealth of knowledge about your online audience. Data that allows you to be a better marketer, both with PPC and more generally as a brand as you understand your customers in a more 3-dimensional way. And lastly, if PPC is done correctly then, the impact can be almost immediate. Whilst organic growth can take months, PPC offers speedy and measurable returns to your investments.

For us, at Maxwell-Scott, it has been particularly influential. Previously, whilst working with a small agency, William mentions that though they were hitting targets, performance soon started to diminish. In the early days, he believed that perhaps the campaigns were simply at saturation point. But, he then decided to take the plunge and hire someone in house. This tripled PPC revenue. It is this ability to instantly convert sales that really does show its value. Nowadays it is one of Maxwell-Scott’s main channels of revenue and will be for the foreseeable future. As mentioned, we look at a 4-1 (seasonal changes) spend over £500,000 a year though we have also just started to use Bing. This may be 1-5 moving forward where hopefully we will be gaining a £5 return on every pound spent. Ergo, PPC really has the ability to accelerate your business. Nevertheless, Julia clarifies that it cannot be solely relied upon.

The holistic approach, according to William, then really is key. The holistic approach is two pronged. Firstly, PPC must be set within a broader landscape as Julia describes. It cannot work alone. After all, it is simply one way in which the user interacts with the brand. A strong brand identity, on the other hand, needs to be cohesive across every platform. This may be via our Journal, our Broadsheet, an Instagram influencer or seasonal marketing campaign – as can be seen within the examples featured in this article. And secondly, it is vital to work collaboratively in house and externally. At the most recent Search Leeds, the North’s Largest Search Marketing Event, Owen Gill spoke eloquently on the topic of Who should bring PPC in house and who shouldn’t. His actionable advice was that, as a small business, external agencies alongside in house knowledge is the best way forward. This balances creativity and technical knowledge, product knowledge and PPC expertise. It is important to work together as large agencies, small agencies and in house teams. It is this transparency, this communication, that is the most effective.

If you are a SME with plans to expand into the digital marketing landscape William offers a few tips as to where to start:

– Do your research and learn as much as you can. This way you will have a better understanding of the process which contributes to everyone’s ability to work more collaboratively.

– The beauty of PPC is that you can start small. This is cost-effective and allows you to test the market without over committing.

– Stop, start, pause and test. The control that you have over your campaigns means that you can constantly tweak ads, try new keywords, reassess ads and pause/restart them whenever suits you and your business.