Business owners know that the best marketing and advertising campaigns reach potential customers at the moment they are looking to buy. With many consumers researching products and making purchases online, successful marketers spend their advertising dollars online.
That’s where pay-per-click advertising comes into play. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising lets businesses target and successfully reach the desired audience, whether that’s new or repeat customers. This leads to better conversation rates because the person who sees a business’s ad is part of that target audience and is very likely considering making a purchase at that moment or in the near future.
However, like many digital advertising strategies, PPC best practices are always shifting as technology improves. As 2019 comes to a close, here is a look at what PPC trends businesses must be aware of if they want to continue reaching their advertising and marketing goals.
1. Automation tools will become more popular
Search Engine Journal says automation is the top trend to watch in 2020. Experts told SEJ that many digital and marketing professionals will be looking further into finding how they can use existing and new automation tools to help them make better use of their time and not get dragged down into the weeds on every decision that needs to be made.
Automation will help people save time by inputting data and developing tried and true strategies that can be easily repeated. Businesses looking to spend their advertising budgets wisely will still need to do their research on keywords and develop campaigns that are proven to be effective, but from there, automation will likely take over the more repetitive functions.
But it’s possible that not all automation growth will be positive for businesses. Some experts believe that larger companies, such as Google, will continue to push for advertisers to rely on the automation tools that they have developed without providing much in the way of transparency into how the automation works.
2. AI will help businesses make better PPC campaign decisions
Like automation, marketing tools that depend on artificial intelligence (AI) are always improving. Many of these AI tools also rely on automation so that they can analyze sets of data gleaned from marketing campaigns and other related data sources to help marketers make better, more informed decisions.
For PPC campaigns, AI can help marketers select the right bids that will drive the most traffic and - if paired with a solid marketing strategy - the most results. AI can also better analyze click-through rate, according to Smart Insights, of future ads as well as predict conversion likelihood through the use of historic data.
AI is also continuing to improve in the area of predicting and mapping out how people think and reach decisions. That ability could truly unleash game-changing ways in which marketers make decisions in PPC and other marketing campaigns.
3. Audience segmentation will improve
Whether through AI or by humans, audience segmentation also stands a great chance of improving in 2020. Segmentation is taking audiences and dividing them into subgroups. These subgroups can be customized based on anything from location to hobbies.
Segmentation will likely improve thanks to the fact that user data collection is also always improving. That user data, for marketers, is gold because it can help businesses make better decisions to ensure that their ads are served to the best possible audiences.
4. More ad platforms where customers can be reached
Most businesses that have at least dipped their toe into digital marketing are aware that Google Ads is a popular choice for reaching customers through PPC campaigns. This is still true, but watch for even more services, such as Amazon, Facebook and Instagram, to continue to grow their PPC offerings for advertisers in 2020.
Now, this does not mean every business should place ads on every ad platform possible. This still comes down to making wise decisions about who the business is attempting to reach and where those users are most likely to already be present. This is part of the reason why automation and AI will become even more valuable to marketers in the coming year.
5. Video advertising could take over in 2020
Video advertising has long been increasing in popularity, especially in mobile advertising. Don’t expect that change to in 2020. In fact, video advertising may overtake more traditional content advertising formats, according to Smart Insights.
That prediction is simply supported by data. As Forbes shared in 2018, the average user will spend 88% more time on a website with videos than on those without.
Videos are driving results - and businesses will want to make sure they have a strategy to include their messages in the videos users are watching.
6. PPC will compete with other advertising strategies
PPC is not going away in 2020. It may, however, need to compete more closely with other advertising strategies businesses use in their marketing efforts, as SEJ writes. Ads and sponsored posts on social media will very likely continue to increase in popularity and draw more of the advertising spend some businesses put toward PPC.
This diversification is good, though. No matter where the advertising budget is spent, businesses must make sure their marketing messaging works together to continue reaching the right audience at the right time - the time of purchase. The trick in digital advertising is finding those customers, which can be a significant challenge itself with all the various search, social and other advertising platforms to pick from.
Reach the right audience with your PPC campaign
PPC advertising will continue to be effective in 2020, but businesses keep tabs on current trends and the best strategies available to make sure their advertising budgets are spent wisely and their marketing campaigns are successful.
The best way to accomplish that is to make sure your PPC campaign takes advantage of all ad types that are available to businesses trying to reach customers: search, display, video, mobile, shopping and more.
The team at Emagine can help you develop a plan for your business that encompasses all advertising options available - and much more, including email marketing, content marketing and social media.
Ready to work together? Let’s meet for a free consultation and discussion about how we can help your business see real results from its marketing efforts.
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