Digital marketing changes almost continuously. Every day, it seems like there are new marketing methods and advertising techniques that emerge. Trying to decide which options are best for your business can be challenging. Sometimes, the best choice is simply to cut through all of the clutter and opt for a proven marketing method instead. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising has been around for a lot of years. Even though the technique is old, it is definitely not outdated. It is precisely because it works so well that it has been able to last so long in the digital marketing arena.
The vast majority of digital marketing agencies offer assistance with PPC marketing. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should just pick an agency at random. Instead, it is important to carefully evaluate advertising agencies before deciding which one you want to use.
Try taking the following six factors into consideration when deciding which digital marketing company to hire:
1. Helping you identify actionable goals.
One of the responsibilities of a PPC marketing agency is to help you identify exactly what you hope to accomplish with your marketing campaign. Your primary goal should be clearly defined, measurable, and actionable. For instance, setting a goal for the number of leads or sales that you want to generate with your marketing campaign is a good option since it is something that can be measured. Don’t get hung up on the number of clicks that you are getting. Instead, focus on leads or conversions since they are the actions that will actually generate revenue for your business.
2. Providing detailed analytics.
The only way to know what is and isn’t working with your advertising efforts is to track your results. The digital marketing agency that you hire should provide you with detailed analytics and regular reports showing exactly what is happening with your PPC campaign at any given time. If you use Google Adwords, the agency can even link your Adwords account directly to your Google Analytics account, making it easy to track your goals and progress. This will also allow you to keep tabs on the work that the marketing agency is doing on your behalf so that you can make sure that they are staying on task.
3. Targeting specific regions.
If your company serves customers in your local area, there is no need to advertise to people in other parts of the world. A good PPC marketing agency such as Kapok Marketing, will help you target your advertisements by location. There is no point wasting money advertising to people who are outside of your service area. Instead, you need to look for a marketing company that understands exactly which areas you serve so that they can help create a tightly focused marketing campaign. This can allow you to spend less money on advertising while getting better results.
4. Tracking offline results.
Most marketing agencies focus primarily on tracking conversions that happen online. However, your paid advertising may also lead to other types of conversions. For instance, some customers may choose to send you an email or to pick up their phone and call you rather than contacting you directly through your website. These types of conversions are usually much more difficult to track since they can’t be monitored with traditional analytic tools. Some advertising agencies, however, do have methods in place that can be used to track phone calls and other types of leads that are generated by your pay-per-click advertising campaigns. This can help you get a complete picture of how well your marketing efforts are working.
5. Avoiding automation.
There are a variety of tools out there that are designed to automate the process of managing a PPC campaign. Although these tools can help save time, they aren’t necessarily the best option. In most cases, your best bet is to have a real person review your campaigns on a daily basis to make sure that they are performing as expected. When you hire a marketing agency, you should check with them to make sure that they don’t just rely on automated tools. Instead, someone should be actively helping to manage your account to make sure that you aren’t missing out on any opportunities.
6. Regular reporting.
As a business owner, it is important to know that your advertising money is being well spent. Receiving regular reports from your marketing agency is one way to do just that. Most marketing companies provide monthly reports that show details statistics about any active marketing campaigns. Ideally, someone from the company will go over these reports with you so that you can be sure that you understand all of the data that they contain. If there are any areas where your marketing campaigns are lacking, the person from the agency should also provide input on what they plan on doing differently to help you get better results in the future. Keep in mind, marketing is often a matter of testing and tweaking. The key is to find a company that will regularly evaluate the data and make changes to improve your results.
Choosing the right PPC marketing company is absolutely essential if you are planning on using this type of advertising for your business. Unless they are managed correctly, the cost for PPC marketing campaigns can quickly get out of hand. You need to be sure that your money is being spent wisely and that you are getting a good return on your investment. The right digital marketing agency will be able to help you do just that.