How Paid Search Marketing Can Transform Your Bottom Line

As digital marketing techniques continue evolving, many small to mid-sized businesses need help to keep up. With the rise of social media, influencer marketing, and content marketing, trying to determine the best way to market your business can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, there are some tried and true digital marketing methods that you can leverage with a little help. 

I recently spoke with Zaid Amari from PPC Masterminds about this very topic. Zaid’s company specializes in paid search and paid social media marketing, which means his company uses platforms like Google, Facebook, and YouTube to advertise and generate leads for e-commerce and service-based businesses. 

For companies that want to level up their advertising to increase their sales and broaden their client base, Zaid recommends retargeting. Here’s a closer look at retargeting: what it means and how you can employ this technique to boost your bottom line. 

What Is Retargeting?

“Retargeting is when someone comes to your website and, for example, they look at a product or look at your service, and they don’t end up signing up or purchasing,” Zaid explains. Once that person leaves your site, you target them again by showing them ads from your company on other platforms. Contrary to popular belief, retargeting can be leveraged on social media platforms like YouTube. You can even pursue “dynamic retargeting,” which is when you show an ad for a specific product the person viewed on your website. You can even tailor the timeframe so that the ad follows them to different sites for a couple of weeks, an entire month, or longer.

This type of digital marketing is effective because it plays into a person’s perception and assumptions about successful businesses. “From a psychological standpoint, it makes you think this company is really large, and they have a big marketing spend,” Zaid says, “and that makes people trust them more.” When people trust a company, they are more likely to purchase items or solicit services from that company.

One of the best things about retargeting is that it’s one of the less expensive ways to market your product or service, making this marketing approach particularly impactful for small, growing companies. “The good thing about retargeting is that most of the traffic or sales don’t come from people clicking on the ad,” Zaid says. “Interestingly enough, they come from people seeing the ad, and they go and Google the company and click on your organic result. Or they type in the URL in the browser. It’s one of the cheapest methods of paid marketing right now.”

What Are Pitfalls of Retargeting to Avoid?

There are a few reasons why companies that pursue paid search marketing are unsuccessful in their pursuit of growing their business through this avenue. Below is a list of a few of those reasons and how you can avoid making the same mistakes.

• Businesses use the same ads repeatedly. “When people do retargeting, they use the same ads,” Zaid says. “So, they’ll just upload one set of ads. I think their customers want to see a variation. You should be testing different ad styles–not just testing; you want to show them a different variety.” Upload a variety of ads to increase the likelihood that your target audience clicks on the ad. This approach also lessens the risk of your audience growing tired of seeing the same ad, which could turn them off completely.

• Companies undervalue the conversion path. Companies pay a specific amount for every click on their advertisement in paid search marketing. However, sometimes it can take a person clicking on your ad more than once for them to decide to purchase. With that in mind, it’s crucial that you determine how much you’re willing to spend per click and how to advertise in a way that translates into a higher conversion rate for every lead.

• Marketing teams use analytics ineffectively. Instead of looking at the traffic on your website to see what paths people are taking to purchase your product or service, try looking at the source of the traffic. “You want to look at your data separated by organic traffic versus paid traffic versus referral versus direct, and that will give you a much better story…Every channel is different,” Zaid says. “If you start understanding what people are doing when they come from a specific channel, you can link a better picture of what you can improve on your website.”

Who Should I Hire to Do Paid Search Advertising for My Business?

Suppose you don’t have a team with the skill set to include paid search advertising in your marketing strategy. In that case, you should consider hiring an expert or agency specializing in digital marketing. When it comes to whether you should hire an individual or agency, Zaid says, “It depends on your situation. If you have a massive company and you’re spending more than $50,000, you want to go with an agency. If you’re running a small account, you’re going to want to go with a small agency or a freelancer.”

If you choose a freelancer, that individual will most likely be more hands-on in their approach. However, your experience is more likely to become less high-touch when engaging larger marketing agencies. You should also look for a company that is communicative and proactive when it comes to the accounts they oversee – for example, tracking a client’s website and receiving alerts if it goes down, which allows them to pause the service and avoid spending money funneling leads to an inoperable website. 

You may also want to consider looking for an agency or individual with specific experience in your industry. For instance, in a highly regulated, complex industry like cannabis, you’d want to hire a specialized marketing consultant to be sure you aren’t violating any laws.

Paid search advertising is like most effective digital marketing techniques: it takes time to see the results, typically three to six months. You’ll want to be sure to keep an eye on your pipeline metrics and ensure that your dollars are generating a healthy ROI. However, when done right, this method can help you beef up your bottom line and grow your business.

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