| | Pay
Per Click - Step 3 Wording
Ask Susan - Tip of the Month
February 2004
There are six major steps to effectively use paid advertising on the Web.
1) Which key
phrases (search terms) to use?
2) Which service has
the best price for each key phrase today?
3) What is the
most effective wording to bring in customers? 4) How much should I spend and how
do I control the spending?
5) What ranking do I want and how to I keep it
there?
6) How do I know which advertisements are bringing in customers and
which ones are wasting my money?
Today we look at Step 3: "What
is the most effective wording to bring in customers?" You have a list of key
phrases and now you are going to write an ad for each one. You only have a few
words to work with and you want to attract potential clients and discourage non-qualified
buyers from clicking on you ad. Remember, you pay for the clicks, not the impressions
(how many times the ad is shown). In some services your ad will be shown in a
better location if more people click on it - so there is a tradeoff.
First
check out your competition for that key phrase. How will your ad compare? Identify
opportunities to differentiate your service or product.
Attracting
potential clients:
Here are some ideas. You can't use them all in one
ad!
Use the search term in the title - searchers have searched on a specific
term and are more likely to click on your ad if they see that term in the title.
- Include
the website contents - "free articles", "e-book"
- Include action words
- "find", "search", "locate", "compare", "click here for details"
- Include
what makes you different from your competition- "free shipping", "quick turnaround",
"free quotes"
- If something is offered for free - use the word "free"
or "no charge"
- Include the benefit - "perfect gift", "stay ahead
of your competition", "post your projects/resume", "get bids", "stay informed",
"grow sales", "save time and money"
- Who you serve - "services to not-for-profit
clients", "for small start-up companies", "Fortune 500 clients"
- Include
a call to action such as "get a quote", "order now"
Of course you
have to follow the strict guidelines of each PPC service. The editors will reject
your ad if you don't.
Discouraging non-qualified buyers:
This
is an important function of an ad. You do not want to pay for clicks from people
who will never become customers. How do you discourage these searchers?
- Geography
- If you serve a geographic area, you can imply it by stating where you are based.
This used to be discouraged, but now seems to be accepted. "In New England", "based
in Marblehead, MA" "Boston-based".
- Price - "programs start at $2,500"
will discourage clicks that you pay for, and calls that waste your time.
- Who
you serve - "for small service businesses", "perfect for grocery stores and restaurants",
"serving government agencies"
- Equipment versus service - if it's not a
service but rather the equipment to perform that service you need to say so.
When
people click on your ad they are taken to the landing page. This website page
has to be consistent with your ad. If you said "free" in the ad, the page needs
to discuss the free item or service or your ad will be removed. Sometimes it is
necessary to create a new page to match an ad. Since you are paying to get people
to the page, it is worth it to make it the best you can.
Next month we'll talk about: "How
much should I spend and how do I control the spending?"
We are getting amazing results with pay per click advertising.
It takes planning, time and attention. If you would like
some help, give me a call.
Regards,
Susan Hankins
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