21 Top Social Media and Content Marketing Trends for 2018 – The Ultimate List

It’s official. Brands are now fully invested in social media, having extinguished all doubt about the effectiveness of the medium. Top brands are even experimenting with their social media and content marketing strategy by embracing the latest trends.

As we approach the new year, reviewing past social media marketing performance and planning2018’s strategy becomes an important concern. According to our research, these are the 21 key trends that will have the biggest impact on your social media and content marketing strategy in 2018.

1. Brands will feature more User Generated Content

It turns out that consumers’ trust in brands is on the decline, as corroborated by this study, and brands need new ways to gain consumer trust. UCG or User Generated Content plays the perfect solution by humanizing brand content and increasing social media engagement.
According to a study conducted by TINT, about 70% of 500 social media marketers believe that UGC makes their marketing more human and authentic. Lifestyle brands like Starbucks and AirBnb have focused their social media campaigns on UGC right from the beginning. The result? Epic campaigns like this one.

Alternatively, you could consider curating content suggested by employees. DrumUp employee advocacy platform allows employee-users to suggest content.

2. Brands will invest more in reputation management to combat fake news

At the end of August 2017, Pew Research Centre recorded that 67% Americans looked to social media for news. That is appalling, considering that social networks, particularly Facebook, faced serious allegations of influencing the US Presidential elections in 2016. But it’s not just the politicians who are affected by fake news.

A few months ago, Starbucks fell victim to the scalding effects of fake news when a post complete with the company’s logo and standard fonts, claiming that the company would give away free frappuccinos to undocumented immigrants, went viral. The claimant even created a hashtag – #borderfreecoffee. It’s tough to control damage once a post has gone viral, which is why brands will invest more next year in reputation management.

3. Messenger chatbots will grow in popularity

In July 2017, Facebook launched “Discover”, a hub inside its Messenger app, to help developers discover and test chat bots. The hub, which is searchable, catalogues available Messenger bots. This, however, is the least of the support that Facebook has shown towards bots, the most being that Facebook messenger’s core algorithm itself has chatbot features built into it. “M”, Facebook’s chat assistance is aimed at enabling automatic interactions between brands and fans.

Chatbots hold a lot of potential is providing instant customer service, and we know that social media users prefer the platform for customer service and expect quick responses.

4. Brands will invest more in disappearing content (24-hr stories & posts)

Snapchat disrupted social media by introducing disappearing content. Since the launch of the company, every social media platform has noticeably incorporated some form of disappearing content. And social media users are loving it. According to this report, Snapchat gets about 10 billion daily video views, slightly more than Facebook does. Facebook has responded to the competition by introducing Facebook stories, temporary profile images and camera effects.

There’s a lot that disappearing content has to offer to brands, such as the opportunity to experiment and make mistakes, and use the psychological principles of urgency, timelessness and instant gratification in their marketing.

Check out how WWF (World Wildlife Federation) used Snapchat for the #LastSelfie campaign to depict the urgency of saving endangered species.

5. Influencer marketing will go mainstream

According to Pardot’s latest study, 95% of the social media marketers who work with influencers find the partnership beneficial. Since it’s getting harder to focus on certain target groups on social media, and paid advertising isn’t a stand-alone strategy, marketers will continue to rely on influencer marketing to connect with target groups.

Many consumers, especially those belonging to “Generation Z”, prefer organic brand engagement to being force-fed advertorial content. Gradually, social media advertorial content is being replaced by subtly promoted influencer content.

6. Video content will dominate social media feeds

While video content was prominent in 2017, it will grow even more important in 2018 with Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram focusing heavily on animated content. 76.5% of social media marketers who participated in a survey said that social media video marketing had a direct impact on their business.

Owing to the effectiveness of video marketing and the popularity of video content on social media, social media marketers are likely to continue to heavily invest in video content.

Brands use video for anything from product advertisement to general customer engagement on social media.

Check out LG’s #LowBatteryAnxiety campaign, which was a combination of both.

7. Brands will focus more on creating an impressive social media footprint

The “noise” on social media is very evident. Businesses small and large have begun to use social media for marketing and the result is a mess of content, a lot of which is irrelevant to social media users. To survive the saturation, social media users have begun to find trustworthy sources (for instance pages on Facebook) to follow for all of their news. This has made it difficult for brands to engage their target audience on social media, causing a rush between them to attract and keep loyal followers.

In 2018, brands will try to create more impressive social media footprints to keep their followers hooked. An important part of this exercise is the curation of quality content, original or otherwise and staying at the top of any niche.

One way to create an impressive social media footprint is by curating relevant content from your industry using a content curation app like DrumUp. You can also use the app’s @mention suggestions to notify other users when you share their content.

8. Costs of paid social media advertising will rise

As a result of declining organic social media reach in the last few years, many businesses have begun to rely entirely on social media ads (2017 saw a 74% increase in spending on Facebook ads). This in turn has led to a dramatic increase in the number of social media advertisers. As the demand for social media ads increases, so will the cost for social media ads.

True to the demand-cost relationship, CPM for Facebook ads has risen by 131% and CPC has increased by 136%. However, with the wide range of outlets available for paid social ads, marketers might seek to spread their spending across social networks and ad types.

9. Micro-moments & moment marketing will take centre-stage

Social media marketers are feeling the pressure with the increasing costs of social media ads, focus has shifted to better management of ad costs while maximizing ROI. Moment marketing allows marketers to focus their budget around an event that is likely to increase traction for their brands.

Some marketers are spreading their budgets evenly across frequently occurring micro-moments or “anytime campaigns”, such as weather changes, competitor advertising or flight delays. Other marketers are more focused on macro-events like the Super Bowl. Here’s what Oreo did during the Super Bowl blackout.

View image on Twitter

Oreo Cookie

✔@Oreo

Power out? No problem.

1:48 AM - Feb 4, 2013

• 6,851
• 16.1K people are talking about this

Twitter Ads info and privacy

10. Live video and interactive broadcasting will be utilized more by brands

Several typically televised shows have begun to broadcast using social media. The 69th Emmy awards was broadcast by the Television Academy and CBS on Facebook Live, with the Backstage Live! Show commanding over 2 million viewers.

Live streaming via social has changed broadcasting, because brands can now easily turn any offline event into a live event, instantly reaching far more than the audience they can accommodate at a fraction of the cost. Live streaming also increases engagement because the viewers can express themselves and interact with other viewers during broadcasts.

11. Employees apart from executives will also focus on personal branding and thought leadership

According Edelman Trust Barometer 2017, consumer trust in CEOs is lower than consumer trust in employees. Brands are beginning to encourage all their employees to build impressive social media profiles, just as employees themselves are beginning to take interest in personal branding activities.

In 2017, posts from mid and ground-level employees discussing industry issues began flooding LinkedIn and other social networks. 2018 will only see more of such posts.

Brands stand to benefit a lot from employees’ personal branding, with the benefits affecting everything from brand perception to sales and recruitment.

12. Omni-channel marketing will become all-important

According to a Business Insider study, 47% shoppers engage with brands across 10 or more channels, and such shoppers spend 93% more online and 208% more in stores than other customers. Chipotle and Sephora are two great examples of successful implementation of this strategy.

In 2017, brands spent a lot of money ensuring that customers get a seamless experience across channels, and that spending is only bound to increase in 2018. Until social media merges and brands can target customers on one centralized platform, omni-channel marketing will remain a matter of focus.

13. Mobile-focused content will be prioritized as Facebook makes a 100% shift to mobile

At present about 80% of Facebook’s revenue stems from mobile ads, and Contently predicts that by 2020, 59% of US Facebook users will shift to mobile-only usage. Considering this and the fact that major social media players Instagram and Snapchat are already mobile-focused, social media marketers will focus all the more on mobile next year.

Clearly, mobile social users engage with brands more, and brands can benefit from creating content specifically for them.

14. Instagram will overtake Facebook with brand engagement

Bloglovin, an influencer marketing platform, conducted a survey of 2,500 micro-influencers and found that 60% of them saw better engagement on Instagram as compared to engagement on other social media platforms. The reason for this trend is straightforward. Instagram has mobile-focused functionality and is visual in nature, both of which are effective in engaging today’s fickle and overwhelmed audience.

As Facebook races towards as all-mobile presence, Instagram will build on their already solid mobile foundation, leading the audience engagement game and helping brands achieve their goals.

15. Machine learning will transform how marketers run social media ads

There’s more math involved in social media advertisement than many social media managers might care to manage. Plus, there’s only so much accuracy that any human can deliver. That’s why brands are now investing in machine learning based ad management platforms to optimize their social media advertisements.

There now exist social media ad platforms that can run entire campaigns at optimal costs, given only basic campaign parameters. These platforms are even able to identify and set target audiences and choose campaign creatives based on predictions of what would perform best.

16. Facebook’s affordable VR headset will introduce a new playing field for brands

According to a Bloomberg report, Facebook plans to release an affordable VR headset codenamed “Pacific” in 2018. Bloomberg’s source has hinted that the headset will be unlike any available at present, being a standalone device and requiring no external source of power.

After Facebook’s launch of 360 degree photographs and video earlier this year, one can only wait to see what brands will do with these features once the new version of the VR headset hits the market.

17. Facebook Watch will give YouTube a run for its money

On August 9, 2017, facebook announced the release of a new video platform to view television-like shows called Watch. While the initial response (in the US region) was optimistic, the platform’s video views saw a dip in consequent episodes of the few series that were aired. However, this dip doesn’t seem to be a cause of worry for Facebook, because the platform might invest as much as $1 billion in Watch in 2018.

While many might see Watch as a move to compete with Netflix and HBO, the video platform is actually a direct attack on YouTube. The first round of shows commissioned for Watch star YouTube influencers who will bring their fan base along for the ride. Facebook is likely to monetize the video platform once it has an established MAU community.

18. Chatbots will transform personalized shopping and customer service

Clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger was among the first brands to use Messenger’s chatbots after their release. The brand’s chatbot is more than just a shopping assistant, having the ability to engage in intelligent conversations to the extent of offering fashion advice.

Facebook’s chatbots have proved that social media can drive sales, via automation. A brand doesn’t even have to invest in executive level community managers to engage with prospective customers anymore, as was the norm for community engagement in 2016. Brands can now develop chatbots or subscribe to platforms that offer chatbots to automate chat assistance. This only spells good fortune for personalized shopping and customer service on social media.

19. Brands’ presence on messaging apps will increase

At least 2.5 billion people use messaging apps, globally, but many brands still focus primarily on the web version of social media platforms. In 2018, however, as social networks themselves begin to focus on messaging platforms, brands will also begin to make the shift. Chatbots, in the form of intelligent assistants, will help brands manage conversations with their audience via messaging platforms.

At present, brands are already using mobile-focused platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat to target younger audiences. Some brands are also using Whatsapp and Hike to communicate directly with prospective customers.

20. Augmented reality & 360-degree video/photography will dominate experience marketing

Today’s audience wants an immersive experience, according to a YuMe study, and brands are working at giving it to them. The existence of AR and 360-degree video/photography helps. For proof of the fact, let us consider the following example. Hong Kong Airlines’ 360-degree ad was found to be 35 times as effective as its 2D version.

AR and 360-degree video/photography contribute an additional dimension to a customer’s experience, making it more immersive and memorable. Brands can use this to bring their audience into their offices, stores and events.

Check out this 360-degree selfie by 301i.

21. Behavioral data will drive marketing decisions

The advancement of social media technology has enabled marketers to track behavior of users, giving them more insight into the performance of their marketing activities. Until now, most marketers have relied on analytics that measure engagement as events. They are now beginning to rely on analytics that measure audience behavior.

Since social media platforms are becoming more mobile-focused, event-based analytics aren’t enough to understand and predict audience behavior. Behavioral data gives social media marketers insight into what engages their audience and how they can create more audience-centric content.

Summarizing the top 20 social media marketing trends for 2018 –

1. Brands will feature User Generated Content more 
2. Brands will invest more in reputation management to combat fake news
3. Messenger chatbots will grow in popularity
4. Brands will invest more in disappearing content (24-hr stories & posts)
5. Influencer marketing will go mainstream
6. Video content will dominate social media feeds
7. Brands will focus more on creating an impressive social media footprint
8. Costs of paid social media advertising will rise
9. Micro-moments & moment marketing will take centre-stage
10. Live video and interactive broadcasting will be utilized more by brands
11. Employees apart from executives will also focus on personal branding and thought leadership
12. Omni-channel marketing will become all-important
13. Mobile-focused content will be prioritized as Facebook makes a 100% shift to mobile
14. Instagram will overtake Facebook with brand engagement
15. Machine learning will transform how marketers run social media ads
16. Facebook’s affordable VR headset will introduce a new playing field for brands
17. Facebook Watch will give YouTube a run for its money
18. Chatbots will transform personalized shopping and customer service
19. Brands’ presence on messaging apps will increase
20. Augmented reality & 360-degree video/photography will dominate experience marketing
21. Behavioral data will drive marketing decisions

                                                                                                                                       Feature image via Pexels.com

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Traffic Academy: Get In the Driver’s Seat! (Part 2)

Welcome to Part 2 of our guide to driving traffic online!
In Traffic Academy Part 1, we covered what online traffic is, why it matters, and how you can increase it using free methods.
In this section, we will cover the paid methods you can use including Facebook ads, banner ads, solo ads, and PPC advertising.
By the end of this series, you will have the knowledge to form a strategy which integrates both paid and free traffic methods to get the results you are looking for.
Let’s get started!

Paid Traffic Methods

Facebook Ads

Facebook ads are available through the Facebook platform as long as you have an active Facebook business page.
Facebook offers a user friendly ad creation process that you access right from your profile page.
The native ads they provide can appear in the newsfeed of your audience so they blend in with other posts.
Alternatively, they can appear in the right-hand column of the desktop version of Facebook.

 

There are many objectives you can choose from depending on what your goals are.
You can drive traffic to your website, drive conversions, increase app downloads, increase video views, or even just boost a post to reach more people!

 

Once you select your objective, you can target your audience using very detailed options.
From demographics to interests to behaviors, Facebook really allows you to fine tune your audience.
They even allow you to create custom audiences through existing lists you have, and look-a-like audiences so you can target users who are similar to those on a list you already have.
For more on targeting and audiences, check out our Facebook Targeting 101 post here.
Once you target your audience, you will select your schedule, set your budget, design your ad, add in calls to action, and then place your order.
When you have ads running, you can track their performance and cost in the Facebook Insights section.
It is a relatively easy process and the ads have shown they can be very effective.
Facebook continues to focus on improving the experience for their users by limiting the amount of organic business posts in news feeds in favor of friends and family posts.
Facebook ads can help you to still get the exposure you need to reach your desired audience!

Best Practices

When designing an ad for Facebook, keep in mind that visually appealing ads do best.
Be sure to choose engaging media whether it’s an image or video.
You will also want to invest some time into strategizing your ad copy as you have a small amount of space to engage and interest the reader to click through.
It can also be helpful to create different messages to different audiences.
You can create an ad targeted at people who have never heard of your business before, one to retarget those who have previously visited your website, and one for those who have watched your videos, etc.
Lastly, once your ads are posted, be sure to always follow up to gauge ad performance and make adjustments accordingly.
Better yet, try out this tool to check out the ads that have worked for your competition and save yourself some of the guesswork!

Banner Ads

Next up are banner ads.
These are advertisements that you can purchase that will show up in rectangular displays horizontally or vertically on host web pages.
They are typically image-based with some text and can link to the destination that you choose.
You can pay host sites for these advertisements using 3 pricing models: views, clicks, and conversions.
If you are interested in investing in banner ads, you can buy them direct from websites (i.e. Waze), by joining an ad network, or by hiring an ad agency through a catalog type environment where you buy remnant from various publishers (i.e. Google Adwords).
There are various sites available for banner ads, but here are some options you can check out:
http://web.blogads.com
https://www.buysellads.com
http://valueclick.com/
http://www.bannerspace.com/
http://www.eads.com/
http://www.doubleclick.net/

Best Practices

When using banner ads, you’ll want to identify your goal, who you are targeting, and what websites your target audience visits.
Once you know, it is time to design your banner. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Identify what you want to communicate in the small space available
• Keep your message clear
• Include a call to action
• Use colors that match your branding
• Consider interactive elements to attract more attention
• Stick to standard sizes
• Create a hierarchy
• Forget flash

As far as designing the banner, you could hire a professional web designer, a freelancer off a site like 99designs, or create your own.
There are also services like envatostudio available which handle all the back end coding for you so you can just design it from the front end.
These can be a viable option for reaching a new audience and directing them to your desired destination.

Solo Ads

 

Above is an example of a solo ad vendor website.
Solo ads are another great opportunity for you to reach a new audience, particularly if you know your conversion rate based on past data.
With solo ads, basically you create an ad in the form of an email.
Then you find a vendor who has targeted lists of email addresses and you pay them to send your email to their list.
Now, to be clear, you are not buying an email list.
An email you create is sent out to someone else’s list as a way for you to reach their audience.
It is important to understand that there is a risk in solo ads because you are trusting that the vendor has a list of engaged recipients and that they are actually sending your email to them.
You will want to choose a vendor who is reputable to decrease your risk.
You will also want to look for a vendor that offers performance-based pricing models in comparison to fixed rates.
This will ensure you are only paying for click-throughs, opens, and conversions.

Best Practices

Once you decide you want to use solo ads, it is important to calculate your marketing budget in order to ensure your investment is profitable.
You will need to name your goal, for example: email sign-ups, sales, etc.
Then calculate how much each conversion is worth to you and how often conversions to your target audience occur.
For example, if you get 100 email subscribers and 5 out of every 100 subscribers buy your product or service which costs $150 a piece, then every 100 email subscribers is worth $750 gross.
Then look at your conversion rates from the solo ad.
If you can get 100 subscribers and still end up profitable after your costs then this can be a useful tactic.
To find reputable vendors, you can go to well-known sites like Udimi.
In general, just keep in mind that if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.
Lastly, when creating a solo ad, keep in mind you have a small window to make an impression.
Your headline must be eye catching, your copy engaging, and you need to include a strong call to action that directs readers where you want them to go.
For more information about solo ads check out our Beginner’s Guide to Solo Ads article here.

PPC

In section 1 of this guide we talked about SEO and how to increase traffic organically by using certain tactics.
While highly impactful, it can take quite awhile to climb up to first page rankings.
If you need results faster, that is where pay per click (PPC) comes in.
PPC advertising allows you to display ads and only be charged when people actually click on them.
This means you can be making impressions and increasing brand awareness without paying.
Paid ads show up above organic search results on the search engine results page (SERP).
Here is an example where you can see the top results are marked as ads:

While getting to the top of search engine results can take some time with SEO, paid ads allow you to buy your spot right away.
However, it has been reported that organic search results have an 8.5x higher click through rate.
So, paid ads have their place as a part of a joint campaign with organic SEO efforts.

Best Practices

When running a paid ad campaign, keyword research is of the utmost importance.
You will need to use a tool such as the Google Keyword Planner to identify the right words to target.
You will find that short tail generic keywords like ‘sweaters’ are searched more, have more competition, and cost more to bid on.

 

Long tail keywords like “hoodie sweaters for women” which are more specific to your product or service, are searched less and are more affordable.
Additionally, these long tail keywords often have higher conversion rates as the people who type them are further along in their buying journey.
So, your campaign should include a balance of both.
Once you have your keywords chosen, you design an ad which will be relevant and attractive so that searchers will click on it.
Then the ad should lead to a destination which is also relevant to the ad and keywords.
In choosing which ad gets shown, Google takes into consideration what is known as the quality score.
This is basically an analysis of how relevant and effective your ad is to the page it leads to as well as the results of the click through.
So the more relevant and effective your ad, the more it will be shown.
As your campaigns run, you should be tracking and analyzing results to find out which ads and keywords are most effective.
Over time, you can improve campaigns and earn a higher ROI.
The ideal ads will result in high click-through rates and conversions with a lower cost per click.
To learn more about PPC Advertising, check out our article on 8 Reasons to Try PPC.

Time for Action!

Now you have an understanding of the fundamentals of driving traffic!
It’s important to consider the benefits available from both paid and free methods and to combine them strategically.
For example, if you have implemented an active social media presence on Facebook and Instagram paid Facebook ads can expand your reach even further.
Additionally, by implementing SEO practices on your website and blog you can climb the ranks of organic search engine results, while PPC advertising campaigns can give you visibility in paid results.
By doing both, you can end up with total domination of the search results page for your terms.
A combined strategy is the best strategy.
With this in mind, take some time to review your options.
Here is a quick overview of what we covered through this 2-part guide to driving traffic:

Free Traffic Sources

• Email marketing
• Blogging
• Social media
• SEO

Paid Traffic Sources

• Facebook ads
• Solo ads
• Banner ads
• PPC

By experimenting with the different channels available and tracking your results, you can gradually find those which work best for your business.
As a result, you can invest your marketing budget and time into those channels.
Also, always remember to strike a balance between free and paid traffic.
This will benefit your wallet and help your efforts since free and paid traffic methods drive different types of results.
Finally, don’t be frustrated if your results aren’t what you hoped for right away.
It is important to think of your marketing strategy as an ongoing process of refinement rather than one you get perfect on the first try.
The only way to really know what works is to research, plan as best you can, experiment, track and adapt.
Best of luck in your traffic driving efforts and if you have thoughts to share, feel free to comment!



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Pay-Per-Click: 8 Reasons to Try PPC Advertising

As an online marketer, your ultimate goal is to reach online users and promote your products or services, right?

Ideally, you want to achieve this in a quick and painless manner, all while remaining cost-effective.
Now, there are tons of traffic strategies out there and sometimes it can be hard to know which one fits the bill. That is where pay-per-click (PPC) advertising comes in.

PPC is basically when you (the advertiser) pay your host (the publisher) each time someone clicks the ad being displayed on your behalf.

Whether you are aiming to connect with users via social media, search engines or other content sites viewers, PPC is a great way to target a new audience and enhance your overall marketing efforts.

Check out these 8 reasons to try pay-per-click:

1. Get results quickly

It’s no surprise that everyone wants instant results when it comes to their marketing efforts.
PPC is a great strategy to expedite those results.

Quick turnaround is one of the most distinguishing differences between organic and paid searches.

The reason being is that organic positioning is extremely time consuming. You have to build up your pages, fill in your content, integrate keywords and phrases, share the content, develop high quality backlinks and then you might see your rankings increase.

Once a PPC campaign is set up and properly optimized, this advertising strategy can shoot your website to the top of the list, and fast!

Plus, publishers like Google reward the highest quality ads (not just whoever paid the most), making this especially worthwhile for businesses that are just starting out and need a quick boost. Of course you still need to design and implement your campaign effectively, but with PPC, you’re basically paying to get bumped to the front of the line.

2. Reach more people

Regardless if you’re just starting out in the digital world, or you already have a great online
reputation, PPC advertising is something that can help you expand your audience by reaching even more people.

Internet users today don’t want to be bothered with intensive searches, or be forced to dig through pages and pages to find you. That’s why implementing a PPC campaign can help you increase your traffic tremendously!

Efficiency is key in the world of digital marketing and most people don’t have the time or patience to get past the first page of search results. However, when utilizing PPC your ad gets bumped to the front of the line, allowing it to be showcased in an easy-to-see spot.

When your ad is visible above all of the others, potential customers are that much more likely to choose you over the competition:

This is crucial for anyone looking to expand their influence and gain more customers. If either of those sound appealing to you, PPC advertising may be a perfect fit for you!

3. Target the right people

Paid advertising doesn’t just allow you to reach more people. With proper deployment of this strategy you can actually tailor your audience to a specific group of people you’d like to connect with.

In order to maximize the results, you should use targeting options wisely, especially when it comes to custom audiences within Google AdWords and Facebook.

Narrowing down the audience criteria will allow you to showcase your ads only to the people that matter, i.e. the people who may actually be interested in your products or services!

Options such as demographic, location, interests, behaviors and even an exclusion of any or all of those things will help refine the group of users you’re targeting online and as a result, you’ll increase the efficiency of your ads which ultimately leads to better conversion rates!

4. Only pay for actual clicks

Another reason PPC advertising is so appealing has to do with the financial investment itself. You know exactly how you’re spending your money, as opposed to different advertising models where the destination of funds may be a bit more vague.

With PPC, you simply pay when the person interested in your products or services clicks on your ad. It’s that easy.

This click model (vs an impression model) means that you aren’t just paying for the view, but instead getting another level of marketing entirely. Any investment you make is based on real people who not only saw your ad, but were so enticed by it that they actually clicked.

Most importantly, you are only paying to specifically target the users with the most buying potential and therefore it makes calculating your return on investment a breeze!

By implementing a tool like ClickPerfect,  you can track your results while comparing your advertising budget to your conversion value. This is extremely helpful, as it will give you an insight as to which ads are giving you the best return on your investment.

As you start seeing tangible results, you can then in turn continue increasing the advertising budget to broaden your reach even more!

5. Full control over your costs

Budget settings makes most PPC platforms quite flexible and allow you to adjust spending to your own specific needs.

One thing you should know when setting up a budget is that many publishers work like an auction. This means that the cost of the campaign varies depending on campaign bidding for the same keywords.

Most platforms let you to set up payment limitations, that way you always pay the lowest amount when bidding. You also have the ability to set up a spending limit so you won’t be charged over that set amount.

Having a very specific business niche combined with a little luck might allow you to get some campaigns for a very cheap price!

6. Leverage different ad types

Another reason why PPC advertising is a strategy worth trying out is the diversity when it comes to different types of ads that are available. From social media, to search engines, to content sites – you can hone in on a ton of different ad campaigns.

Do you want to raise awareness of your brand? Increase sales for a specific product? Share details for a specific event? Re-market to previous customers?

Whatever the end goal may be, PPC allows you to select the ad specific to your business, allowing you to achieve results quickly!

7. DIY

Online marketing is no longer reserved for big companies and industry experts. A do-it-yourself approach is now being utilized by newbies, small business owners and seasoned veterans alike.

Platforms like AdWords and Facebook include plenty of instructions and online tutorials to help you set up your ads. Anyone with a little bit of drive and internet access can easily start a PPC campaign to promote their business!

One important thing to remember is that PPC advertising does require some skin in the game and you need to come prepared to do some trial-and-error marketing if you are just starting out. Get familiar with the rules and learn how to successfully manage a campaign in order to get the best results.

Remember that using a click tracking tool will come in handy here as you’ll need to run tests, monitor, compare data and alter the settings accordingly to stay on top of your game.

8. Grow your business

All of the aforementioned best practices we’ve discussed here are oriented towards growing your business and enhancing results as quickly as possible!

If your budget is tight, and you need to see quick results? Try PPC.

If branding and recognition is something you want to improve, a PPC advertising strategy is recommended.

If you’re looking for targeting options and fully manageable costs? Yup: PPC.

Make sure to set goals, optimize your campaign before implementing, and be prepared with tools in place to track your progress, and pay-per-click may just work for you.

Armed with this information and a tool like ClickPerfect, you’ll be able to see results faster than ever before!

Over to you! Have you used PPC advertising before? What is your experience with this strategy?
Share your thoughts in the comments!

And, don’t forget to like and share this article to help spread the Word.



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