Anyone who has ever heard the term “pay per click” (PPC) already has some understanding of the idea behind paid search. Local paid search strategies can help you generate high-quality leads — but only if you know how and why you’re using them.
Let’s take a look at:
- How paid search attracts curious clientele
- How paid differs from non-paid lead generation techniques
- The value of paid search in the modern mobile-shopping universe
- How to use it for lead generation (as opposed to e-commerce).
Paid Search and Your Sales Funnel: A Profitable Combination
If you’ve been involved in marketing and sales for a while now, you’re probably familiar with the concept of the sales funnel. The sales funnel is that beautiful vortex you’ve been chasing that collects prospects from thin air and transforms them into paying customers. The wide mouth of the funnel is dedicated to generating awareness about your company, while deeper layers cultivate interest, compel a decision, and present a call to action.
Paid search feeds online viewers into that topmost or “awareness” level of your sales funnel, alongside other awareness generators such as social media posts and online ads. The right keywords in a paid search campaign can get you in front of a specific target market searching for specific products or services. Local paid search takes the strategy a step further by using location-specific keywords as well. Before you know it, you’re attracting the attention of individuals who need exactly what you offer, in exactly the area you serve.
PPC vs. Organic Lead Generation
PPC-based lead generation can complement organic lead generation beautifully. Organic lead generation serves as the cornerstone of successful SEO (search engine optimization). The right combination of keywords and relevant content can help you rank higher than your competitors in search results. The snag is that there are tons of online competitors out there, all of them striving continuously to out-SEO each other for those precious rankings.
PPC gives you a faster, less work-intensive way to cut to the head of the line – or in search-result terms, the top of the page. Paid search listings leapfrog over organic listings on a given search, presenting themselves as the first thing viewers see. Yes, it costs money to set up and maintain a successful PPC campaign — but the instant attention you receive can make it more than worthwhile.
Going Local in a Mobile Marketplace
The Web has revolutionized how people shop for local products and services. An estimated 86% of U.S. shoppers find their local vendors through Web searches. 53% of those searches take place, not on desktop computers, but on mobile devices.
Americans have become more and more dependent on their smartphones as “Information Central” — semi-magical oracles that tell them where to find the nearest barbershop, Mexican restaurant, software sales company or shoe store. If you want your ideal customers to see your ad whenever they’re looking for local providers, put geo-local paid search strategies to work for your business.
Lead Generation and E-Commerce: Different PPC Approaches
All local paid search is not created equal. You can apply PPC in different ways depending on what you’e trying to do. For example, PPC for lead generation differs substantially from e-commerce PPC.
E-commerce PPC is all about putting a specific product or service in front of your viewers in response to their search. Lt’s say that a woman is searching for a pair of blue high heels from a particular designer. Her online search brings up a clickable ad for that exact product in her area. Lead generation PPC focuses on presenting your business, not a specific item. So that search for high heels would lead your customer to your main website link, not just an ad.
Interested in learning more about the relationship between local paid search, lead generation, and your greater online presence? Contact us and let’s discuss it!
