Pay Per Click Marketing and Social Media

When deciding on an Internet Marketing strategy, often pay per click (PPC) and social media platforms are thought of as two separate aspects where never the twain shall meet. However, a little bit of marketing savvy can bring PPC and social media together in ways that will benefit both your business and your customers.

What is Pay Per Click?

In the simplest terms, PPC is simply the “sponsored results” or “ads” you see either at the top or side of a search engine results page. If you are a business, you pay the company providing the PPC service each time someone clicks on your ad. How do you get your ad at the top of that results page?

That depends on variables, such as the PPC service, the ad itself, keywords, and how much you’re willing to pay. However, once your PPC ad is in place, it’s important to know how to use it effectively.

One Thing Leads to Another

PPC and social media can be used to effectively complement one another. In his blog, Darin.CC, Darin Carter, a search engine marketing expert, explains there’s a difference between the type of customer who clicks on a PPC ad and a customer who is visiting a social media site. Many times, if a potential customer or client clicks on an ad, chances are they are already shopping for a particular item or service. Conversely, if a potential client is visiting a social media site, that person is less likely to be ready to buy but more likely to be looking for information or researching a particular product or service.

Carter continues to explain the importance of making sure each potential customer gets what they’re looking for. Someone wanting to buy a product immediately needs to click on a link that will lead them to that product. However, someone wishing to read a blog would probably be put off if they click on a link that leads to a hard-sell of a particular product. But, if this is the case, how do PPC and social media intersect?

The PPC click may lead a customer directly to your product page. However, a well-designed website will also have a blog, how-to or advice articles, and links to social network pages. Those social media pages will have interactive, engaging content that in turn will lead customers back to your product pages on your website. The PPC ad will bring a customer in, but social media will keep that customer coming back. The social media platform will build a relationship with a potential customer, allowing them to click over to your product page. Even better, some social media outlets now have an e-commerce option, so potential customers can become customers right on your social media platform.

Social Media as Prime Real Estate for PPC

Search results aren’t the only place you can have a PPC ad. PPC ads can also appear on social media outlets. These ads working in tandem with social media e-commerce provide the benefit of a potential customer not having to leave the social media site in order to make a purchase.

Help at Hand

If you need help or have any questions about PPC and social media, Flyline Search Marketing is ready to help with expertise and know-how as a Google AdWords Certified Partner.

                      

How to Integrate Branding and Social Media

Social media has been used as a platform to reach customers and get information about them. But, it’s also being used to enhance brand strategies for greater brand equity.

What is Branding?

“Branding” is a term that gets thrown around a lot in business marketing circles. But what exactly does it mean? Think of your favorite beverage. What brand is it? What comes to mind when you think of that brand? Chances are it’s much more than just the brand’s name. You probably associate enjoyment with drinking that brand of beverage, and most likely you also associate high quality and trustworthiness with it – you trust your favorite beverage brand to be consistently satisfying.

If your beverage supports a particular cause, you might even associate social responsibility with the brand, which in turn heightens your satisfaction with purchasing and consuming that beverage. So, at the simple mention of a brand name, you instantly conjure feelings of enjoyment, quality, trustworthiness and satisfaction. That’s a pretty impressive feat – and that’s branding.

Build Your Platform

The most common elements of a social media platform are a blog, a Facebook page, YouTube and a Twitter account. Each of these elements needs to be a reflection of your brand and must work together to move potential customers to your website where they can then purchase your goods or services. It’s important to develop a brand narrative that social citizens can follow throughout your social media platform that will in turn help develop brand passion.

An effective way to do this is to make sure your content is both relevant and engaging. The more creative and entertaining your content is, the more excited your audience will be, and the more likely it is that they will not only spend time with your platform, but they’ll spread the word, too. Some of the most successful recent marketing strategies include tying the online and offline worlds together as well as linking social media with traditional media.

Track Down Your Audience

Once your platform is built, the next step is to find your audience. Consider who your target audience is and then find out where in the web they hang out and go there. Google is a great tool for this. By using keywords to search for similar products and services to your own, you can land in the same places your potential audience does.

Take the time to follow conversation threads to find out what that audience is thinking about a given product, what matters, what excites them and even what doesn’t. Use this valuable information to help refine your platform and your approach.

Nurture Relationships

Once you find your audience, connect with them by joining the conversation. Offer your insight and expertise, but be careful to avoid self-promotion. Attempts to simply get people to go to your site will appear pushy and insincere. Genuine dialogue will help build a relationship of mutual respect that will lead to potential customers seeking out your goods and services.

While searching for and engaging with your audience, take note of the influencers and make it a point to develop a relationship with them. Influencers are the bloggers who are in a position to spread the word and recommend your brand. Introduce yourself and become a part of their online community and be sure your interactions add value to the conversation.

Your Brand, Your Experience

How have you integrated branding and social media? What have your experiences been? We’d love to hear about them. If you have questions about making social media work for your brand, please leave them in the comments section below. We look forward to helping your business and brand make the most of social media platforms.