The ability to identify qualified leads on a website requires the collaboration of marketing and sales teams. Both departments must be on the same page about who their target demographic is and the content that speaks to them throughout the buyer's journey. One tool that can improve a company's ability to qualify leads is the use of paid search advertising in lead generation campaigns.
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How to Qualify Leads With Pay-Per-Click
The first step to qualifying leads with PPC advertising is understanding the many different ways a target audience is searching for the solutions a company offers. This can be achieved through proper URL tracking, data analysis, and segmented groups within a campaign.
To accurately measure the effectiveness of a lead generation campaign, we need to track elements such as advertisement clicks, which campaign they came from, what keywords were searched for, the device they were on, and so on. The data is then used to determine where the most valuable opportunities are coming from. Once tracking parameters have been set, we can begin capturing data on landing pages.
Understanding and Utilizing Data-Driven User Intent
As professional advertisers, we must think like scientists in approaching every campaign and leaving no stone unturned. Thorough research, data collection, and analysis are necessary to make quality decisions towards specific goals and measurable results. Like any good scientist, it's important to experiment by running different variations of marketing advertisements, then thoroughly testing, analyzing, and comparing results to determine which ads and strategies resonates with your target audience.
The benefit of data research is that it allows you to understand the basis of who the audience is and the attributions which associate them into groups. These groups support user intentions. It's crucial to understand the meaning and use of keywords in search queries that generate new leads. The less we leave up to chance, the greater the opportunity for return on investment.
The challenge with data analysis is that you can't do it unless you've collected enough data. While search engine optimization is an integral part of your inbound marketing strategy, it can take several months for the fruits of your labor to yield results. Paid search advertising is a good solution if you don't have the luxury of time.
Segmenting Campaigns Into Groups is Essential
After collecting data to better understand target demographics, marketing teams can more accurately craft content and advertisements that speak to different segments. Segment campaigns into groups based on the main features and benefits of the product or service you are offering. Segment even further into target industries and geographic locations.
When getting started segmenting your campaign, ask yourself these questions:
- Features: What is unique or interesting about your product or service?
- Benefits: What problem does your product or service solve?
- Target Industries: What industries benefit from your product or service?
- Geographic Location: Where is your product or service offered?
Remember, these are baseline questions as a starting point for campaign segmentation. Every business is different, and so is every campaign. The variations are endless, and it's recommended to have a custom approach to the creativity of segmenting leads.
Using Relevant Keywords to Target Your Ideal Customer
Once segments are identified at this level, you will be able to strategically set up campaigns with targeted keywords and align them to the prior work of researched audiences. Perhaps the most important piece to developing the campaign in this stage is choosing the right keywords. There are many ways to judge the quality of keywords, such as search volume, competition score, and of course, the cost of bidding in the case of PPC. However, we must also read between the lines and consider user intentions to choose the right keywords.
There are several tools available to discover keywords and track search engine results. When researching keywords, marketers will find endless amounts of words with enticing characteristics. Don't be fooled by the numbers alone.
Understand searcher intention by asking questions like:
- What keyword is being targeted?
- What question is being asked?
- What is the current top-ranking content?
- What purpose does it serve?
- If someone searches for this keyword, are they likely looking for me?
Search intent is critical to the success of your pay-per-click strategy. If the goal is to be relevant to search results, there are no shortcuts to success. The more we define search intent, the better we can define our products, services, and information. Done correctly, you can increase brand awareness with paid search advertising.
Build Out Your Ad copy and Creative
Equipped with the knowledge of our segmented groups and search intentions, you can speak to these audiences in meaningful ways. When designing your pay-per-click ads, keep in mind search intent. The ads should have a meaningful purpose in answering questions or providing solutions. The best way to attract qualified leads to your website with PPC is by aligning your website and advertising content. It's crucial that the visitor is getting what they expected from clicking on your ad. When they do, there is a higher opportunity you will see a return on investment. Value-driven content is relevant for short and long-term lead generation. This goes for both search text ads and display creative ads. Aligning your content and your user's experience is vital to a successful campaign.
When used properly, the data collected with PPC is a powerful tool to grow and scale your business more effectively than other lead generation tactics alone. When aligned with SEO-guided content and website pages, paid search advertisements can supercharge the quality of leads visiting your website, saving you time and money on your investment.
