The PPC Crystal Ball: What Lies Ahead for Your Business
Want to know what’s on the mind of the greatest PPC strategies this year? Check out these trends to watch and join in the debate – we’ll be checking in on the NetSearch Direct blog as the year progresses to see if we were right or wrong. You’ll also have a chance to weigh in on your PPC predictions for 2010.
1. Mobile Ads
Remember when having a camera on your phone was a big deal? For 2010 we predict the big deal will be mobile ads. With the popularity of iPhones, the release of the Driod phones, and the launch of the Google Phone – the market is exploding with technology that turns ordinary telephones into mini computers. Advertising in unique ways to mobile web-surfers will grow and offer businesses yet another way to target prime consumers. The real value add will be agencies who get mobile advertising platforms and can offer a real service to its clients – mobile advertising will be different than regular PPC advertising and capitalizing on the difference will make all the difference in a client’s ROI.
2. PPC Facelift
Google recently rolled out new features for ads – things like SiteLinks, Product Extension, and Product listings which offer a unique advertising format that better enhances a user’s online search experience. These ad formats will allow campaign managers the chance to target potential customers better by catering to the search term and behavior. Although still in BETA, new ad formats are offering experiments now, and by fourth quarter 2010 you’ll see which companies profited by taking advantage of this technology and putting up their best ads for consumers.
3. Context/Display Ad Developments
Thanks to search engines revamping their content networks and display advertising metrics, these two methods of PPC have been gaining some spotlight. With the advancements in social media marketing on networking sites, advertisers are looking to find creative ways to reach new customers and position themselves in front of eyes they previously wouldn’t have reached. As with any advertising strategy, you’ve got to know the cards but also how best to play them. Quick strategies and minimal research will yield poor results and wasted money.
4. Play Scientist
Think you’ve got a great landing page design? Give it a makeover and pit the two against each other, collect the data, and check out the results. Do the same for your ad copy, your offers, and your conversion path. And the real trick…continue experimenting. We tend to only mention using tests as part of optimization efforts or to give a quick boost to profits and traffic. In reality, you should always be testing, especially as the nature of search continues to change and evolve. Your final method of delivery may not be altered, but your customer’s behavior and expectations will be adapting to new search patterns. Embrace these changes and trends by earnestly working to keep the most interesting, and relevant, content right before your consumer’s eyes.
At this point in the game you may be thinking that it’s still too early to call the trends that are going to rule pay-per-click marketing. Maybe, but we’re pretty confident in the evidence that has shown itself and the new features and reporting tools that are being rolled out from search engines. Couple that with the way the search landscape is changing and, well, we think we’ve made some pretty solid bets here. We’ll be watching the developments as they flicker across the radar, so as you consider these 2010 predictions and make your own strategy decisions remember to periodically check back in at our blog for updates as the year progresses.