Pay-Per-Click Marketing for Small Budgets: Will it work?

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The common thinking is that you need a considerably large budget to run a pay-per-click campaign. This is logical, since PPC campaigns are generally tricky to manage; even seasoned online marketers would sometimes struggle in controlling expenses and brainstorming on productive keywords.

But apparently, getting into PPC even with a measly budget is not really a crazy idea, at least according to Brent Frei, co-founder and executive chairman of Bellevue, Wash.-based Smartsheet.com.

Consider these 5 insights on how to make this happen

1. PPC works with small budgets.

PPC can be extremely effective for small budgets. You can use PPC to target visitors at all stages of the buying funnel. Start by focusing on the keywords people type in when they are ready to buy. Avoid broad match or you’ll be paying for unqualified clicks that will just drain your budget.

2. Test lots of messages.

The days of committing to ‘one version’ with print brochures are long gone. PPC is a great way to test content and combinations of words and messages. Design tests to measure if you’re increasing relevance of keywords to ad copy to landing pages. Think whether the promise from the ad is delivered consistently on the landing page and in the headline and body copy.

3. Test lots of markets. 

If an ad is working in a certain market, test the same copy in another market but, remember, there are subtle nuances in each language. For example, the French word for “management” (gestion) implies “financial” management, so add extra descriptors in your ad copy to ensure you’re not paying for clicks from French visitors looking to get a handle on their personal finances. It’s a good practice to have trusted individuals who know the native language review your copy and not only rely on Google Translate.

4. Tests quickly point to the right direction. 

More often than not, the simplest, briefest version of your page will be the most effective. Always start with some basic best practices, create your hypothesis and then test everything – headline, buttons, video, CTA placement and so on. It’s a sure-fire way to validate what you’ve learned.

5. Numbers trump opinion and emotion.

When funds are tight and every lead counts, using data instead of your opinion to make decisions is a lifesaver. We use Google AdWords and Bing Ads, along with some sophisticated tools like GA Content Experiments and Optimizely combined with our own analysis, to measure which market segments are the most valuable. We double down on those and turn off those that are underperforming.

Read the full post at Entrepreneur