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Grow Your Business With Paid Search And Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing can work well with any digital marketing strategy, including pay per click (PPC) ads. Here's how to make it happen.

In today’s modern marketing world, there are numerous opportunities to combine digital marketing strategies that drive business goals. Still, with all the options available, which ones are best suited for your industry and business? The answer mostly depends on what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it.

Consider PPC (Pay-Per-Click) marketing, for instance, a search engine marketing (SEM) strategy allows you to create and display ads on search engines and pay a fee every time someone clicks on them.

In other words, you pay for website traffic, instead of earning it organically through search engine optimization (SEO). The only difference is your willingness to pay for visibility instead of building it organically over time.

However, you don’t have to choose between SEO and SEM. They work well together; in the same way PPC can work well with your social media marketing. The key is to creatively combine these strategies and get the desired results.

That being said, here’s how to make PPC advertising and social media marketing work together.

 

SEO and PPC work well together

At first glance, the SEO and PPC relationship may not be obvious. However, they share the same goals, despite different approaches. Both strategies aim to secure the best possible rankings on search engines and maximize conversion and website traffic.

 

Photo: © bnenin, YFS Magazine

They can work together in a unique way. Simply put, both SEO and PPC require extensive keyword research and content development to assist in converting online searchers into website visitors.

You can maximize your chances of running a successful digital marketing campaign with the use of both strategies. Yet there are times when SEO works better than PPC and vice versa. Marcus Miller, a UK-based consultant, notes that, “over nearly 17 years shows me that when done well, organic search delivers more volume at a better cost per lead than paid search. However, this is not the marketing Wild West it once was. New businesses can have a hard time getting started with SEO, and paid search [PPC] can offer a fast track to search marketing when done correctly.”

 

What about social media?

Social media platforms are a proven medium for digital marketing campaigns. Social media provides an opportunity for brand to establish their online presence and engage with customers.

What’s more, social networks like Facebook allow account holders to open up shops on their brand pages and sell direct to their audience. Meanwhile, Instagram Shopping is a new app in development. This trend is supported by the growing number of apps dedicated to social shopping.

 

These outdated business email rules no longer apply
Photo: © bnenin, YFS Magazine

 

Integrating social media and PPC

Social media can work well with any digital marketing strategy, including PPC. Here’s how to make it happen.

 

Conduct extensive research

For social media and PPC to work well together, in both cases, you need extensive knowledge about your audience. For PPC, you need it to create a compelling ad. For social media, you need it to engage your audience. Start by analyzing your target audience to determine what resonates best and drives engagement.

Leverage data to develop headlines for your PPC campaigns alongside engaging content for social media. Moreover, conduct a competitive analysis to determine which headlines your competitors use for PPC and how they grow their social following. The goal is to gain valuable insight into what works.

In addition, compare platforms to determine the best medium for your ads. For example, in a “NewsCred case study, they found that LinkedIn Sponsored Updates outperformed AdWords at a rate of 17.6 to 3.1.”

 

Grow your social followers with PPC

If your social media presence isn’t yet established or where you want it to be, you can combine social media and PPC. Many companies leverage PPC to encourage people to visit their social media pages. As long as you have relevant content and valuable insight to offer on social media, PPC will drive visitors your way.

You can even leverage trendy headlines with the help of PPC services that will boost your social media traffic. It’s important to create compelling headlines that will encourage people to check it out, as well as adding social sharing buttons to encourage readers to share your content with their family and friends.

After all, viral content tends to attract more visitors and you can spark social shares using PPC as well. The key is to create content that provides answers to specific questions or helps to solve a particular problem.

 

Ensure brand consistency across your digital strategy

Consistency is the key when you decide to combine PPC and social media efforts. Ideally, you don’t want your messages to be confusing and lack cohesiveness. This is especially true when extending your strategy across various media channels or social networks. Brand consistency is an absolute must to build trust and engagement. Here are a few examples where consistency matters:

 

  • Matching visuals

    Your social media pages and landing pages must be in visual sync. If your audience lands on a page that differs visually, it might confuse them and force them to bounce. You don’t want people to bounce off if you’re trying to improve conversion rates.

  • Tone of voice

    A lot of companies make the mistake of replicating headlines or keyword phrases, in order to ensure consistency. That’s unnecessary and even counterproductive. Instead, pick a tone of voice and match it with your content, as well as your messages to make your brand more recognizable.

  • Unique messaging

    What makes your brand different? If you lack a unique value proposition, you aren’t relevant to your audience. Find your uniqueness that will be portrayed in your messaging to make your brand truly stand out.

 

A digital marketing strategy that combines search (paid and organic) and social media can be a great asset. Combine tactics, track metrics and optimize your campaigns in order to maximize efforts and results.

 
Lauren Wiseman is a marketing specialist, contributor to Bizzmarkblog.com and an entrepreneur. She helps clients grow their personal and professional brands in the fast-changing and demanding market, strongly believing in a holistic approach to a business.

 

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