Let’s be clear PPC ads don’t (primarily) generate leads. Ads get Clicks and generate traffic. [A few exceptions, which will be covered later, include call-only ads, call extension and message extension.] However, PPC is more than just Ads. From a customer’s journey perspective it starts with their search query which triggers your ad via your keywords and other targeting settings. Finally, assuming your ad gets their click, the Landing Page and experience on your website. If you really want leads it is important that this journey is clear and painless, otherwise your potential leads will be leaving you for one of your competitors.
While the customer journey starts with a search, the marketer’s building process should begin with the desired outcome (Goal/Conversion) and work backwards.
Step 1: What is a PPC “Lead” for You?
Great, you want to generate Leads! What is a “Lead” to you?
- Form Submission
- Contact Us
- Phone Call
- Subscriber
- Social Media Follower
- Other
Step 2:, Why should People Become a Lead for You? (Enticing Valuable Offer, Feature, and/or Benefit)
- Free Offer/Trial
- Downloadable Content
- Discount Offer
- Unique Feature/Benefit
- Other
Step 3: How Are Users Becoming Leads? Create A Great User Experience
Let’s say you decided that your Leads are Trial Request and you are offering a 30 Day Free Trial. This answers the “What” and and “Why” in Steps 1 & 2. Now is the How? This includes the information needed to start the free trial (your form) and the content (contextual and visual) on your landing page.
A few things to keep in mind to boost your Conversion Rate:
- Optimize for Keywords (will help with PPC Quality Score)
- Design for Mobile First
- Only Ask for Information that is Truly Needed (less form fields = more submissions)
- Keep It Simple – Build for Fast Loading
Step 4: Drive Traffic & Get Clicks (Not the Same Thing)
Finally diving into Ads. If you want form submissions focus on Ads that lead to your landing page. However, if your desire is phone calls, make sure to create Call Only Ads. These Ads will only show on devices that can make a phone call and a click will open their phone/call app with your phone number ready to go. While this counts and is charged the same as a Click the user is never sent to your site.
Tips for writing Lead Generating Ad Copy:
- Use Your Customers Words (Not Industry Jargoon)
- Focus on the Problem You Solve
- Highlight Features & Benefits
- Use Clear Call To Action (this is for Ad Copy and Landing Pages)
- Call Now
- Request Info
- Claim Offer
- Download Content
After your Ads are ready to go, make sure you are using all the appropriate Ad Extensions (call, message, location, callout, site links, etc.) that will help you not only get additional Clicks, but help capture the lead
Step 5: Target Your Ads - Keywords and Intent
Last step – get you Ad in front of the correct audience. Yes, this includes more than keywords (learn more about all ppc targeting options), but for simplicity let’s use keywords to uncover intent. Since this blog is focused on Lead Generation, you will want to focus on keywords that reveal that the customer is in the research phase of the purchase process. Include search terms such as “reviews”, “best”, or “how to do…”.When it comes to keywords, Negatives are wonderful. Searchers for Brand Names, discounts, deals, or unrelated terms will help you prevent wasting your marketing budget on Clicks that are doomed from the start.
As a quick review, make sure that throughout the entire set up process you stay focus on your goal which is to generate leads. This will ensure that your message to the future customer is consistent from keyword to ad Copy through to the Landing Page.
Quick Backwards Review of the PPC Lead Generation Steps:
5. Use Keywords that show user intent that aligns with a lead generation goal
4. Highlight Problem Solving Features & Benefits in Ads with Clear CTAs
3a. Lead Searchers to Landing Pages that are User (and Mobile) Friendly
3b. Short Concise Forms that Only Capture Required Info
2. Promote an Enticing Offer that cannot be refused
1. Know Your Desired Outcome!
Seems simple try Google Ads or Bing Ads for yourself, or if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask via comments.
What action do we want them to take? This is where we are falling short. We are just conveying info. Let’s direct them to subscribe for future blogs or something with more meat on the bone.
