7 Keyword Bidding Strategies for Google Ads

 

In paid search advertising, you constantly have to optimize your strategies to outrank your competitors and secure a top-of-the-page placement in the search engine results.

You want your ad to be in front of your target market. However, it’s not always as easy as it sounds. Google looks at several factors to determine the effectiveness of your pay-per-click campaigns, such as your bids and quality score—the rating of the quality and relevance of your keywords, ads, and landing pages to the search query. This explains why securing the coveted top spot on search engines is not only a matter of your target keyword, but also strongly based on your keyword bidding strategy.

Essential Google Ads Bidding Strategies to Level Up Campaign Performance

Google Ads offers flexible keyword targeting options and comprehensive optimization features, which we can break down into at least two categories: manual bidding and automated bidding. In this article, we’re breaking down some of the bidding strategies, plus the situations when they are most useful to maximize conversion.

Manual Bidding

This bidding method allows you to set the maximum cost-per-click (CPC) you are willing to pay for your ads. You can place bids at the ad group level or the keyword level and keep it consistent across your campaign. Unlike automated bidding, Google Ads sets the bid amounts for you.

Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword research tool to discover keywords related to your business and see the search volume and the estimated costs to bid on them. But, remember, these bid suggestions are mere: suggestions. With manual bidding, you can start with an amount within your ad budget and risk appetite.

Automated Bidding

With automated bidding, Google sets the bid amounts for you based on the likelihood of your ad resulting in a click or driving conversion. It is designed to maximize results based on your campaign goals.

There are at least six targeting and bidding options under this strategy, and each works best when you have historical data from previous campaigns. It is where Google ads will base its predictions on the outcome of your future bids.

 

1. CPC Bidding

CPC (Cost per Click) is exactly what its name means: you pay for each click on your ads. For this bidding strategy, you set a maximum CPC bid (max CPC) or the highest amount you’re willing to pay for each ad click. Google Ads will automatically manage your bids to get the most clicks possible within your budget.

 

2. Enhanced CPC

This option integrates manual and automatic bidding: you set the max CPC for your ad groups and keywords, but the algorithm optimizes them. It means you allow Google to automatically increase or decrease your bid amount based on the likelihood of driving the sale. Enhanced CPC is available on the Search and Display networks.

 

3. Target Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

If your campaign’s primary goal is to drive conversions, target CPA bidding is the way to go. Using this method, Google Ads will set your bids on each campaign based on your CPA—your budget for each customer you acquire through your ad.

 

4. Target Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

This strategy is where things get a little complex. With target ROAS, Google Ads will set your maximum bid based on the return you want from your ad spend. It means you’re targeting a sales objective instead of the number of sales.

The formula looks like this: sales / ad spend x 100% = Target ROAS. Now, let’s put that into context. Let’s say you want to earn $10 for every $2 spent. Following the formula above, your target ROAS would look like this: $10 in sales  / $2 ad spend x 100% = 500% Target ROAS. 

 

5. Cost Per View (CPV) Bidding

This bidding strategy only applies to video ads, particularly YouTube Ads, where you are paying for the views or interaction you get. The views are determined by the duration at which a user watches your video. With CPV bidding, a view is counted when a user:

• watches 30 seconds of your ad
• watches your full ad if it’s less than 30 seconds
• engages with your ad (call-to-action clicks, overlay clicks, etc.)

 

6. Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM) Bidding

 

If you’re prioritizing brand awareness instead of conversions, then CPM bidding is for you. Using this option, you’re technically paying for the number of times your ads appear on YouTube or the Google Display Network, regardless of whether users click through or not.

 

The Best Google Ad Keyword Bidding Strategy For You

Now that you understand the fundamentals of the different Google Ads bidding strategies, how would you know which bidding option is best for you? It all depends on your campaign goals, campaign volume, and budget.

For example, if you want to drive sales to your site solely, Target CPA and Target ROAS are the best options. However, if your goals are more than just converting, manual CPC bidding and CPM are some of the optimal bid types to choose from.

Conclusion

In our experience as a digital marketing agency in the Philippines, there is not a single bidding strategy that works for all campaigns. Your success in paid search marketing is dependent on your niche, the industry you are in, your campaign goals, and ultimately your understanding of how each bidding option works.

At Createmoto, we take the time to get to know your business and develop Google Ads campaigns that drive valuable results. Get in touch with us today to learn more. 

 

Inbound vs Outbound: Top Lead Generation Strategies

 

Lead generation is the process of attracting audiences that have shown interest in your products/services, guiding them through the buyer’s journey to the end of the sales funnel—in short, converting them into sales.

In today’s competitive digital marketing landscape, capturing your target audience’s attention is a matter of using the right approach. There are two sides to a lead generation process: inbound and outbound. Both are equally important in any sales process.

 

Inbound vs Outbound: What’s the Difference?

Inbound lead generation is a strategic approach to lead customers to your brand and help them reach a buying decision organically. It happens when you create valuable content that appeals to your target audience that provides a solution to their problems. When done successfully, this content should establish a relationship that eventually results in a sale.

This strategy has surged in popularity in the past few years because it aligns with consumers’ preferences. As they avoid aggressive upsells, they prefer to discover information themselves and control how and when they will engage with a business. Below are some examples of inbound lead generation strategies.

 

7 Top Inbound Lead Generation Strategies

• Content Marketing

Content marketing is how you drive prospects to your site—with quality, relevant, and consistent content, you can engage and nurture them, convert them into leads, and eventually into sales. The key to successful content is to provide solutions to their problem. It should educate, inspire, even entertain your visitors.

• Search Engine Optimization

SEO is a practice that optimizes your site’s pages and increases their rankings in the organic search results. It can complement your lead generation efforts by raising brand awareness and ensuring that your business is visible where your target audiences are searching.

• Pay-Per-Click

PPC works as an inbound marketing strategy because it targets users actively searching for your products/services. With PPC, you can bid specific keywords that can help you secure top placements in the search engine results pages (SERPs).  PPC can maximize your potential to drive traffic and boost conversions when integrated with organic efforts.

• Website Design

 

 

In lead generation, you should not only look into your site’s content but its design as well. All the more important when it comes to landing pages, as this serves as your website’s frontline. With the insights derived from your buyer persona, you should optimize your site to deliver a seamless experience that actively converts visitors into qualified leads.

• Social Media Marketing

 

Most digital marketers agree that social media is the way to go when it comes to lead generation. Besides access to billions of active users, they offer some of the most effective tools to generate and track leads. Use these platforms to engage with your audience, drive site traffic, and initiate the lead generation process.

• Email Marketing

What your content and social media marketing strategies cannot achieve, you can carry out using email marketing. This is a great way to deliver news, blog posts, promos, etc., to your contact list of leads who have signed up for your newsletters.

• Retargeting Ads

 

Retargeting is a form of lead generation in which users are targeted based on their activity online. Let’s put that into context: using cookies on your site, you can track when someone visits your site and leaves without buying. You can send targeted ads to them on other sites to lure them back and potentially convert them into customers with retargeting. The key is to redirect them to a landing page that adds value to them.

Outbound Lead Generation Strategies

With inbound marketing, you are sitting ducks waiting for your target customers when they are ready to connect. But, there’s a bit of a problem: using inbound marketing, you are not initiating to reach out—this is where outbound marketing comes in.

Whereas inbound strategies rely on customers approaching your business, outbound lead generation tactics focus on marketing efforts involving reaching out to people that match your target audience profile. It effectively gets your business in front of users you know will benefit from your products/services.

• Cold Calls & Emails

Whatever your take on these approaches, the truth is cold calls and emails still work as much as any other lead generation strategy. Data shows that businesses can get an average of 15.22% to 28.46% open rates with cold emails. Meanwhile, Hubspot research found that approximately 69% of buyers are happy to answer calls from vendors.

• Online Communities

By online communities, we mean Facebook groups, forums, and any other channels with a group of people with shared interests. Here, you can reach out to a community of engaged users, provide value, and build relationships. That way, it will be easier to sell and get them to purchase.

• Content Syndication

Content syndication is the process of distributing your content online through cold callis or cold emails. It’s a way to reach your target audience and, in return, create brand awareness, build brand authority, and boost content ROI. It can also mean republishing the same piece of content such as whitepapers, articles, infographics, etc.

These outbound lead generation strategies don’t get enough credit as they deserve. But, when done correctly, it can be some of the most cost-effective ways to generate leads. Targeting and personalization are critical to separating yourself from the low-value spammy messages people get every day. You should personalize your message in ways that resonate with your prospects to get them to respond.

Instead of promoting your business flat-out, provide value first. For example, whenever someone in your community posts a problem, offer valuable tips. This way, you can build trust and relationships—we can’t stress enough just how vital these are in sales.

Conclusion

 

The investment in inbound and outbound marketing can truly deliver a positive ROI when targeting audiences that can benefit from the products/services you offer. Using the strategies above, you can add value, which in return will generate more qualified leads, an increased ROI, all of which can help you reach your sales goals.

Ready to get started? Contact us today at Createmoto. We have up-to-date tactics that can help you generate more leads. 

 

 

What is a Good Audience Size for Paid Social Media Ads?

 

Digital marketing is a complex field—many factors play to its success. Paid social media advertising, for example, is necessary to determine the right size of your audience to yield a good return on investment (ROI).

Audience size is often the most overlooked element in any paid campaign. While your audience should be targeted and clearly defined, it should also be large enough to run the campaign effectively and set it up for performance success. The majority of digital marketing agencies in the Philippines understand that the optimal audience size is based on various factors, including age, gender, interests, locations, and other demographics. They consider the audience characteristics of who is more likely to be interested in what you’re offering. But, what exactly should your ideal target audience be when running an ad campaign?

 

Paid Audience Size Recommendations for Social Media

 

 

Every business is different, so does its audience. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, there are some recommendations on how big your audience should be when running social media ads.

 

Facebook

Minimum: 1,000 individuals to run a campaign 

For starters, Facebook recommends targeting between 1,000 and 50,000 people with your ads and scale from there as you get a better grasp of who your audience is. The platform offers comprehensive targeting options to identify your key audiences—narrow down your audience based on their demographics as well as interest or behavior. Behavioral targeting looks into users’ activities, such as purchase history or pages they like to determine who is the most qualified to show interest in your brand.

LinkedIn

 

 

Minimum: 300 individuals to run a campaign 

Targeting on LinkedIn is relatively different from other platforms since it is a professional networking channel. It’s common to target people based on what they do professionally and not on what they do personally.

LinkedIn mentioned that the rule of thumb is to keep your target audience over 50,000 for Sponsored Content and Text Ad and 15,000 for Message ads. Limiting your scale can hurt your campaigns, and to err on the side of caution, it is better to cast a wider net initially. You can gradually refine your strategies and focus on the ones that deliver results.

 

Twitter

 

 

Minimum: 500 individuals to run a campaign 

When you create a new ad campaign on Twitter, you have the option to select your audience. Ideally, you would want to limit your audience size to anywhere under 100,000 users to keep it highly relevant and targeted.

Twitter goes beyond the standard ad campaign capabilities and allows you to target followers based on relevant hashtags, keyword searches, interests, behaviors, demographics, etc., resulting in highly targeted ads and, in return, higher engagement rates.

What is the Best-Working Audience Size on Social Media?

 

 

There’s no universal number for ‘enough’ or ‘too much’ with audience size. You can opt for the bare minimum or scale-up immediately to reach a wider audience. It is all a matter of budget, who you are trying to reach with your ads, and ultimately your campaign goals.

You can start small by testing your local market first, but you can also cast the widest possible net for your campaigns to reach as many users as possible. Eventually, when your campaigns have accumulated enough data, you will see insights such as who clicked and converted on your ads. You can use this information to segment your campaigns and hyper-personalize them to increase your engagement and improve your results.

Conclusion

 

 

In social media advertising, you can play it safe by targeting the average audience size. A small one would hardly get you anywhere, but targeting a large audience could hurt your campaign’s profitability.

The key to identifying the ideal audience size is by determining who you are targeting, where they are, and how much your budget is. With these guiding factors, work with a digital marketing agency in the Philippines to get the right audience size for your social media ad campaigns.

Ready to get started? Get in touch with us at Createmoto today! 

 

 

 

Why Should You Use Long-Tail Keywords in SEO?

 

Standalone broad keywords are already a thing of the past. As Google continues to focus on user experience and intent—not to mention the rise of conversational searches and voice searches—there’s a constant need to adjust and adapt to effective digital marketing practices, specifically the use of long-tail SEO strategies, to ensure that you appear and rank in relevant searches.

As a digital marketing agency in the Philippines, we have been utilizing long-tail keywords as part of our digital marketing strategy. It works wonders, probably even more so than ever. It can direct high-intent search traffic to your site, generate more leads, and ultimately drive more sales when used correctly.

 

What Are Long-Tail Keywords?

Long-tail keywords are keyphrases—usually three or more words long—are specific and more focused on a niche than broad keywords. They have lower search volume and get less traffic, but they are more likely to have higher conversion rates because they are precise.

A user’s buying journey usually starts with a basic search, but as they get closer to solving their pain points, their searches become more specific. This is why ranking for long-tail keywords matters—to appear in searches when potential customers are closer to a point-of-purchase. The following figures show how necessary it is to include long-tail keywords in your SEO strategies.

• According to the research by HitTail, long-tail keywords account for as much as 70% of all search traffic.
• Pages optimized for long-tail keywords move up 11 positions on average in search engine results vs 5 positions for short-tail keywords.
•  It has conversion rates that are 2.5x higher than for short-tail keywords

The Benefits of Long-Tail Keywords

Imagine what you can do if you appear in high-intent searches—the users discovering your site are more likely to buy your products and services, and there’s more to why you should target these long-tail keywords.

1. Lower Competition

 In SEO, there’s a relatively lower competition with long-tail keywords than head terms, making them easier to rank for. For example, the short-tail keyword “coffee shop” has over 2.9 billion results in Google. It means if you want to rank first in Google for that keywords, you have to outrank almost 3 billion other sites.

https://prnt.sc/nAWYYDsdL34m

But, when you look at a relevant, more specific, long-tail phrase like “minimalist coffee shop in Quezon City,” there is a lot less competition. In terms of pay-per-click ads, long tails can be cheaper to bid on than popular head terms.

2. Better Conversion Rate

Users searching for long-tail keywords are often already further along in the buyer journey compared to those searching for head terms. For example, someone searching for “link building” is probably trying to learn what it is or how it works. But, a user searching for a relevant long-tail phrase like “link building services in the Philippines” is much closer to getting in touch with a digital marketing agency.

The bottom line is that although the traffic you get from long-tail keywords is low, they always have a better conversion rate.

 

3. Cost-Effective Advertising

 

As mentioned above, long-tail keywords have lower search volume and competition. They are cheaper to target, yet they give you a higher probability of conversion, making them as valuable in paid search marketing campaigns as they are in ranking in organic searches.

 

How to Use Long-Tail Keywords

Now that the importance of long-tail keywords is established, how do you start? There are several ways to build a running list of keywords you can use to generate traffic and conversions throughout your site. You can follow some of the principles below to get started.

 

• Google’s Related Searches

 

Type in a broad keyword that you want to rank for and scroll to the bottom of Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs), where there’s the Related Searches section. It’s a gold mine for long-tail keyword research where you can get an idea of what people are searching for.

• Google Autocomplete

 

You’ll notice Google autocomplete in action every time you enter a query, and using it as a keyword research tool isn’t any different. Start typing a keyword into the search bar. Google will then automatically pop up a list of suggestions for phrases users search for when they enter the same keywords you are using.

• Keyword Research Tools

 

Several keyword research tools can help you find new keyword ideas: Soovle, Jaaxy, KeywordTool.io, etc. Google Keyword Planner is the search engine’s free tool that lets you research keywords you can use in your ad campaigns. It also gives you valuable insights, such as suggested bid estimates for keywords so you can set your ad budget.

Conclusion

Long-tail keywords are an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. Successfully integrating these keywords into your efforts will allow you to translate search intent to website traffic and give your visitors a seamless experience.

Depending on your business, the topics your site covers, and how many pages you have, you’ll want to build a running list of effective keywords that you can use throughout your site. Monitor the success of each keyword relative to the traffic and engagement you’re getting, and make adjustments where necessary.

Ready to get started? Get in touch with us at Createmoto to learn more about how long-tail keywords can deliver significant results to your business. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inbound Marketing vs Content Marketing: What’s the Difference?

 

These days, promoting your business relies heavily on digital marketing. But, because there are multiple strategies to attract and engage an audience, it’s easy to get confused when it comes to modern marketing terminologies.

Two of the most obscure concepts in digital marketing are content marketing and inbound marketing, which focus on creating relationships with the customers to make a sale. While they are sometimes used interchangeably, they are fundamentally different, though tightly intertwined.

If inbound marketing and content marketing are two different but related things, how do they fit together?

What is the Difference Between Inbound & Content Marketing?

Short answer: content marketing is a strategy that involves publishing and distributing valuable, relatable, and consistent content to attract a well-defined target audience—and ultimately drive profitable customer action.

On the other hand, inbound marketing is an umbrella term for strategies that work together to target potential customers at different stages through multiple channels without being interruptive—which is the case for traditional and outbound marketing.

Now, content marketing is a subset of inbound marketing. It works alongside other strategies such as search engine optimization, email marketing, analytics, social media, and more. This explains why the two share the same goal of attracting, engaging, and converting leads into customers to boost sales.

Although one can exist without the other, as a digital marketing agency in the Philippines, we understand that content marketing forms the base of a successful inbound marketing strategy.

What is Content Marketing?

 

 

As today’s consumers tune out aggressive marketing methods and avoid sales pitches, content marketing offers an alternative route to reach out to them: valuable content that your target audience will find educational, useful, interesting, or even entertaining. This includes:

• Blog posts

• Videos

 

• Infographics

• Podcasts

 

• Newsletters

 

• Social media posts; and

 

 

• Other long-form content (e.g. ebooks, whitepaper, etc.)

When done right, your content can provide free value to your audience, which is a way to slowly build trust and relationships, generate leads and finally convert them into sales.

What is Inbound Marketing?

 

 

Again, under the premise of users actively blocking out business promotions, inbound marketing focuses on adding value that will attract prospects towards your brand. It engages the audience by providing solutions to their problems when they seek them.

Success in inbound marketing is knowing your target audiences and making it easy for them to find you through social media, search engines, or other relevant channels. This way, they are more likely to respond to a call to action, such as signing up for newsletters.

As mentioned above, inbound marketing involves content marketing, digital tools, mediums, and processes designed to help you match your strategies with the way consumers buy today:

 

• Content marketing

 

• Social media

 

• SEO

 

• Email marketing

 

 

• Case studies

 

• Lead nurturing

 

 

• Paid ads

 

 

• Analytics

 

 

• Web design

 

 

Inbound +  Content Marketing is Key to Delivering Qualified Leads 

In summary, you don’t have to pit inbound and content marketing against each other. Both strategies effectively draw in qualified leads and convert them into sales, and they perform to their utmost potential when used in conjunction.

Whereas content marketing lays the framework, inbound marketing does the rest of the work. It uses content to attract and convert prospects into leads and leads into sales.

There’s more to learn about content marketing and inbound marketing, and it’s okay if you don’t have the capacity yet to employ a full-scale strategy. At Createmoto, we can help you get started by fine-tuning each step to ensure that it would return the most results.

 

Get in touch with us today! 

5 Ways to Generate More Sales on Social Media 

FACT: If you want to succeed in business, you need social media presence.

Social media is now a norm in digital marketing and by far offers the easiest way to establish an online presence, reach your audience, boost engagement, and drive sales. What used to be a platform exclusively for interactions now directly influences a customer’s purchase decisions

From the top of the funnel, consumers use social media to learn more about brands and discover new products and services. Of the 1,000 consumers, Sprout Social surveyed, 78% said they are more willing to buy from a brand on social media. This becomes especially true after a positive experience with the business.

These figures signify that having a social media presence can increase your market reach, tap an engaged audience, build brand authority, and drive traffic to your site leading to increased revenue.

But, how exactly are you supposed to do that? Especially if you start your efforts without thousands of followers or understand social media marketing complexities. In this article, we are sharing tips on how you can get started generating sales on social media.

Social Media Marketing Tips for Businesses

 

1. Be Where Your Audiences are

 

As brick-and-mortar spaces shut down, digital storefronts went up, and there’s never been a better time to be on social media—specifically where your target audiences are spending their time online. Today, the top 6 social media platforms with the most active users include the following:

Facebook – 2.91 billion

YouTube – 2.56 billion

WhatsApp – 2 billion

Instagram – 1.47 billion

WeChat – 1.26 billion

TikTok – 1 billion

You can be present on all these platforms, but it can be a little too time-consuming and illogical. So, look at your target demographics instead, and focus on where they are most active. Whatever your case, Facebook is generally a good starting point, considering it has the largest user base.

 

2. Create Valuable, Engaging Content 

 

 

It may seem counterintuitive to say you shouldn’t always sound too salesy on every post. But, if you want to maximize your social presence and build a following, you should also entertain, educate, and engage your audience.

Publish content that encourages your followers to interact—think of contests, giveaways, or even the occasional non-related posts. When done right, these types of content can keep the conversation flowing. They humanize your brand and make it relatable to your audience; when there is engagement, there will be sales.

 

3. Sell Directly on Social Media—and Make it Easy for Them to Shop

 

 

For the longest time, selling on social media looks like this: a business publishes their product/service on their page, and customers can order by commenting on the post, sending a direct message, or clicking on a link that will redirect them to an order form or a website.

But, you probably didn’t know that your followers can already complete their purchase without leaving the page. Enter shoppable posts.

Instagram has Shoppable Posts that allow you to tag products in your posts or Stories. Each tag already has the product’s name, description, and price indicated. Now, when customers are interested in the featured product, they can instantly go to your website and buy it with just a tap on the screen.

On Facebook, there’s a shop section where you can create product listings. Currently, an increase of third-party app developers creates ready to be integrated APIs into the backend of social pages to provide a better shopping experience in Facebook or other social platforms— from payment, support to fulfillment, this gives birth to a rising digital service called social commerce. On the other hand, Pinterest has shoppable pins for an easy and frictionless shopping experience.

4. Partner With Influencers 

 

Social media influencers are individuals with a considerable base of engaged followers, which may be far more vast than you have. They are your go-to people if you want to reach a wide audience fast—and it incredibly works in this day and age with consumers trusting them for recommendations.

The key to success in this marketing strategy is to find someone with authority in your niche or industry, impacting your target audience’s purchase decisions. You can get them to endorse your brand or honestly review your product/s on their profiles in exchange for some form of compensation. That can be anything from store credits to fixed rates, free samples, discounts, or affiliate links, to name a few.

 

5. Leverage Paid Advertising 

 

 

Advertising on social media can help your business get more visibility, boost site traffic, and generate sales— costs are significantly lower than any form of traditional advertising. It gives you a reach that you wouldn’t easily get with your organic efforts. And when done right, you can maximize its granular targeting capabilities that allow you to target users that are most likely to be interested in your business with pinpoint precision.

The good news? Today, every social media channel has tools that can get your brand out there, right in front of a relevant target audience, increasing your chances of generating more sales.

 

Conclusion

Success on social media takes time, patience, and constant improvement to generate results. There’s no denying that it’s challenging to get started, but you can rest assured that the benefits you’ll reap far outweigh the difficulties.

As a digital marketing agency in the Philippines, we have just the perfect solution for businesses looking forward to being online. Contact us at Createmoto today to see how we can help you build a strong social media presence and generate more sales.