PPC as a Branding Tool

While PPC campaigns have always been touted for their direct response nature, many within the search marketing field are starting to see the benefits of PPC as a branding tool. Studies show that more users are turning to search engines as navigational tools, meaning that they'll search for a brand name rather than guessing a URL.

Companies that lack a presence in the PPC ads for their own products may be missing out on potential customers. Additionally, having your brand name ad show up for the right generic phrases is a great way to brand your business.

The beauty of PPC ads is that impressions are free. That means that rather than paying for impressions like a company would for a typical banner ad, they pay only for any actual visits. This sometimes means that advertisers pay less than a banner ad would cost while reaching a highly targeted audience.

So before you sit down to tackle the next expansion of your pay-per-click campaign, think about what goal you are trying to accomplish. Do you simply want to use pay-per-click to drive more sales to your site, or do you want to use it as part of an integrated online marketing effort. If so, figure out how PPC ties in with your other efforts and make sure that you budget and track accordingly