As far as digital marketing is concerned, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is an oldie but a goodie. The cost of a click is based on its perceived value. The higher the click value, the more you pay. The higher the value, the more relevant the ad is to a user’s search, and the more likely you are to turn a profit. PPC helps you get leads, increase sales, and promote your brand.
PPC trends come and go, and what works one year might be irrelevant the next. Here’s what’s next on the horizon for PPC and what you need to do to ensure every click counts.
1. Bye-Bye Third-Party Data
For years, marketers could follow users around the web thanks to third-party cookies. Have you ever noticed those ads for the sneakers you were looking at online or why your favorite social media network starts recommending you follow baking pages after you’ve looked at a few recipes? That all had to do with third-party data.
If they haven’t already, Mozilla, Apple, and Google are putting the lockdown on third-party cookies. That means you’ll get less accurate data on users and will have to rely on search terms when creating PPC ads.
2. Hello, TikTok
You might lose access to third-party data, but you’re gaining access to TikTok, the hottest social media platform of 2022. TikTok is a short-form video-sharing app that many businesses have started implementing into their PPC strategies. TikTok has been on the rise for a few years, and it now has more than 1 billion active monthly users. There are so many ways to leverage TikTok advertising, from introducing your brand to new audiences to joining the community and creating an emotional message that consumers can connect to.
3. Video, Video, Video
Speaking of video, let’s not forget YouTube. YouTube in 2022 is kind of like what TV was in 1985. It’s the primary source of entertainment, particularly for longer-form video content, movies, and TV shows. Using PPC with YouTube lets you get your message out in front of millions of actively engaged users.
While video is a great way to grab attention and get people to click, no one wants their phone to erupt into sound. Be sure the sound for your video is optional and doesn’t autoplay.
4. More Mobility
More than 92% of internet users use a mobile device for the internet. So, if you want to reach the vast majority of consumers, you need to create mobile-friendly PPC ads.
However, it’s not just your ads that need to be mobile-friendly, but the website you’re sending people to. Nothing makes a user bounce faster than a static, non-responsive website. If you haven’t already, 2022 is the year to embrace mobile-friendly, responsive website design.
5. Increasing Automation
Automation can push your PPC campaign to the top of the heap. In 2022, expect to use automation to make more thoughtful bids, perform more efficient A/B testing, and quickly remove the ads that prove to be duds. Automation can help you get a competitive edge, increasing the click-through rate and the value of your ads.
6. Smarter AI
We can’t talk about automation without mentioning artificial intelligence (AI). Using AI, you can optimize keywords when an event occurs, evaluate ad performance based on quality scores, and analyze bids to determine which one is likely to give you the most traffic.
AI is brilliant, and it’s only going to get smarter from here on out. Some PPC platforms, like Amazon, have already introduced AI features. More features of AI that can benefit your PPC campaigns are improved retargeting, pausing ads with poor performance, creative assistance, and more.
7. Voice Search
Sometimes, users want to say it rather than type it. Voice search is increasing because it’s much easier to say “Alexa, show me jeans” or “Siri, where’s the closest hair salon?” than it is to type it out.
Think about how people speak and what they’re likely to say when talking to their voice assistants. Voice search, question-based, and long-tail keywords are in for 2022.
8. Bidding Will Get Smarter
The more research and work put into your bids, the more relevant your ads are. Smart bidding will be big in 2022, as it’s going to maximize ad reach while keeping costs in check.
Want to make this year’s PPC trends work for your brand? Zero Gravity Marketing can help. Contact us today to learn more.
