How to Improve Your PPC Campaigns by Understanding Your Audience

Given that today’s digital users are bombarded with countless messages, very few advertisers are successful in breaking through the noise and delivering a relevant message that drives results.

If they try to understand the psychology behind each search, marketers will be able to make better decisions that will ultimately lead to enhanced experiences that will result in a purchase.

In order to better optimise their search campaigns, marketer need to understand how users think, what stage of the purchasing journey they are at, and what are the motivations behind their search (are they just researching, comparing options or looking to buy something right now?).

If you want to improve you search campaign results, the framework below is a great starting point:

Get to know your potential customers

What is their age? Are they married? What is their propensity to spend?

Think about the personality type of your potential customer: If the user is high in openness, they’ll be more likely to experiment new things and make an impulse purchase, so you have more flexibility when it comes to creating your ads.

Understanding these key aspects about your customers will make your life a lot easier as you’ll know exactly who you have to target and how to address them.

Identify consumer intent

Given the widespread adoption of mobile devices and the high speed internet connections people share their most personal experiences and seek instant answers to their questions, unveiling their intent.

Using AI and machine learning algorithms Google analysed their huge volumes of search data and managed to categorise consumer intent into different “moments”: “I want to know” (What’s the height of the Eiffel Tower? ), “I want to go” (directions to theatre)or “I want to buy” (buy red shoes) moments.

The latter is characterised by the use of keywords similar to “buy now” or “open now” and at this stage, the user has already made his/her mind up and knows that he/she wants to make a purchase, so having a catchy offer is detrimental.

Tip for beginners: a good start would be to check your Search Terms Report and try to separate your search queries in highly themed groups.

Create a tailored message

Once you identify the “moments” you want to win it’s time to create your ads.

Research indicates that people who receive tailored ads are more likely to have a positive response, so to resonate with the user; brands need to take their targeting to the next level by delivering the right ad, to the right person at the right time.

For example, if most of the search queries in your campaign have the terms “Buy” , make sure you have that in your headline. Dynamic Headline insertions are a great tip for providing personalisation.

Provide a Seamless Digital Experience

Once you understand your customers’ buyer personas and design a tailored message that appeals to their needs, your attention should shift to creating an engaging digital experience characterized by ease of use and simplicity.

Another thing that should not be overlooked is the fact that users’ expectations are at an all-time high when it comes to website speed and personalisation so marketers should pay great attention to these aspects.  A few examples below:

• As page load time goes from 1 second to 3 seconds, the probability of bounce rate increases by 32%
• Over 78% of users will only engage with promotions if they have been personalized to their previous engagements with the brand

Understanding the needs of your potential customers and what makes them tick is crucial when it comes to delivering a great PPC campaign.

If you need any help with your Audience strategy, please do get in touch.

Written by Daniel Lupu PPC Analyst at Circus PPC Agency