It can be tough to compete against the bigger brands in search engine marketing. They usually get top ad placements, more recognition, and more sales. Many a times small businesses think that a paid search campaign is expensive and they won’t be able to compete with bigger brands. But, this post will give you tips that you can use to compete with big brands in SEM. Before we jump in to it, you might like to have some better clarity of SEO VS SEM: HOW ARE TWO DIFFERENT.
SEM involves the use of search engines to promote products and services. You bid for a particular keyword and when a search query is performed using that keyword, your advertisement is shown along with the search results. It is a powerful tool but it is sometimes difficult to compete with brands which have a huge budget.
Here is how you can optimise your PPC campaign:
Focus on Ad copy to compete with big brands in SEM
When you cannot outbid your competitors in PPC, stand out by writing engaging and enticing ad copies. This will help you to stand out with your ad and help you to gain more clicks. Write an alluring ad copy which makes your business seem like the logical choice for customers.
Ad extensions helps you to compete with big brands in SEM
By using ad extensions you can include additional information in your ads. Reviews, click to call link, location, and site links can make a difference and bring people to your website. By offering useful information you will have a greater click through rate and will be able to make a sale.
Read our blog on HOW TO INCREASE SALES?’ THE ANSWER TO THE MOST SOUGHT OUT QUESTION to know some proven ways to increase sales.
Localise
A great way to complete with big brands in SEM is to localise. If you are focused in a particular area restrict your targeting. There is no use of coming up in results all over the country if you specifically target a region or city. You can also use day parting to run ads at certain times of the day. This will allow you to run ads when you convert the most. Read our next blog on HOW TO BOOST LOCAL SEO: A FEW SIMPLE STEPS which will help you to localize your SEM.
Strategic keyword selection
Big brands have large budgets and they can outbid you in keyword auctions. So to be able to compete with such brands is to strategically select your keywords.
Focus and additional keywords bring lead and conversions. Use long tail keywords are localised keywords to target the right audience. Make use of negative keywords to reduce wasted spend.
Manage CPC to compete with big brands in SEM
Manage your CPC budget and daily spend by adjusting your bids. When operating on a small budget, it is a good idea to adjust bids in such a way that you maximize your available spend.
Compete with big brands in SEM by creating personalized campaign
It is a good idea to create a personalized campaign instead of copying the campaigns of big brands. So focus on markets where your campaigns will succeed. Use keywords which are crafted according to local searches. Focus on your goals and gain knowledge of customers to effectively target the most profitable markets. You may also like to check our blog on A BEGINNER’S GUIDE ON HOW TO ATTRACT NEW CUSTOMERS TO BUSINESS.
In conclusion, running search engine marketing campaign can be expensive. But by following the above steps you can get the most out of your budget and also compete with big brands in SEM. Through advanced segmentation and management, you can gain a competitive edge in your niche. And finally, low budget PPC campaigns can be effective when managed correctly. You can even hire or contact a professional digital marketing agency, as no one knows better than them about how to properly allocate your money while handling an SEM campaign.
