PPC marketing is a field that is always developing. To succeed in this career, you need to adapt to change and be proactive in your approach.
There is a lot to learn in PPC marketing, and it can be overwhelming at times. It takes more than just being good at setting up campaigns and managing budgets. However, working in a PPC marketing agency can help you get the training and support you need to succeed.
So, what specific skills do you need to succeed in PPC marketing? Here are nine essential career skills you need to master:
1. Ability to Write Compelling Ad Copy
The ads you create are what will ultimately determine whether people click on them. In order to write effective ad copy, you need to understand how to craft a headline that will grab attention and a call to action that will encourage people to take the next step.
You need to write ad copy that applies to the keywords you are targeting. Your ad copy needs to stand out from the rest. With so many ads being served up daily, you need to make yours stand out from the crowd.
2. Familiarity with PPC Platforms
Google AdWords make up the majority of the PPC market, but there are other PPC platforms out there that you should be familiar with. These include Bing Ads, Yahoo Gemini, and Facebook Ads.
Features like dynamic search ads, call-out extensions, and site link extensions are only available on certain platforms. It’s important to know which features are available on which platform so that you can make the most of your campaigns.
3. Creativity with Graphic Design
Many PPC ads are now using images and videos to grab attention. As a result, it’s important to have some basic graphic design skills. This will come in handy when creating ad creatives, designing landing pages, and even crafting emails.
Your landing pages need to be well-designed and user-friendly. If they’re not, people will simply bounce off the page and you’ll never get the chance to convert them into a customer.
4. Analytical Skills
PPC marketing is all about data. You need to collect data, analyse it, and then use it to improve your campaigns. This process is known as conversion tracking.
Conversion tracking allows you to see which keywords are driving conversions and which ones are not. You can then adjust your bids accordingly. The better you are at conversion tracking, the more successful your campaigns will be.
5. Communication Skills
Advertisers who can clearly articulate their value proposition and stand out from the competition are more likely to succeed.
You need to communicate with your team, clients, and customers. You need to clearly express your thoughts and ideas. If you can’t do this, then it will be very difficult to persuade people to invest in your product or service.
6. Testing and Experimenting
PPC can be a very expensive form of marketing if you’re not careful. Only through experimentation will you be able to find the right combination of factors that will lead to success.
By constantly testing different ads, keywords, and landing pages, you can slowly but surely optimise your campaigns to become more efficient and cost-effective.
7. Customers Focus
You need to have a laser-like focus on your target customer. You need to understand their needs, wants, and pain points. Only then will you be able to create ads and landing pages that resonate with them.
There are different stages in the customer journey. You need to be aware of these stages and create ads that apply to each stage. For example, someone who is in the awareness stage will need a different type of ad than someone who is in the decision stage.
8. Organised and Detail-Oriented
PPC marketing requires a lot of attention to detail. From setting up campaigns to tracking conversions, every little detail matters.
If you’re not organised, it will be very difficult to keep track of all the distinct elements of your campaign. This will eventually lead to mistakes being made and opportunities being missed.
9. Basic Coding Knowledge
Although you don’t need to be a coding expert, it helps to have some basic HTML and CSS. This will come in handy when creating custom ad campaigns and tracking conversions.
HTML is the building block of web pages. They allow you to add images, videos, and other types of media to your ads. CSS is a style sheet language that allows you to control the look and feel of your web pages.
Final Thoughts
Having a successful career in PPC marketing requires a mix of hard and soft skills. On the hard skills side, you need to be well-versed in using different PPC platforms and tools, as well as being analytical and detail-oriented.
On the soft skills side, you need to have excellent communication and people skills. You also need to be creative and have a strong focus on the customer.