Recently updated: March 10th, 2021
Pay-Per-Click (PPC), one of the most popular advertising models, has altered the landscape of digital marketing. Since this year is coming to an end, you may be wondering – what new can we expect in PPC in the upcoming year i.e. 2021?
The question is certainly not new as it is typically asked at the end of every year as a tradition but you’d be happy to know that the top PPC marketing experts have interesting answers to this question this year that will give you deep insights into the PPC’s future. So, without wasting time on any formalities, let’s dive in and check out the latest trends in PPC you will see in 2021.
Have you noticed recently internet-dependent devices developed by Amazon and Google to manage your home’s functions? It was an innovative approach to capture data on how people behave to facilitate creating more personalized ads. With the enormous amount of information, companies like Google will help advertisers with a highly targeted audience to create more relevant ads and ensure maximum ROI in PPC advertising.
However, many experts are not in favor of Google’s continued drive towards automation and thereby, advising to research on strengths and weaknesses of Google’s automation rather than blindly following it.
Jon Clark, the Managing Partner at Moving Traffic Media, shared views about loss of control due to automation. He is expecting the trend of decreased control to persist as Google is pushing users towards automation and reduced transparency than ever.
On the other hand, some experts differ in views. For instance:
Ed Leake, Managing Director at Midas Media, suggested that people should rely on automation for at least those tasks that consume a lot of time but have a small impact on final results.
On the other hand, Jeff Ferguson, CEO at Fang Marketing, stated that PPC managers will finally understand their role in the new world of digital advertising in 2021, which is facilitating a clean environment for their robot overloads.
We all know that most of us don’t bother to scroll through the fourth page of the search results in a search engine. Various studies are revealing that internet users usually find what they want in the first three pages of the search engine. Even though later pages don’t seem to be a problem, experts are speculating that platforms such as Google will begin to show fewer search results in the future.
This implies that if you want to rank in the top 10 results or appear in the search engines at all, you must focus on creating high-quality, compelling, and insightful content. In case you are unable to do that, you might have to invest heavily in paid advertising, Amazon ads, and Google ads, for example.
Videos are powerful mediums to transmit information and help the brand to show their personality and send a message across the audience. Though the concept of video ads is not new, it has been difficult for many companies to add video ads to their marketing mix as production costs can be high and companies also lack in-house talent.
But, there will be certainly a significant rise in brands that will consider video ads in their marketing strategy as new technologies and devices are being introduced in the market that are making video production cost-effective and easier.
Wyzowl disclosed that 81% of businesses are using video as a marketing tool.
One more interesting thing to notice is the recent introduction of Bumper Machine – that can turn videos shorter than 90 seconds into a medley of 6-second bumper ads to display throughout YouTube. Since more platforms are developing their video content advertising, businesses are needed to adapt to things like Google’s vertical video ads.
Many PPC experts are encouraging businesses and PPC marketers to comprehend the importance of identifying and attracting the target audience across multiple channels and platforms while developing cross-channel strategies to ensure that their campaigns play well in the market and succeed in their aim.
The distinction line between search, social, and e-commerce will blur rapidly in the coming time, according to Wesley MacLaggan, SVP of Marketing at Marin Software. He also pointed out that “the rise of Amazon Ads as an ad platform will undoubtedly continue to shake up the ad industry”.
This clearly indicates that channel integration and diversification is going to be huge in 2021.
Michelle Morgan, Director of Client Services, Clix Marketing, warns if companies are not looking into new channels in the coming year, they will lose on new businesses.
In 2021, marketers and businesses both need to have a comprehensive understanding and clear idea of the role and place of PPC in their overall marketing strategy. Plus, marketers need to realize how to fit the PPC channel into that strategy.
The top advice for PPCers in 2021 is – “to blow the dust off old traditional marketing books” –Kirk Williams, Founder, ZATO
The audience is King in a Business– we all have heard that. In 2021, businesses and smart marketers have to figure out a strategy about speaking to their target audiences at specific touchpoints.
Greg Finn, Digital Marketer & Partner, Cypress North speculated that if 2019 was all about audience targeting, 2021 is going to be about strategically communicating with the audience the right way at the right time.
Finn shared that instead of bombarding marketing messages in the face of others, advertisers should focus on “how our offerings can help others”. The future is not for those who ranked top positions by overpaying, it is for those who are embracing to help their customers and grow even if they need to pay to do it.
Christi Olson, Head of Evangelism for Search, Microsoft, stated that it’s not audiences or keywords. Rather, it is audience targeting layered on top keywords.
Legislations like GDPR are controlling the tracking capabilities and increasing privacy. In today’s scenario, such following such legislation has become mandatory. Therefore, PPC marketers not only need to find new ways to track but also need to rethink how to approach campaigns in a world where data and privacy consciousness is surging rapidly.
Purna Virji, Senior Manager, Global Engagement, Microsoft Advertising, is hoping that in 2021 it will be all about leveraging all the data without exploiting people.
The most interesting thing, she shared is that PPC advertisers have seen excellent results by using more contextual and demographic targeting options such as In-Marketing Audiences offered by Google Ads as well as Microsoft Advertising.
In the near future, optimizing to CPA would not be fruit-bearing. If you want to get an edge as an advertiser, you will have to incorporate lifetime customer value into your optimization strategy.
Automation will free marketers from some more tedious tasks. Therefore, there will be a greater need for PPC marketers who can think and plan strategically. PPC marketers who have the ability to strategize will be achieving the most success. As the backdrop of digital marketing is transforming continually, the importance of strategy will only become more and more valuable.
According to Mark Irvine, Director of Strategic Partnerships at WordStream, you must find a strategy where you can peacefully embrace automation. Marketers should spend time on managing the strategic elements such as audience, targets, and creatives rather than wasting time on software scripts, dynamic search, creating ads with AI/ML, automated bidding, and campaigns that can be managed through automation.
Wrapping UP
“2021 – Period of Proactive and Strategic PPCers”
The field of digital marketing is evolving continuously and for the better. All these PPC trends in 2021 will change the way businesses approach new customers and reach a more relevant targeted audience. Just make sure that you have eagle eyes to keep a track of new developments, features, and research so that you can adapt to the change to stay on edge of the competition.
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