The expansion of the digital space is unstoppable, and brands that advantage of emerging tools and trends are certainly in a good position to score very highly.
Whereas 2020 saw many organizations finally acknowledge the power and importance of a strong digital presence, 2021 is poised to be a year of accelerated adoption, adjustment, and alignment to some of the lessons picked along the way.
With increased digital presence from brands worldwide, pay-per-click (PPC) marketing will certainly be a top gainer this year. Most brands will be building on the lessons learned from the previous years, but we also expect lots of new developments in running effective and successful PPC campaigns.
What are some of the PPC trends to watch going into 2021? We got it all figured out for you.
PPC automation
Organizations that have adopted automation in their operations are already reaping huge benefits. Such benefits are reflected in savings on labor costs, time, and a faster turn-around-time.
In PPC marketing, this trend has gained momentum over time and is expected to grow and get better in 2021. The inclusion of Artificial Intelligence in business processes has a key facilitator of automation.
Google is making use of automation all around its products, including Google Adwords. If you set up effective and accurate Ad copy, the automated algorithms by Google will help you get better conversion. This notwithstanding, effort must be given to choose and place keywords appropriately as this will help these machines work better for you.
Going into 2021, automated tools will possibly get more refined and be able to perform dedicated tasks with more precision.
Smart Bidding
Smart bidding is closely related to automation. However, it takes automated services a step further by eliminating guesswork and being more exact with the expected final results.
Smart bidding uses machine learning to efficiently take leads and help in conversions. Smart bidding has enabled easier target on Cost-per-Click (CPC), Target Return on Advertising Spend(ROAS) as well as Cost-Per-Acquisition.
Throughout 2021, smart bidding will get more powerful, and more strategies of using are likely to emerge. In the long run, manual bidding maybe eventually be phased out.
Growth of Video Ads on Mobile
The growth of video-based advertising has been gradual but very consistent. Over the last 2-5 years, there has been almost a revolutionary approach to video advertising, with new tools, techniques, and approaches to content creation. Facebook, YouTube, and now Tiktok are all competitors in video marketing strategies and this is only likely to grow bigger in 2021 and coming years.
Statistics show that 78% of online visitors watched videos. There is also evidence that 95% of people are likely to remember a message from any video as opposed to plain written text. Some platforms are already reaping big from video-based Ads.
Tiktok
It is anticipated that Titok users may hit 1.2 billion people around the globe by 2021. In 2021, Tiktok became the second-highest revenue-generating app after Tinder. It had closed the previous year at position 15.
This platform is poised for more collaboration with product owners and content creators making it a formidable competitor for all sorts of advertisement. It’s ultimately one of the PPC platforms to watch in 2021.
Facebook Video
Facebook still remains a predominantly text-based platform but the video continues to generate commendable income. Over the years, Facebook has realigned its content to enhance video consumption, and this has had a massive impact on its performance. The grown and popularity of Facebook Live is certainly a move that Facebook expects to monetize going forward.
YouTube
Being a pioneer in video content, YouTube is still the leading platform. A Feb 2021 report says that Ad revenue on YouTube had raised to 46% in the last quarter of 2020. This trend is expected to accelerate in 2021, sending a strong hint that PPC marketers must pay attention to various adjustments taking place on the platform.
Enhanced Targeting.
To benefit from PPC campaigns, marketers have to find the most relevant ways of targeting their audiences directly. Enhanced targeting will thus be an important element aspect of PPC marketing in 2021.
This is the best time to be very specific about your audiences. There are several tools available to evaluate your audiences and reach them with the right platforms, geographical location, and demographics. Work closely with a trusted adwords management agency to understand this approach.
Responsive Search Ads (RSA)
Responsive Search Ads are a relatively new approach that Google has created for its Adwords platform. Its main characteristic is that unlike traditional search ads, marketers can now write multiple headlines and descriptions while creating a responsive search ad. Over a certain period of time, Google Ads is able to automatically test various combinations and depict the combinations that perform best. This allows Google Ads to adopt the content of your Ads to the closest matches when it comes to potential customers. Ultimately, using RSA is a good way to improve the performance of your PPC campaigns.
You can write up to 15 headlines for and up to 4 different descriptions. Google algorithm is able to arrange these descriptions and headlines into different variations, making your Ad to closely match a wide range of possible searches from potential customers.
This new development from Google is no doubt a game-changer. If you think of the different variations that affect your keyword choices, then this becomes a revolutionary approach to PPC marketing.
Diversification into Alternate platforms
Advertising space and options have continuously increased over time and there are several ways of reaching out to potential customers now. This diversity in options increases completion and opens up different opportunities. There are several options to keep an eye on besides Google and Facebook.
Amazon: With nearly 200 million visitors every month, Amazon is no doubt an option that marketers must pay attention to. Although Amazon is primarily an eCommerce retailer, you don’t have to necessarily be a seller on Amazon to sell. The main target should be placing appropriate ads and placing CTAs.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn has a special focus on B2B and is a good platform when you have target options such as company, industry, education, executive, senior management, company connections, among others. With more than 630 million users globally, it’s a space to watch.
Quora: 300 million monthly active users is a big number and marketers must be interested. Quora is a good platform where advertisers can target content or users in relation to their behavior and activity on the platform.
Bing: The search engine by Microsoft Corporation powers about 36.2% of global desktop queries. Searches on Bing average 11.2 billion every month, offering advertisers more marketing options.
Conclusion
There are some new and traditional platforms for advertising in 2021. However, it’s also notable that most PPC trends will be a ride on existing platforms, albeit with more enhanced capabilities. The most important thing for marketers this year is to continuously learn and keep an eye on emerging trends, changes on advertising platforms as well as the performance of newer platforms. At the same time, organizations must be ready to test and experiment with emerging tools. What is clear, however, is that no single marketing approach will remain constant for long.