3 Industries Ideal for Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a cost-effective way to drive highly relevant traffic to your website. We often think of PPC as a sprint. If you’re looking to get results quick, PPC is the right option for you. PPC allows a business to target potential customers at key points in the marketing funnel. Let’s take a shoe retailer who is having a special promotion for their new line of shoes. PPC allows the retailer to get their shoes in front of as many people as possible during their special promotion. After all, if you’re looking for new shoes you’re most likely using  Google. Shoe retailers aren’t the only industry that can benefit from PPC.

Industries Ideal for PPC

Here are three industries that have historically seen great results when using PPC. If your business is in one of these industries, think about leveraging PPC in your next digital marketing strategy. You’re bound to see a great return on your investment (ROI).  ​

1.  Doctors - High Customer Lifetime Values ​

One industry that has a typical high customer lifetime value is the medical industry, specifically doctors. For example, when we’re kids we typically will go to the same pediatrician until we’re of the appropriate age. That pediatrician has accrued a large sum of money over the course of time. The same scenario applies to speciality doctors who have their own practice. With this high customer lifetime value in mind, the cost of acquiring a new patient has long lasting impacts. Let’s take for example an ENT(Ear, Nose and Throat) doctor. The search term “ENT near me” has almost 3,000 search per month with an average cost-per-click (CPC) of about $2.00. According to MD Save, an average ENT visit costs anywhere from $144 to $425. If just one person converts on your ad, you can see more than a 50% ROI and that’s only one visit. Imagine the new patients and repeating patient visits the ENT sees annually. PPC is certainly an effective strategy for doctors. ​

2. Lawyers - High Margins ​

It’s no secret that lawyers can cost someone thousands of dollars depending on the case. Although lawyers might not have a client as long as a pediatrician does, they can make a heavy amount of money on a single case. The law industry has some of the most expensive keywords. This is due to both the competition and the amount the lawyers are willing to spend to get someone at the moment they’re looking to hire a lawyer for their case. Let’s take for example someone who needs to take care of a loved one’s estate. This can be a difficult and time sensitive task requiring the help of an estate planning attorney. Where’s the first place a person might look for an estate planning lawyer? You guessed it, Google. Depending on the practice area, lawyers can show their ads to high intent individuals looking to book a consultation immediately.

The best way for lawyers to make sure the right customers are clicking on their ads is to make sure they’re bidding on the right keywords. Let’s take the estate lawyer for example. It would not be advantageous for him or her to be bidding on keywords that aren’t specific. He or she would gain more success if the keywords were location and practice area specific. Bidding on keywords like “estate lawyer in Chicago, IL” and “Estate lawyer near me” are just a few examples.

3. Retail Businesses - Seasonal or Event-Based Value ​

Valentine's Day is the perfect time for chocolate and flowers. So, what if you’re a floral company that is looking to raise awareness for your Valentine’s Day flower sale? Say no more, let PPC take over and sell your flowers for you. The great thing about PPC is that it allows you to run paid advertising during your own time and schedule. You don’t have to spend money on seasons that aren’t historically known for driving sales. Floral companies are just one example of how PPC can grow a brand in a short amount of time.

Here’s another example.  Pool maintenance companies see their peak season during the summer months. However, they don’t want people to be clicking on their ads during December. They want to be showing their ads to people who are ready to schedule a pool cleaning. People are more likely going to be searching for pool cleaning during the summer and are more likely going to use pool cleaning services during this time as well.

During certain events, like Black Friday, certain industries can take advantage of popular search terms and show their ads during these search trends. Let’s take a company that specializes in Black Friday sales. By capitalizing on trends related to Black Friday, this company can generate more revenue during peak purchasing times.

Credit: Google Trends

It’s clear that this keyword is searched only during the holiday season. So, having a PPC campaign including keywords like “phones on sale for Black Friday” or “Black Friday phone sales,” will lead to increased sales and brand awareness.

There are many elements to consider when deciding if running a PPC campaign is right for your business. Begin by examining your current marketing efforts. Are you easy to find online? Are you running a sale during a specific season? Do you have high margins in your industry? Your PPC campaign is an investment, depending on your industry, so it's important to get it right!

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Author

Brendan Nemeth, SEO & PPC Associate