In managing pay-per-click campaigns, it is crucial to develop innovative tactics to break habitual tasks. Executing PPC campaigns (whether it’s search, social, or display) can become a routine which can be a blind spot in terms of new updates and changes in strategy. 

Routine PPC tasks make the process more seamless and efficient which are beneficial for stability and scalability. However, sometimes it may pose risks and blind spots for legacy accounts (those accounts that you’ve been working with for more than a year).

If you’re looking for some innovative tactics to break the routine, here are some PPC tactics digital marketers should try today. 

#1 Single long-tail broad match keyword, with every other word added as negatives 

In the field of data, analysis and strategy, it’s important to know everything because it can lead your efforts to success or failure. A PPC manager values control over everything in the process because mishaps and misplaced efforts can be detrimental to business decisions.

Broad match is the nemesis of that control. “Broad match keywords become grounded in the actual syntax of the keyword chosen when they have at least 5 words. Additionally, a broad match opens up access to keyword concepts that would be too expensive to actively invest in,” said Navah Hopkins from Search Engine Land. 

In using this strategy, it’s important to follow these steps, according to Hopkins:

• Ensure your broad match keyword can focus on new query ideas or one-off searches. Keywords you’re actively targeting are added as an exact match negative. Meanwhile, your core campaigns can deliver leads or sales via proven keyword concepts.
• Layer your in-market audience on the broad ad group or campaign if applicable, so you can prequalify the data acquisition.
• Regularly audit your queries and be open to swapping keyword concepts you’re actively targeting for ideas your broad match keyword secures (if there is enough volume or business case provided).
• One broad match keyword sequestered away in its own ad group should be included in a campaign because any more than that, data acquisition will turn into waste.

#2 Generate leads using display, remarket using search

Many businesses do not have the budget for Google search as the first touch with a prospect. Instead, it is more beneficial to get a curated audience worth the investment through display advertising.

One advantage of using display advertising is its custom intent, custom affinity, and curated in-market audiences. It represents the pre-qualified leads another paid for. The cost-per-click on a display campaign costs less, so layering these audiences on a display campaign will allow your brand to curate a list of ideal prospects. This list is ripe for the picking by branded search and/or RLSA. All ad types should be aligned with the target audience –including display ads.

The material used for the ad should get the attention of the audience. It could be an image, text, or a hybrid approach. Display ads can be a hybrid of a graphic using a strong call-to-action with focusing images or a text-heavy display that entices the audience with an offer.

The display campaign could be sending your prospects to a microsite or subdomain, so it’s important to confirm the tracking codes on your main site make it over to your PPC landing pages. 

#3 Isolate branded and competitor terms in their own campaigns

There’s a huge possibility of creating false positives and false negatives in your metrics because most keywords are capable of adding in branded or competitor terms to their queries. Separated campaigns for branded and competitor terms (and are made negatives elsewhere) could focus on achieving the jobs they were given.

There are various campaign jobs:

• General service/product – The approach for ads of core service offerings and products offered can vary.
• Location-based – Campaigns may have a very similar structure but are targeted to a different location so they are not competing with each other. This way, it could have keywords that account for how searchers of those locations search or think.
• Buyer Persona – Usually, the buyer persona makes more sense at the ad group level. However, if the buyer persona represents varying margins or profit potential, it makes sense to set up campaigns in line with the potential value.
• Branded – Pertains to the safe space for the cheaper and higher converting queries about your brand, including a focused spot for a branded creative.
• Competitor – Group five to seven competitors with a competitor per ad group that allows you to set specific messaging that highlights why your brand is better.
• Experimental Campaigns – Safe spaces for crazy ideas that you don’t normally implement, but are advocated by team members or clients.

#4 For keyword research, utilise dynamic search ads

The hybrid approach to search engine optimisation and PPC is Dynamic Search Ads (DSA). It allows Google to crawl the site and match the best landing page to the user’s query, provided that it was included in the dynamic target.

DSA has some advantages. First, it could empower budgets to support hundreds or thousands of landing pages without launching the same amount of campaigns. Second, it can provide insights on how prospects search and at what cost.

The keywords you’re targeting in other campaigns need to be made negatives in the DSA campaign to ensure your actively chosen keywords get a fair shake to be profitable. Doing this is also crucial to let the DSA focus on new ideas.

Regular audits of the search term reports should accompany DSA. Always check the keyword concepts you want to actively target, keyword concepts that need to be made negatives, and the auction price range of valuable queries.

# 5 Allocate appropriate resources at the beginning of the campaign

Most campaigns start with a small testing budget to make sure the entire campaign is worth pursuing. After all, advertisers will avoid investment until they see results.

However, if testing with a small budget is not enough for the keyword concept, then the learning period can lead to nothing and a waste of resources. If the campaign is operating at less 30% impression share, it means there’s at least 70% of potential prospects unable to access your brand.

At times, new campaigns shouldn’t be too ambitious in scope to allow the budget to fully fuel their learning periods. The campaign’s first month should have an increase of 15% to 20% budget for data acquisition. The process should identify how prospects search, what they will cost, and to teach the ad networks of the campaign’s value.

After two weeks of learning period (could be up to a month), you will be equipped with information to help you in creating better decisions for your succeeding campaigns.