Managing a successful Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign is no easy feat. It requires not just a significant amount of time and effort but also a certain level of financial investment, particularly in the early stages. Many businesses mistakenly believe they’ll see immediate returns on their PPC campaign, but the reality is that the first few months are an essential investment period.
During this early phase, it’s crucial to understand that your PPC campaign is a dynamic, evolving entity. The goal isn’t necessarily to see an immediate return, but rather to gather critical data and insights, make necessary adjustments, and optimise your campaign to enhance its future performance.
The Discovery Phase: Investing in Understanding
The first month of your PPC campaign is the ‘Discovery Phase.’ This is where the groundwork is laid. Your campaign is set up, landing pages are created, and initial data analysis begins. The spend during this phase should be kept relatively low. The mantra here is “expect to fail, so fail cheaply.” The primary focus is on research and understanding, not lead volume.
The Optimisation Phase: Investing in Refinement
Following the Discovery Phase, the campaign enters the ‘Optimisation Phase.’ This stage typically lasts a month and involves ramping up the campaign’s intensity to boost lead generation volume. At the same time, efforts are made to ensure that the campaign remains effective and the money spent isn’t wasted.
During the Optimisation Phase, the knowledge and insights gained from the Discovery Phase are put into practice. This might involve tweaking the ad copy, adjusting keyword bids, refining audience targeting, or improving the landing pages’ design and content. The budget may need to be increased during this phase to maximise lead volume.
The Conversion Phase: Investing in Conversion Enhancement
Once the PPC campaign’s efficacy has been confirmed, the campaign progresses into the ‘Conversion Phase.’ This phase is also typically a month-long and is focused on introducing new features and tactics to the wider retargeting infrastructure. The goal is to boost the conversion rate, turning the leads generated in the Optimisation Phase into actual clients or customers using clever automation through WhatsApp, Chatbots and email.
The Live Phase: Maintenance and Continuous Optimisation
After the Conversion Phase, the campaign transitions into the ‘Live Phase.’ This is essentially the maintenance stage, ensuring all campaign components remain functional while keeping costs down and continually collecting data for further optimisation. The objective is to adapt to market trends and ensure a high return on advertising spend (ROAS).
Is all this really necessary?
Not strictly speaking, but skimping on these stages could lead to your campaign costing you more in the long run. It’s essential to recognise that the initial few months of a PPC campaign are a period of investment. The data you gather, the insights you gain, and the optimisations you make during this time are all critical to the success of your campaign in the long term. It’s about playing the long game and laying solid foundations upon which your campaign can build and thrive. So be patient, stay focused, and remember that the aim is not just to see immediate returns, but to maximise the campaign’s overall performance and ROI in the long run.
