Any business owner will likely tell you what they need the most is more customers. This is because businesses cannot rely on their existing customer base to fuel growth. As a result, there is a constant need for more leads who will become future clients.

Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can help you increase your leads and grow your business. Today, we’ll show you how to use PPC to get the desired results. 

Businesses That Use PPC Lead Generation

Many people mistakenly believe that PPC is exclusively for e-commerce websites, but this is not true. In fact, it is an excellent lead generation channel for all types of businesses that have online marketing strategies. 

Businesses that cannot or will not work with just anyone, or those that need a specific audience, must use lead generation tactics to acquire new customers. Before making a decision, these businesses and consumers typically undergo a prequalification and data-exchange process.

A lead-gen business might have the following characteristics:

• Trial periods.
• Denial and approval processes.
• A sales cycle takes quite a long time due to the complex nature of the service or product.
• Price quotes.

At one time, we’ve all been a lead for a company. You were classified as a lead and then pitched to on a regular basis until an event occurred: you may have signed up, been denied, decided not to act, or been pitched to later at the bottom of their lead pile.

The purpose of lead generation is to get potential customers into the conversion funnel (commonly known as the sales funnel). During the contact phase, the company gathers information about their products and services, while you learn more about them.

The reason behind this is for a salesperson to close the deal and gain a new customer, so the company can benefit. The process begins with simple information like a name and email address, then moves on to gathering more detailed information about the prospect.

Why PPC Is Great for Lead Generation 

PPC is simple to set up and maintain, and it is cost-efficient. When you look at your typical lead funnel, you will quickly realize that you must keep filling it with leads. It’s difficult to get the initial leads to fill the funnel. In order for the funnel to work, leads must feed into the top of the funnel. 

Source: Wordstream

Here are several techniques for achieving this and why PPC is such a good source of leads:

Blogging: A very good source for generating leads, but you’ve got to be consistent in publishing new posts and cross your fingers that your posts are loved and shared massively. 

Email: You’ll have to consistently email your list or buy a list of emails and hope the people you’re targeting are the right audience that will turn into clients one day. 

Social media: Social will expose your brand to new fans, followers, and even prospective clients. But it doesn’t always guarantee that the new followers you gain need your service or they’re the right audience for your business. 

Organic search: This should be at the top of your lead generation tactics. Websites on page one of search engine results pages (SERPs) get about 85% of search clicks for free. The only catch is that there are thousands of other websites to compete with and you’ll have to wait for months and at times years to get to page one. And this only happens if you put in a lot of on-page and off-page SEO work. 

In walks PPC to save the day. You’ll instantly jump to the first page of Google if anyone searches for a solution to a specific problem that you can solve. And bingo! More people who are in need of your solution are more aware of your product. 

Sure, PPC is a paid advertising channel. However, it should be noted that no marketing channel is free. Someone must manage social media, write blog posts, work with an SEO firm, and publish emails, and those people aren’t volunteers.

Benefits of Using PPC for Lead Generation

• Get visitors who are actually looking for your solution.
• Get keyword ranking and traffic immediately.
• Bid on different stages of the sales funnel.
• Get to see users’ needs and craft your message to fit their needs.
• Control the message at every stage of the funnel.
• Learn more about your target audience and their specific needs.
• Track the return on investment down to every penny.
• Grow your leads database and use other marketing techniques to reach them.

E-Commerce vs Lead Generation

The most obvious distinction between e-commerce and lead generation using PPC marketing is the qualification procedure: there is none in e-commerce. You’re eligible as long as you have a credit card.

E-Commerce vs. Lead Gen Ad Copy

Notice how the message and call-to-action vary between e-commerce and lead-generation companies based on ad copy. E-commerce is more about immediate gratification (and sales) while lead gen is about creating value and getting to know your customer. It is seldom the case that you become an immediate customer in lead gen, because you first have to go through a process.

E-Commerce vs. Lead Gen PPC Landing Pages

With lead generation, there are few landing pages and they have few distractions. The heading contains a clear message: “Get an online quote,” “Book a free consult,” “Attend our webinar,” etc.

They give you limited choices, either this or that, not multiple options. With the information provided, businesses qualify customers and lead them down the sales funnel. 

On the other hand, e-commerce allows individuals to shop around and make various purchases from the store. E-commerce landing pages are relevant to the search query and provide additional content to look at. Visitors are motivated to make a purchase soon, due to the limited-time offers of free ground shipping. The theme of most landing pages is “Now is the time to shop.”

How to Optimize PPC Campaigns to Get More Leads

Both e-commerce and lead gen are optimized with the same principles. You’ll use closely-themed ad groups, ad copy and offer testing, and a variety of keywords. The only differences between the two are different types of call-to-actions and landing pages discussed above.

It is critical to keep the funnel topped off with qualified leads, which means collecting information from your visitors. Since not every click you get will convert, you should cast a wide net and employ PPC to increase your chances of acquiring qualified leads.

Tips to Improve Your Lead Generation

Give Offers to Your Visitors

Use offers to draw visitors in. Give away a free white paper or guide in exchange for the visitor’s email address, name, and other information. At minimum, provide a link to your blog or ask for a follow on social media. You have squandered your click by getting nothing for it.

Create Focused Landing Pages

Focus on creating clear and concise landing pages. Make sure you reiterate the advantages your product or service offers, and why the visitor should hand over his or her information. Ask for the right amount of relevant information, rather than bothering the customer with too many requests. Use primary and secondary calls-to-action. Test the length and structure of your landing page. Keep it simple, in other words.

Somethings to note:

• Include testimonials and a short client list
• Have clear benefits in bullet points
• Have a free valuable offer in exchange for information
• Create a form with very few fields to fill
• Prove your credibility and trustworthiness

Use Dynamic Number Insertion (DNI)

You can dynamically alter the phone number on your ads and landing pages. This ensures that call representatives are aware of the keyword that triggered the call. This allows you to route calls efficiently to the appropriate personnel in your company. Call Rail and ifbyphone are two of the most well-known providers.

Get a CRM System

Tracking leads on your own can be overwhelming. A great CRM (customer relationship management) program can inform you who contacted you, what they were looking for, and what happened. You may categorize your leads and keep in touch with them via email or phone call using a CRM. There are many CRMs in the market today, including Infusionsoft, Zoho, HubSpot, and Salesforce, among others.

Keep Your Cost-Per-Lead (CPL) In Check

Rather than focusing on the usual PPC metrics such as cost-per-click and conversion rate, pay attention to a “new” KPI in lead generation—cost-per-lead. The cost-per-lead (CPL) is one of the most important key performance indicators. It can be calculated using the following formula: [Total cost of PPC campaign/number of leads = CPL]. This will tell you how much you pay for your leads, which will help you make decisions.

We hope this post will help you get the most out of your PPC ads. 

Want to learn more about PPC lead generation? 

Book a call today!