It’s a PPC Block Party! Are You Coming?
If we go back a decade, the focus of search engine marketing was optimization. The Pay-Per-Click (PPC) model was just heating up. Yahoo acquired a thriving paid search company by the name of Overture and Google was rising in popularity. Then the race was on for PPC dominance with Google on top, Yahoo in second and Microsoft trying to figure out how to copy and take over another market (emphasis on trying). Just when you thought it was going to get pretty boring, a PPC party has erupted with hot new players on the scene.
Arguably the biggest competitor to challenge Google for PPC dominance is Facebook. The context of the user experience is different through this channel, in that people are interacting in a social media platform, rather than actively searching for information on a search engine like Google. However, it is relevant since the PPC model has been dominated by placing sponsored text ads on the platform. Facebook allows large brand advertisers to take advantage of their banner advertising through a PPC model, enabling even small advertisers to participate in smaller ad placements that combine text and a small image. What is exciting is the ease-of-use for small advertisers and the targeting features available. All that information being stored in everyone’s Facebook profile, is allowing advertisers to segment their audience and deliver targeted ads in an efficient manner. As more advertisers come on board, this will challenge Google and Yahoo for their dominance in various PPC models.
LinkedIN deserves attention as well. Earlier this year, they launched their own program similar to Facebook. Of course the context of LinkedIN is all business, enabling B2B marketers to benefit greatly from this channel. The program is easy to use and allows users to choose from a CPM or PPC model. Segmentation tools allow you to choose three of six criteria to build a target audience for each ad. Criteria include geographic location, job title, company size and more. Again the ease-of-use is incredible and I expect this program to become a big success for LinkedIN, taking more bites out of the traditional search engine PPC model.
Applications mustn’t be forgotten when it comes to PPC opportunities. With the exponential rise of apps on the iPhone, iPad, Droid and other platforms, more people than ever before are engaging with these interactive experiences. It is no secret that with the people flooding to applications, advertisers are bound to follow. App networks are starting to appear on the scene touting PPC models for monetizing their app traffic. The iAd network recently announced by Apple should be incredible. All these apps means more variety and avenues for advertisers to leverage and should continue to drive down the rising prices of PPC advertising on Google.
The block party just got bigger for PPC and the neighborhood is swarming with participants. The question for you is which house on the block are you going to spend time at or are you even coming to the party? As I mentioned earlier, the PPC world was getting pretty stagnant but this year begins an exciting new phase of PPC advertising. The trends of social media and apps are here to stay which means that Search Engines will not solely dominate the PPC market for much longer. This will also create a need for potential advertisers to seek out Search experts to have them navigate the most cost-effective channels for a particular advertiser. Let’s see where it evolves by next year, but above all else, don’t miss the opportunity to party!
