The digital landscape is still new for most marketers, and the rules have yet to be carved in stone. As new platforms emerge, it’s important to evaluate them on their merits individually and learn best practices. When we do that, however, we tend to think of a monolithic approach to individual channels rather than a digital media mix. We need to apply traditional media thinking to find the best combination to reach our target audience. One of the best synergies that can be put in place digitally is a combined effort of PPC and content marketing.
What Content Marketing Delivers
Before we look at content and PPC together, we need to define each. Content marketing is a large awareness play, designed to either make a viewer feel a certain way, or provide them a benefit like a DIY home improvement video, or a tutorial on how to make, bake, or create something. Great pieces of content marketing are as good as gold when they understand and connect to their audience and bring their efforts home with a strong call to action.
What PPC Brings to the Table
Content and PPC may seem like night and day to some advertising professionals. On the one hand, content marketing is very emotionally driven while PPC is very targeted and methodical. Don’t think of them as counterpoints. Think of them as compliments. PPC is a means to a more direct sales funnel and call to action. Content marketing, as we said before, helps create awareness and brand identity.
How to Combine the Two
While it’s rarely possible to combine content and PPC into a cohesive and consistent campaign, you shouldn’t let that stop you from running them concurrently. Think of it this way: your content marketing will hit people who make an emotional connection and are driven to action because of the value they see in your messaging. Your PPC ads will appear at the top of search engine searches. These are often two very different audiences. By investing in both mediums, you may well expand your reach!
Digital advertising has several prongs, and it seems like more are constantly being added. Don’t spend too much time fretting about what you’re not doing. Rather, think about how to be the best at what you are doing. For many companies, the technique of supplementing PPC and content marketing is the way to breakthrough!