The PPC and Paid Media trends up ahead for 2023
In the ever changing world of paid media, it can be hard to keep on top of every change and trend across all of the platforms. As the markets and consumer behaviour changes, it’s so important to stay on top of the main changes and trends within the paid media industry to really get the most out of your campaigns.
Here are some of the key trends that we are paying particular attention to in 2023:
Automation
Automation is certainly not a new trend in the paid advertising world but I believe that it’s still just as important to focus on in 2023.
Automated bidding strategies for paid advertising are becoming increasingly important and Google has paved the way for this. By allowing Google’s algorithm to automate bids, targets, and ad placements, we have more time to create new content for campaigns, manage client relationships and focus on strategy for campaigns. Whilst it’s vital to keep a close eye on this and have a defined plan for spend and targets, automation certainly helps with the smooth running of campaigns.
AI tools such as ChatGPT and Writesonic have exploded onto the scene in 2023 and come with a whole host of pros and cons. There is no denying that AI content generation is a very useful tool to take advantage of. It can help with time sensitive campaign launches by generating ad copy and keywords for a client. However, whilst it is a great starting point, to get the most performance out of the ad copy and keywords, personal touch is still so important. Adding that human touch for information such as company USPs is the key to a successful campaign.
Performance Max has been a true trailblazer of embracing automation for paid advertising. Allowing advertisers and brands to expand their reach and find the perfect audience at the most optimal time has been very successful to date.
In one simple campaign, you can advertise your products or services across all google channels including Shopping, Youtube, Discovery, and Search.
Microsoft Advertising
Microsoft Ads is an incredibly useful tool to use in your paid advertising. More than 80% of companies with paid advertising use Google Ads as the go to platform. Whilst I agree that Google Ads does have a much higher reach and has paved the way for automation and new ways of working, we should not be disregarding the other big platforms for PPC.
Microsoft Ads is incredibly useful for businesses looking to grow their customer base and expand their reach. Microsoft ads will show across 3 search engines, Bing, Yahoo, and any sites owned or operated by AOL, as well as a variety of partner sites.
Various articles online have stated that if you are not advertising through Microsoft Ads as well as Google Ads you are potentially missing out on 63 million users who don’t get reached by Google.
Microsoft is considerably cheaper when looking at Avg.CPCs compared to Google. On average Microsoft clicks are cheaper by about 35-40%.
In an ideal world, we would recommend running campaigns across both platforms to reach as many potential customers as possible, regardless of the search engine they choose to use.
Dynamic Search Ads and Voice Search
It’s no secret that 15% of daily searches on Google are brand new. That is roughly 8.5 billion searches a day that Google has no history on.
From a paid perspective, how can you best prepare your campaigns to appear for something you can’t see in a search term report and may lead to gaps within a keyword list?
Google has answered that with Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs). Whilst this is not a new tool or trend, with the increased demand on smart speakers and voice search this is a really great tool to use to increase reach and engagement and ensure your ads are relevant to the query.
DSAs are generated automatically to match the user’s search query to the best landing page and product on your site. This eliminates the guesswork needed to keep up with a constantly changing world and ways of searching. It can fill in keyword and ad copy gaps in search campaigns and also be a really useful tool to monitor and learn from, to then implement new keywords to existing search campaigns.
Whilst this is a really useful tool to use for campaigns to scale and increase reach, it does need to be carefully monitored. With the right strategy and management in place, you can see great results from Dynamic Search Ads.
Video
In the world of TikTok and Instagram reels, grabbing customers’ attention and keeping it is becoming a bit of a challenge. Attention spans are getting shorter and this has changed the way we use video advertising.
Video is a really engaging way to reach your target audience. It can be excellent for brand awareness, consideration or driving sales, it all comes down to the messaging you use and what you want to achieve from it.
Watching product reviews online and using platforms such as Youtube to do product research is still a big trend in 2023. Using video within performance max campaigns or as a stand alone campaign, allows you to find those customers who are in-market or show intent for your products and show them longer form ads or bumper ads throughout videos that are relevant to the industry.
Flexibility on ad placements is one of the many benefits of video ads, as well as the opportunity to strike emotional connections and enable a sense of trust between a business and its potential customers.
The key to success for visual search is making sure you have concise content that is to the point and of good quality. Don’t be afraid to use video advertising in your paid media strategy in 2023.
These are just a handful of the trends to consider for 2023. Staying up to date with industry changes and trends and incorporating these into your strategy will help you stay one step ahead of the competition and maximise the results you see from your campaigns. Get in touch with our expert paid media team if you would like to learn more about current PPC trends.
