A couple of my close mates work in the world of commercial design. For years I’d sit there on a Friday evening feeling pretty smug as we’d chew the fat down the local, deconstructing our respective weeks, when each of them would launch into their weekly tirade about how their clients’ had been a complete nightmare…
“They’ve requested changes to the previously signed off designs”, “One light fixture was apparently a centimetre out of place”, “They want better biscuits when they come visit our office…”
As a PPC specialist at a digital marketing agency, I’d sit there, sipping on my Guinness, thinking “Crikey, I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that”.
Yes, my PPC clients could be demanding from time to time. Yes, I was always under pressure to deliver results. Yes, it could be tricky to build a rapport and a relationship with certain clients. But, I always had an ace up my sleeve… PPC users were predictable across nearly all sectors. As an agency we were therefore able to apply a tried and tested formula that would deliver a ROI almost every time, therefore keeping our clients happy.
Then the pandemic happened.
Tik Tok happened.
The cost of living crisis happened.
AI was introduced to the masses.
Google took more control away from advertisers.
Now, PPC user behaviour isn’t so predictable. The approaches I had once taken to generate leads for my clients don’t always work. And, the way clients expect us to communicate with them has also evolved.
While I’m not one for a beer-fueled moan down the pub, the fluctuation in user behaviour and preferences over the last few years has certainly made the job of us PPC specialists somewhat harder (gets out violin). In the face of external factors we’ve had to evolve our PPC strategies to ensure we still generate the desired results for our clients.
Using my own experience as an Account Director at a London-based digital marketing agency, in this article I will outline some of the changes I have seen in PPC user behaviour over the past few years. I will also offer a few tips on what you need to consider when you’re updating your PPC strategy in the face of these changes.
The PPC User – No Longer ‘Mr Dependable’
Part of a digital marketing agency that is over 7 years old (I have been there for nearly the whole duration) I have worked on my fair share of PPC accounts. While we now specialise predominantly in healthcare, tech and travel, I have worked with clients across a wide range of sectors and industries.
In this time (which has included a global pandemic, multiple wars, and a cost of living crisis), there has been some noticeable shifts in the mindset of the users that we look to target through pay per click adverts. Here are my three main observations:
The User is Far More Informed
The first iphone was released in 2007, signifying the start of the smartphone era. Okay, it can be argued that smartphones have technically been in existence since the 1990s, but that was the moment the masses were able to pull a device from their pocket and access the internet in seconds, with just a click of a screen.
We are fast approaching 20 years since that moment. Nearly two decades of being constantly informed and perpetually connected. We have access to almost any information we want, in pretty much any location, at any moment. Naturally, this has led to a shift in the way consumers think and their decision-making process.
The consumer is far more wiley and far less forgiving when it comes to advertising. We’ve all ‘been there, seen it, done it’ when it comes to surfing the web. We’ve all been served banner ads. Most of us are aware of what a ‘sponsored’ ad is. Skipping past an advert on YouTube is an action that is now a nondescript, normal part of our daily routines.
Publicity surrounding GDPR, the 2017 data protection bill, and cookie tracking in recent years has also contributed to a heightened suspicion of advertisers and the tactics they use online to generate business.
The clued up, online search engine user now knows when they are being sold to. They understand that an advertiser has tactfully placed a recently visited product on a banner ad in front of them. They know that their online footprint is being used by businesses that want their custom.
So… they’re expecting us advertisers to work damn hard for that sale.
Using healthcare as an example… Years ago, a generic advert about ‘Private Knee Surgery’ would be enough to generate knee appointments for a clinic. Now, that advert needs to be informative, contain subject-specific terminology, and include a level of personalisation in order to stand out.
As a whole generation have grown up putting their symptoms into a search engine to discover what ailment they may (or may not) be afflicted with, or carry out in-depth research about their problem; a searcher will often be highly informed about the treatment they need for their knee. The ad they are served will need to reflect this. You need to show that you have a level of expertise beyond theirs to garner their attention.
The User Wants Their Information… QUICKLY
Without going into too much detail on the COVID-19 pandemic (enough has been written about that), the weeks where everyone was trapped at home, bored on their phones, helped catapult Tik Tok into the public consciousness.
Yes, Vine had been big almost a decade previously, and Snapchat was still going strong, but the surge in popularity of short-form videos on Tik Tok during this period changed how we consume media, and how we want it presented to us… potentially forever.
Fast forward a few years… Following the birth of Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook Stories, willingly, or unwillingly, short-form videos have become a staple part of how and why we use social media platforms.
Cited in numerous studies for their addictive nature, short-forms videos have made it normal for us to expect the information on a topic to be quick and come in short bursts. Long gone are the days of manually skipping through videos or articles to pick out the best parts, we want and expect the key information instantly.
This is a trend that has also bled into online advertising. It’s nothing new for consumers to want advertisers to leave out the jargon and cut to the chase, but the societal change in psyche has made it an expectation and can actually cause you damage if you don’t do so.
How people are using search engines also reflects this trend. The rise of AI and voice search in recent years has contributed to user searches becoming increasingly ‘chatty’ and more detailed. With searchers now including more specifics in their queries, they expect relevant results that immediately solve their question or problem.
I know it’s cliche, but PPC advertisements really do need to be hard-hitting and grab attention. If you’re putting out a paid search advert it’s important that you scrutinise the tone and language of your advert copy like never before.
You might need to show your hand to a searcher before they even reach your site, and feature deals and promotions that would have previously been saved until they had clicked. The user wants to know what you offer and why they should choose you ahead of the competition, and they want to know quickly. Don’t disappoint them.
The Unpredictability of the User
My first role in search marketing was at a well known e-commerce bookseller. I remember we had one particular week where sales were not where they needed to be and my manager at the time put it down to the unseasonably hot few days we’d just had where the whole country was out basking in the sun.
Now, when I think about the external factors we have had to put up with in the last half decade, that mini May heatwave feels like a drop in the ocean. A global pandemic, high profile wars, a cost of living crisis… all major events that have understandably led to a temporary tightening of purse strings on the part of the consumer. But it’s the after effects that advertisers couldn’t have predicted.
As mentioned earlier, I have worked with clients across a wide range of industries, and in nearly every one, typical seasonal patterns are no longer that typical. Sales don’t always happen when they’re supposed to. The normal ‘lead time’ has gone out of the window. Online users have become far less predictable.
Using the travel sector as an example… For many of my travel clients, year in, year out, January and February were THE months for sales. Cold, wet, dark winter days when people were longing for the beach and the warm summer months was when they generated most of their revenue. How aggressive they were with their PPC advertising reflected that and more budget was allocated to busier times of the year.
For such clients, Q1 is certainly still important, but it definitely doesn’t account for the proportion of yearly sales it once did. Following a period of uncertainty where you could never be quite sure whether your holiday was actually going ahead, customers are far more comfortable booking much later. And, if for whatever reason in transpires they can’t go on their trip, they expect a higher level of flexibility on the part of the travel company.
But what does the newfound unpredictability of search engine users mean for your PPC strategy? One thing is for certain, you will have to be far more agile and adaptable than a few years ago.
Seasonal budget allocation should no longer be set in stone. At the drop of a hat you may need to be ready to shift ad spend to campaigns at a time of year when traditionally they wouldn’t spend as much. If you’re in-house this will need to be taken into consideration when setting out your budget for the year. If you’re working agency-side like me, this is something that will need to be relayed to a client from the start. PPC users are no longer as predictable as they once were, you need to be prepared for that.
“Dry Your Eyes Mate… 🎶” – It’s Not All Doom And Gloom
In the world of PPC advertising we are now dealing with a ‘user’ that is far more informed and aware and cynical of the tactics you as an advertiser may be using. They have also been programmed (even if they’re not aware) to expect information quickly and in short bursts. Weathered by the external events of recent years, the ‘user’ is also far less predictable and may not follow traditional spending patterns.
And these are just a few of the many ways it could be argued online user behaviour and preferences have changed in recent years.
Being based in an agency, this has meant that we have had to tweak our PPC strategy and evolve our traditional ‘winning formula’ in order to effectively advertise to consumers on behalf of our clients.
Also, understandably, many of our clients have become more demanding in recent years and expect more attention. Navigating a temperamental economic climate the pressure on our clients (and us) to deliver a ROI to make PPC advertising worthwhile has increased. The way we manage relationships with the businesses we work with has had to develop in line with this.
This change in user behaviour isn’t necessarily a bad thing though.
Yes, search engine users may be slightly trickier to sell to than a decade ago and expect more from you, BUT they’re still clicking on ads. With an understanding how your audience has changed, and what they are now looking for in the adverts served to them, PPC advertising will still bring a healthy ROI.
The growth of AI and automated bidding strategies, where search engines can serve ads to users at stages of the buying cycle that traditionally wouldn’t have been targeted, also signifies the many new opportunities that are available in PPC. With the right strategy in place, PPC advertising can be as effective as ever.
Back to my South London local…
There’s no denying that PPC users have changed in recent years and some clients are more demanding, but I certainly won’t be joining the moaning brigade and crying into my beer. PPC advertising still offers a world of opportunities, and (whisper it quietly) even though selling to the 2024 online user may be more challenging, as a PPC nerd it’s actually more fun!
