Having been deep in the trenches of PPC management for several years I’ve seen first-hand the transformative power that brand campaigns can have. It’s a strategy that, in my opinion, is absolutely essential to any comprehensive PPC approach in the correct circumstances.
Think of it this way: branded campaigns are like a fortress around your brand. They protect your territory from competitive encroachment, ensuring that when potential customers search for your brand, they find you, not your rivals. It’s a fundamental aspect of brand protection in the digital age, especially when the requirements for your competitors to advertise on your branded terms are low.
Beyond this defensive role, branded campaigns are also a potent offensive strategy. They can significantly boost the visibility of your brand and allow you to implement compelling ad copy and send online users to persuasive landing pages. This is a significant advantage that branded PPC ads have over organic SEO listings as with your organic listings, search engines can decide what pages and URLs rank as well as the titles and descriptions. With branded PPC ads, on the other hand, you are in full control of the ad copy and the page that users are sent to.
When it comes to the data also, it is clear that users are more likely to click on an ad that directly matches their search query (around a third of all users (Clutch.co., 2022)). This translates to higher click-through rates and Quality Scores which ultimately, provide a greater return on investment with improved campaign performances.
Branded PPC campaigns aren’t for everyone
One of our clients has long advertised on Google and at one point in time was very anti-brand because they did not agree with the idea of paying for traffic or clicks that would end up coming through to their website anyway, as a result of their organic listings. However, as time passed and our client became a bigger player within their industry and the market that we were advertising in, more and more competitors started to bid and target their brand keywords. This meant that even though online users were searching for our client’s brand name (with or without the intention of going to their website), a host of competitor ads were appearing, which meant potential customers were pivoting and clicking through to their website instead. This was easily demonstrated through a simple online search which meant a brand campaign had to become part of our PPC strategy and ever since launch, it has been the highest revenue driver within the account and ensures our client’s brand awareness is constant, minimising the impact of the competitor ads.
It’s also crucial to dispel the myth that branded campaigns are only for large businesses with big budgets. Even small businesses can benefit immensely from this strategy, as branded terms are typically extremely cheap to target, as long as they are not too generic or broad in nature. With careful keyword selection and targeting options, you can achieve impressive results without breaking the bank.
While there may be instances where budget constraints force tough decisions, neglecting branded campaigns is often a short-sighted approach. The long-term benefits in terms of brand protection, increased visibility, and revenue generation far outweigh the short-term cost savings. To summarise, branded PPC campaigns, given the correct circumstances, can be a cornerstone of a successful PPC strategy. They offer a powerful combination of defensive and offensive capabilities, helping businesses protect their brand, increase visibility, and drive revenue. It’s time for marketers and business owners to recognise the immense value that these campaigns can bring and to integrate them into their overall PPC plans if necessary.
Advantages of implementing brand campaigns
Branded campaigns typically enjoy higher CTRs because users searching for a brand are likelier to click on an ad that directly matches their query. This increased visibility ensures that the brand remains top-of-mind for consumers.
Since branded keywords often have lower competition, the cost per click (CPC) tends to be lower compared to non-branded keywords. This makes branded campaigns a cost-effective way to secure valuable real estate on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Users searching for a specific brand are usually further down the purchasing funnel. As a result, branded campaigns often yield higher conversion rates, leading to better return on investment (ROI).
By bidding on your branded terms, you can prevent competitors from stealing your traffic. This defensive strategy ensures that your potential customers find and land on your site rather than a competitor’s.
Branded keywords often have higher relevance, which contributes to better Quality Scores in Google Ads. Higher Quality Scores can lead to lower CPCs, better ad placements and improved overall campaign performance.
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