Why Search + Social is Best for PPC Strategy

Often when the topic of pay-per-click (PPC) ads comes up, thoughts immediately go to search engines. While there is clearly a huge amount of value in search engine advertising, it’s also important to utilize social media ads to drive the best results in PPC strategy.

As a rule of thumb, you can think of search engine ads as the best choice for targeting prospective customers. Social media ads are more likely to target current or past customers who are following your dealership’s business page. However, both types of PPC ads reach prospects both old and new. It may seem more important to draw new customers into your dealership, but Branex research shows that the probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70% higher than selling to a new prospect. Social media presents a valuable opportunity to turn a one-time customer who follows your dealership’s social media account into a repeat customer by targeting them through ads on that platform. Repeat and lifelong customers speak volumes for your dealership. 

The ideal PPC strategy includes a balance of both search engine and social media ads that reach customers and prospects on multiple online platforms. For the best results and an increased chance that those in your target audience will recognize and respond to your advertising efforts, it is also smart to design ads that are recognizable across channels.

Imagine that a prospect is in the market for a new lawn mower. When he goes to a search engine and types in the model he’s considering, an ad for Garden Warehouse pops up. The prospect browses his search results, then goes about his day. Later that night when he’s checking the forecast on Weather.com, he sees a banner ad for Garden Warehouse across the top of the screen. Three days later when the prospect is scrolling through his feed on social media, he sees another matching ad for Garden Warehouse. When the weekend comes, he’s out running errands and decides to stop by Garden Warehouse to see what kind of lawn mowers they have in stock. 

• If the prospect had only seen a search engine or social media ad for Garden Warehouse, he may have forgotten about it – or worse, he may have seen multiple ads for local competitor Lawn Depot and decided to go there instead.

It could be argued that search engine ads reach online users with a more focused intent – when someone is conducting an online search, they are clearly in need of something and your dealership’s advertisement may fulfill that need. But brand exposure and awareness are also important to consider when it comes to overall conversions and in-store sales. Social media plays an enormous part in the world of digital. Utilizing social media ads in addition to search increases your dealership’s presence and helps you reach both current and future customers.