January 12, 2022
If the past couple of years have shown us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected and be prepared for a handful of curveballs along the way! When it comes to paid marketing, (and PPC in particular), we don’t have a crystal ball, but what we do have to go off is data from the previous year, upcoming changes and advancements that impact how we manage our campaigns, and insights from the tech giants we’re partnered with. With that in mind, I’ve listed the 3 key predictions I have for PPC in 2022…
Smart bidding to continue to build trust and improve - so let's embrace it wholeheartedly this year. We’re seeing huge improvements each year in the Google algorithm and it is fair to say Google has definitely built up trust amongst PPC experts since smart bidding was first released! So take the time to really understand what each smart bidding strategy offers and potential issues it could cause (e.g. demanding a lot more budget, restricting traffic etc).
The big move to first party focus - it was the talk on every advertiser's lips for a lot of 2021, and with the deadline of 2023 fast approaching as the end of third-party cookies, this year looks set to be huge for a PPC strategy shift on how businesses can drive up first-party data to understand their customer behaviour more than ever before. Expect a massive emphasis on planning and utilising every data touch point available as well as searching for alternatives to cookies. For example, we’re seeing brands such as Tesco making use of their own customer data to support suppliers and their agencies in better understanding consumer behaviour and targeting.
The most agile PPC’ers will win 2022. Adopting third-party platforms and reports which can offer real-time insights into performance, competition, pricing etc will all support success this year. As there have been and will continue to be so many twists and turns during the pandemic, those in 2022 who can react quickest to changes in government restrictions, what happens in their market/industry and have plan A, B and C up their sleeve depending on the scenario will see the biggest success stories this year… and this will all be down to internal and external data insights and how they are used.
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