10/12/2020 | OpinionPPC
Have a look down this list…
The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Ella Fitzgerald, Ariana Grande, Ray Charles, Destiny’s Child, Taylor Swift, Elvis, Justin Bieber, Sufjan Stevens, The Beach Boys, Kylie Minogue, The Killers.
All these artists have Christmas albums.
How many did you know? I’d only heard one of these albums despite knowing every name on the list. And it got me thinking…
Why do artists with huge careers bother to release Christmas albums?
(Given most of them end up being cringe-worthy)
It’s tempting to believe these artists are in it for the festive cheer. But it’s more likely they are paying the bills.
And it’s a clever tactic. Every year, they see an uplift when people buy or stream the albums over Christmas. They get more royalties and win some new listeners in the process.
The humble Christmas album is a way for established artists to cash in on annual festivities and expand their fanbase in the process.
What do Christmas albums tell us about PPC campaigns?
Think of paid search campaigns as your business’s Christmas album. The rest of your digital marketing activity, including your website and organic activity, is your back catalogue.
PPC campaigns are a great way to bring in some extra leads but shouldn’t be considered a standalone strategy. Paid ads won’t grow your website’s domain authority in the long term, just like Elvis didn’t build a career off “Blue Christmas”.
Instead, see PPC as a tactic for growing your reach getting some quick wins. Paid campaigns are a great way to supplement your organic SEO strategy and get more people to your website. You want your website to be set up to convert them once they’re there.
Don’t be a one hit wonder
There’s no point paying to send people to a poorly designed website or landing page. They will leave before you’ve converted them.
Without a clear and compelling website, your PPC spend is money down the drain. You need to tell people why to believe in you. The Beatles Christmas album would have been a total waste of time without their established fame and credibility.
To get results, you need a PPC strategy that’s researched and sits within your wider marketing strategy. Campaigns should be backstopped by original content and they should be monitored and tweaked to make sure they are providing users with the information they need to enquire.
The lesson is this: You can’t rely on a Christmas hit. Growing your audience in the long term requires a digital marketing strategy that covers all areas. Use PPC in addition to SEO, blogging, social media, and emailing, and you will get more quality leads. Don’t neglect your website or believe that PPC alone is going to help you grow your customer base.
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