As with most facets of marketing, standing still is not an option in the world of PPC (pay-per-click). Marketers are under constant pressure to optimise, reduce costs, and maximise ROI.
AI and automation have been changing the game for a good while now. But not everybody knows how to harness them – and how to look beyond the buzzwords. The goal of using AI and automation in PPC is not to feel fancy, but to make your ad spend work harder for you, while freeing up team time for more strategic tasks.
So, let’s break down the essentials of how you can use them to get an edge over your competition.
Why AI & Automation in PPC?
Between managing keyword bids, A/B testing ad copy, refining audience targeting, and analysing performance, there are a lot of moving parts to PPC.
It’s important to know that AI isn’t an all-powerful fairy godmother (or, rather, godrobot) that will automatically place ads and do the whole lot for you. Instead, consider it a sophisticated tool that can analyse massive amounts of data faster and with more accuracy than any human can. In tandem, automation can handle repetitive tasks at scale. When used properly together, you should wind up with better decision-making processes, improved performance, and (the biggie), more time.
What is automated bidding?
This is one of the most powerful ways you can transform your PPC strategy in 2024. Automated bidding involves the use of machine learning to adjust your bids in real time – in turn, ensuring that you’re not overpaying or underbidding.
Google Ads’ Smart Bidding, for example, uses algorithms to optimise bids for conversions. The algos take into account all sorts of signals (like device, time of day, location, and more) so your campaigns can dynamically adjust to each unique auction – saving you the time spent manually tweaking your bids every hour.
AD COPY OPTIMISATION
Crafting the perfect ad copy can be a real exercise in trial and error – and, if you’re creating hundreds of ads at a time, a real test of patience. AI-powered tools can simplify and streamline this process for you by analysing performance across copy variations and suggesting improvements.
Take Google’s Dynamic Search Ads as an example. These AI-driven ads will automatically generate headlines based on the specific queries users are typing into search engines, which means your ads stay relevant without you having to manually create hundreds of variations.
There are other AI ad copy tools on the market, too. Shop around but, for starters, Persado and CopyAI can help by suggesting conversion-driving copy. Needless to say, they won’t replace your creative team (who are vital, by the way!) – but they can help you iterate faster and improve performance.
AI-POWERED AUDIENCE TARGETING
The spray-and-pray days are long gone. We increasingly need to think about hyper-precise targeting and personalisation in marketing. You probably know this, which is why you’re digging into this blog, but what you might not know is that AI can help ensure your ads are shown to the people most likely to convert.
Both Google and Facebook’s AI-powered audience targeting tools can analyse user behaviour patterns and predict which users are more likely to engage with your ads. For instance, Google’s In-Market Audiences and Facebook’s Lookalike Audiences help you target people actively looking to make a purchase, or those who most resemble your current customers. Automating your audience segmentation in this way can create a more personalised ad experience, increase conversions, and take some of the burden off your shoulders.
REVIEW AND OPTIMISE
Too often we hear of marketers burnt out by the stress of continual optimisation. Too little spend, too much spend, not enough conversions, the wrong traffic – the list goes on. AI and automation can help you to rebalance the equation.
You can use tools like Google’s Performance Planner to simulate different budget scenarios, analyse historical data, and see how changes in spend will impact performance. It can also help you get a better understanding of things like seasonal trends, so you aren’t shouting into the void at the wrong time (we’ve all been there).
COMBINE AI & AUTOMATION WITH STRATEGIC OVERSIGHT
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again, AI isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it solution. It works best when it’s combined with your Real Human know-how and strategic oversight. Cruise control, for example, keeps your car trucking along, but you still need to steer.
There’ll be certain campaigns where automated bidding strategies just don’t work and, instead, you need to opt for more granular control. This is exactly why regular reviews are so vital. Make sure your automated systems are working in your favour, and not running unchecked.
When AI and automation are embraced thoughtfully, they can dramatically improve your PPC performance and (perhaps more importantly) make your life easier.
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?
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