Unlocking the Power of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) for Recruitment Advertising

What is pay-per-click?

Pay-per-click (PPC) is an online advertising model where advertisers pay a small fee each time someone clicks on their ad. Advertisers bid on keywords that are relevant to the objectives of their business and target audience. The search engine then matches the search words to the advertiser’s chosen keywords. Ads are displayed in the order that the search engine algorithm ranks them. The ranking is based on factors such as ad quality score, relevance, and the advertiser’s bid amount. The advertiser does not pay anything until the viewer clicks on the ad. 

PPC campaigns are a powerful way to drive traffic and conversions. However, to get the most out of your PPC efforts, you need to follow some best practices and optimize your campaigns for your target audience and goals. Here are some tips on how to make your PPC campaign more successful.

Effective Audience Targeting for PPC Campaigns

Be specific about who you are looking for. You want to generate leads that will turn into hires, but you need the “right” leads. Knowing exactly what type of drivers you are looking for will help you determine your target audience and the keywords you should bid on. Create ads that speak to your specific audience. Make sure the things you offer match what your audience is looking for. Target the right keywords, demographic, locations, and interests that directly relate to your target audience.

• Be specific about who you are looking for.
• Create ads that speak to your specific audience.
• Use targeted keywords.

Creating compelling PPC ad copy

Your copy should grab the attention of your audience. Put your best foot forward. If you have a great sign-on bonus, maybe that’s what grabs their attention, or great equipment might be the best place to start. Make your copy accurately reflect what you offer (pay, home time, equipment). Don’t make statements that you can’t back up. Make sure you use a call-to-action. Go ahead and ask the potential hire to call you or contact you to talk about the position. Ask them to consider working for you.

• Write compelling copy and use images that grab attention.
• Reflect exactly what you offer in your copy.
• Use a call-to-action.

Designing effective PPC landing pages. 

Design your landing page to create conversions. Conversions can mean more than one thing. In this case, we are equating a conversion to getting an application from a potential hire. Make it easy to apply. Take any roadblocks out of their way on the landing page. Optimize your page load time so the page loads quickly with no waiting.

Make sure your landing page is mobile-friendly. Remember, more than 85% of drivers view job opportunities on their mobile devices. Make it a pleasant experience for them. And make sure it’s easy to convert their interest in you into a request for more information through a quick application. It’s also important that your ad looks like your landing page in brand and style, so viewers know they’ve come to the right place for more information on your landing page.

• Optimize landing page load time and make it mobile-friendly.
• Make it easy for the applicant to fill out and apply.
• Make sure your ad matches your landing page in brand and style.

Monitoring and optimization for your PPC campaign. 

Monitor your campaign on a regular basis. Get past the “set it and forget it” mentality. Growing a campaign is like planting a garden or upkeep on a car. It takes regular attention and maintenance. Adjust your campaign based on your analytics. Don’t be afraid to tweak copy and targeting to test your campaign. Sometimes you will want to wait and watch and sometimes you will want to make changes; use your analytics to monitor and manage your ad changes, budget, and bids.

• Monitor your campaign regularly.
• Adjust your PPC campaign based on your analytics.
• Don’t be afraid to tweak and test your campaign.

How long until your PPC campaign matures?

Don’t stop your campaign until it’s had time to gain momentum and grow into a fully developed campaign. It will take time for Google to gather data from your ads, data that can be used to improve the efficiency of your campaign (audience targeting, bids, keyword targeting). Many times, those new to PPC are tempted to stop a campaign before it’s grown to a healthy level of effectiveness. You will be getting impressions, but it takes time to grow your conversion rate (the rate applications are submitted). To start seeing the full benefit of your campaign, 2–3 months of growth is recommended.

• Let your PPC campaign fully mature before making major changes.
• Impressions start when the campaign does, conversions grow over time.
• 2-3 months is a normal maturation timeframe.

These tips will help you create a PPC campaign to deliver results and grow your recruiting efforts. If you need more help with PPC marketing, contact us today for a free consultation on how we can help you with your recruitment advertising needs.

Hightower uses pay-per-click to help clients successfully recruit truck drivers nationwide. We have an experienced team certified in not only Google Ads Search, but also Google Ads Display, and Google Ads Video. If you’d like to contact us or if you would like to have us evaluate your pay-per-click campaign, it’s free, just use the contact form below or you can email us at letstalk@hightoweragency.com.