PPC Specialists: Roles and Responsibilities

Reaching customers has become an increasingly challenging endeavor. Various platforms have made it possible to pay your way to the potential clientele, and this is where PPC specialists enter the stage. They know which words to use, how much to pay for them, and who to target with their campaigns.

ppc specialist roles and responsibilities

PPC Specialist in Marketing

Pay-per-click may bring you a stellar career as a PPC specialist! A marketing and business background will probably lead you to the PPC specialist career that you will grow to love.

A PPC Specialist’s Typical Day

If you like challenges, you're in for a treat. The advertising market is as fast-paced as it gets, and you'll need to stay on top of trends and customer needs at all times. A PPC specialist's day involves communicating with all stakeholders, preparing campaigns, publishing them, and tracking their results.

Correspondence

Clients and managers need to know where their money is going, so they'll often inquire about the ongoing campaigns. PPC specialists should always have an answer ready and keep them in the loop by replying to emails promptly and hopping on calls whenever necessary.

Market Scanning

Ever since the 1950s, the advertising world has been expanding and changing. Customers grow impatient with commercials and tired of what they've already seen. Companies must find new and intriguing ways to capture buyers' attention, while their competitors must be careful not to use the same ideas.

Keyword Research

PPC specialists need to know what people are looking for and which words they use to find it. Specialized tools are used to identify these terms, which will later target the audience better. It's essential to differentiate the keywords used for SEO and those for PPC as the latter are focused on a high purchasing intent.

Define Audience

You can't interest all 20-year-old males in the same events, nor will all highly educated females buy the same books. While the world wide web may seem like an invader of our privacy, the data it collects is mainly used to connect us to the products we're interested in quickly. PPC specialists define who they need to target with their ads, so the money they invest isn't spent in vain.

Create Campaigns

The recipe for ad campaigns contains copy, images, landing pages, and target audiences. This means you'll be working closely with copywriters and designers. You need to brief them on the specifics of the campaign so they can produce the proper material you'll then use to reach potential customers.

Measure, Analyze, Optimize

Once the campaigns are launched, it's time to see if they're hitting the target correctly. How will you know this? By extracting the statistics and looking at the numbers thoroughly. It would help to have some preset goals to compare the results with. It won't take long to figure out what's going well and what's not. Adjust the parameters and keep track of how the changes will impact further results.

Average Salary

According to Glassdoor, the average base salary of PPC specialists in the US hovers around $51,385 per year, while Payscale says this number is somewhat lower and amounts to $44,660. Keep in mind the salary can vary depending on the company, years of experience, location, etc. Also, the base pay doesn't include bonuses that could reward successful campaigns.


GlassDoor
PayScale
PPC Specialist	$51,385	$44,660

Becoming a PPC Specialist: Get Started

If you've set your mind to choosing paid search as your career's focus, we'll try to help you get started. We can undoubtedly say it's a good choice, as professionals are in growing demand in this area.

Those with a marketing degree are already on a good path, knowing the basic customer behaviors that need attention. Almost every business school teaches the history of marketing trends and tools, cohort analysis, and statistics. With all that knowledge, getting to know how to use some tools and testing out the theory in practice isn't a giant leap.

However, if you haven't got a BA in business or marketing, don't despair. There are still ways to become a PPC specialist! But you'll need to learn everything about digital marketing and ads. Find below a list of online courses that can get your career started.

You'll need to master Google Ads to perfection because that will be the primary tool to reach potential customers. Getting a certificate also helps when looking for a job in the industry. But you'll also have to brush up on your copywriting skills so you can be as independent as possible. Also, social media platforms should be the focus of your studies. It's like shooting fish in a barrel when it comes to interacting with the public! Explore what other companies are doing and learn how to apply some of their tricks.

Practice beats any theory. You could help out a friend who is struggling to sell their products or make their small business well-known. In the process, you'll gain valuable experience, and you'll be able to use it as proof when applying for the position of PPC specialist.

popular courses

Your First Job as a PPC Specialist

The name of this role contains the word "paid" in it, meaning it deals with spending money. Understandably, no sane business owner would let an absolute beginner access their funds. So, be ready to learn from other, more experienced PPC managers and practice on small-scale projects.

Look for entry-level jobs and internships to creep into the profession. Those who deal with paid campaigns always have some repetitive tasks they can't wait to delegate to enthusiastic beginners, and there lies your chance. Start small, learn from the best, build your knowledge base, and develop your career in the desired direction.

A PPC Specialist’s Career Path

Any point in an individual's career is an excellent time to switch to specializing in paid search. The digital world is still expanding and penetrating our day-to-day, so more and more specialists are needed. Those who have already been working in marketing or sales will need less effort and time to figure out the psychology behind this job.

They will, however, need to learn how to use software from scratch and make some mistakes before becoming a professional. Most people kick off with managing and building websites, move to SEO, and start exploring ads and designing landing pages. Some become PPC assistants and move up the scale to PPC managers, acquisition marketers, and growth managers.

Hiring a PPC Specialist

If you're ready to hire someone to handle the paid search, we're sure you'll find many candidates. How do you weed out the inadequate ones?

First of all, look for certificates. It's the easiest way to make sure candidates dedicate themselves to the role in question, have training, and acquire the necessary knowledge.

Then, check the amount of experience they have under their belt. Bear in mind that the more experienced the candidates are, the higher the salary will be requested.

You'd also better scan their soft skills because PPC specialists need to interact a lot with the rest of the team. You won't benefit from an expert if they can't find a way to communicate and collaborate with the rest of the team.

Look for highly motivated and proactive candidates. We already mentioned how fast-paced the digital market is, so you'll get the most out of it if your PPC specialist anxiously anticipates the next trend rather than lags behind.

Hire a responsible person with a taste for risks. They'll handle a part of your budget, but you won't get much in return if they only play safe. Of course, gambling the entire budget on unsuccessful ads is not an option either.

CONTINUE READING Life in an Agency: Agency Roles and Responsibilities

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