In order to succeed in any marketing campaign a company must establish the 'who?' 'what?' and 'why? of its target market. The importance of identifying your target market, or the bulk of it, is even more essential in online marketing than offline because the competition is far fiercer and the shopping process faster. Throwing a net too wide can lead to wasted time and money.

Targeting Your PPC Campaign

One brand showing a fantastic knowledge of their target market is clothing giant H&M. H&M target the young and fashion conscious who have a keen interest in the latest trends and a moderate disposable income. H&M's PPC campaign is an example of well executed marketing which focuses on a target demographic and avoids advertising to those who wouldnt purchase from the brand. For example, when searching for a ‘formal dress' in Google, you will not see an H&M ad appear, instead you will see ads from the likes of John Lewis and Reiss.

This is because a formal dress is historically sought after by a slightly older and wealthier market than that of which H&M are targeting. However, when searching spring fashion you will see a H&M ad appear in the top position.

The H&M PPC Campaign

H&M is bidding on the keyword spring fashion because users searching for the latest spring looks are exactly who H&M wish to attract. Ensuring each keyword is relevant is one way a brand can communicate with its target market in a cost effective way.

The Importance of Timing

Another point of consideration is ad scheduling. It is important to advertise only when a user is intending to buy. For example, a company such as Office Supermarket which sells you guessed it! office furniture, would show its ads only during working hours as this is when its target market will be looking to purchase.

Learn the Language of Your Target Market

A final top tip is to consider the language potential customers will use when searching. Having a good knowledge of slang terms, nicknames and abbreviations relating to your product is a must. For example, if a PPC Campaign was advertising duvet covers, it would be important to consider how people would refer to them. A number of terms including bedding, bed covers and duvets may be used by people all looking for the same product in completely different ways. The key to a good PPC Campaign is being able to capture each of these users and communicate with them directly. Full details of Google Advertising Policies can be found at http://goo.gl/QwdpB.

In summary, the fundamental rule of running a PPC Campaign is to put yourself into the shoes of your target market. Knowing exactly who the user is, what they are searching for, and why they are searching for it leads to improved clicks, conversions and ROI.