If you are the only business offering your specific product or service in the entire world, this article is not for you. For the other 99.9% of businesses that compete daily with anywhere from dozens or even hundreds of other businesses offering similar products, making similar claims, and pursuing the same audience – how do you win your search space?

If you are a business with a massive ad budget and numerous team members or resources at your disposal and you feel confident that you can simply outspend and outpace the competition with your marketing juggernaut, this article is not for you.

However, if you’re operating on a more modest budget and your resources are spread a little thin, you may find yourself asking “How do I beat those competitors with mega budgets and brand recognition? How do I get a seat at the table?”.

Here are four key ways any business can stand out in paid search:

1. When They Zig, You Zag

Competitor research should be the first step in any marketing plan.

You need to know what you’re up against before determining an effective approach, but businesses often view competitor research as a template – they try to mimic their ad messaging and show for the same suite of keywords.

This is a recipe for failure. Don’t try to mimic the voice and messaging of your competitors. Your ads may appear disingenuous and inauthentic to your potential customers and your ads will only blend in more with those of your competitors.

2. Be Yourself

While it is integral to ensure your paid search ad copy and landing page are relevant to the search query, it is also important to allow the ‘personality’ of your business to shine through. This is often your first shot to show your audience not just what you’re offering, but who you are as a brand.

An ideal text ad is 75% informative and 25% personable. If you had 10 seconds to make a sales pitch in person, what would you say about your product or service? Would it sound robotic or conversational? What do your search ads sound like?

3. Show Off

What a potential customer searches for isn’t often the only thing they’re seeking. Someone shopping for a phone may also be looking for a phone case. Someone seeking a book may want to read the whole series. Someone buying a tent may also be seeking reviews & comparisons. Someone researching software may have questions. You may offer resources and upsells on your website, but do your ads?

Google offers a simple, effective way to offer your potential customers relevant information and products through ad extensions. Show off your best prices, include related items, share rave reviews, link to your how-to blog or FAQs – any of your top visited pages – and show the search user the full value your business provides.

4. Don’t Put All Your Eggs Into One Basket

Not every business can compete with the big budget, name-brand goliaths in their search space, but often those big brands miss the more niche queries that more ‘ready-to-purchase’ consumers will search.

Is your brand’s budget better spent on broader, top-of-funnel terms or are there other ways your potential customers could search for your product?

Consider the alternative ways your customers might refer to your product or service, including variants and misnomers. Be specific and try to find the search ‘nooks and crannies’ that your competitors frequently overlook.

If you need help with your paid search, contact Anvil! We would love to help you!