You might have heard phrases like:
- “The future of PPC advertising is in automation”
- “Automation is changing the future”
- “PPC automation isn’t the future – it’s the present!”
The truth is… they’re all true. PPC automation tools are improving campaigns now and will only get better and more efficient in the future. These tools allow marketers to complete manual tasks and save time and money (which I’m sure you’ve heard a million times already).
But it’s not just built-out tools that can help with your PPC campaigns. There are a wide range of scripts for Google, Microsoft, and Facebook ads to cut down on wasted spend and time.
So let’s look at a brief explanation of what PPC automation is and then 5 tools and scripts to kickstart your 2021 PPC campaigns.
What is PPC automation?
PPC automation is the use of AI and machine learning to optimize pay-per-click marketing.
There has been more of a focus on automation as technology becomes more advanced and available as the internet continues to expand. More users mean more potential customers and bigger campaigns become increasingly difficult to manage without a way to automate certain tasks.
This automation can be split into two categories:
- Rule-driven automation, where machine learning uses rules set by a user to improve its model
- Data-driven automation, where machine learning uses data inputted by a user to improve its model
There are advantages and disadvantages to using either or both types, depending on your strategy and quality of data and rules.
6 PPC automation tools and scripts
1. Microsoft’s Digital Marketing Center
Why you should use it: Digital Marketing Center is a free AI-powered approach to marketing, bringing simplified campaign building to SMBs and individuals alike. The platform uses Microsoft’s AI technology for:
- Keyword bidding
- Audience targeting
- Goal setting
- Location targeting
- Budget management
Advertisers can also build their own ads, use automation for ad copy and modify auto-suggestions.
Verdict: If you’re Australian, this might be something you need to get accustomed to with the country poised to lose access to Google if proposed legislation goes through. Microsoft has made a niche for itself by offering things Google doesn’t and this might be worth a look if you want to try something different.
2. Adobe Advertising Cloud
Why you should use it: Adobe is synonymous with graphic design software — Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign — but Adobe’s Advertising Cloud is an ad platform that automates all media, screens, data, and creativity at scale.
With this platform, you can:
- Manage all your digital media strategies in one place
- Use AI and automation to improve your search marketing
- Boost the creation of meaningful ads that your audience will engage with more
What’s more, Adobe Advertising Cloud is independent so there are no ulterior motives behind what you get and what you can do on the platform.
Verdict: One of the main draws for Adobe Advertising Cloud is its independence. Anyone familiar with Adobe’s software offerings will know how influential they’ve been over the years. But can its advertising platform compete with the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Facebook? Doubtful, but it might work for more niche markets or marketers looking to try something new in automation.
3. Whoop!
Why you should use it: Do you need helpful pointers for your Google Shopping campaigns with the ability to customize your bidding strategies? Then Whoop! has what you need.
Whoop! is a Google Shopping management software that uses data-integrated bidding and machine learning to push your KPIs and keep your users and stakeholders happy.
Some key features include:
- Visualizing Google Shopping data including
- Margin performance
- Return rates
- First-party and third-party data via its open algorithm
- A Query Sculpting feature that gives advertisers more control over bidding strategies for each query type
- A SaaS ‘plus’ offering with customer success management and consulting
Verdict: Using Google’s native technology for Google Shopping means you’re at the mercy of their suggestions based on machine learning and automation. But Whoop! Gives you the data and offers tailored features and Query Sculpting to give you more control. Definitely worth checking out.
4. Exclude queries with high CPA
Why you should use it: CPA (cost per acquisition) is an important metric in PPC. This script from Adsscripts looks at all the search terms in your campaigns and excludes any high-priced terms.
By doing this, you can keep your CPA as low as possible across the campaigns.
You can also choose to pause rather than exclude terms.
Verdict: Anything that saves you money in a logical way is good in my book. This script automates the process of keeping your CPA high and avoids any performance issues with unnecessary search terms.
5. Query to Keyword Google Ads Automation Script
Why you should use it: This script from Impression opposes the work of the previous script by automatically adding high-performing search queries to your campaigns.
It does this by scanning through your account, finding any queries that have converted, and adding them in. This will aid your keyword research as you can never really know everything your users search for. But with a script like this, it can give an insight into the kinds of things people look for related to your brand and influence future campaigns.
Verdict: PPC marketers can’t know every converting query and that’s what scripts like these are for. This can work in tandem with every aspect of a campaign build, from keyword research to bidding strategies. An automation must-have for any PPC campaign.
6. Adzooma
Why you should use it: Sometimes you need a tool that does one particular thing and other times you need a platform. Adzooma falls under the latter category.
Automation is one of Adzooma’s major features and it recently became the fastest free automation platform with 30-minute automation rules.
With Adzooma, you can:
- Automatically adjust budgets to improve performance
- Identify opportunities to grow using the platform’s machine learning capabilities
- Use custom alerts to act on changes immediately
- Transform underperforming campaigns with automated templates
Verdict: How many free PPC automation platforms can you name with so many high-quality features? Adzooma provides all of this for the three major ad publishers – Google, Microsoft, and Facebook – so there’s no reason not to give it a try.
Summary
Launching a new PPC campaign can be challenging, especially during a global pandemic. Customer behavior can change and so can their searches. You have to meet them or lose out on revenue.
One way to do that is with PPC automation (ideally quicker automation). As you’ve seen, there’s an array of tools and scripts you might not have considered for your campaign management.
Now’s the time to reap the rewards of better paid advertising and start converting.
