Boost Your Sales with Google AdWords

With the New Year in full swing, the pressure is on for businesses to finish Q1 2018 with strong sales and leads in the pipeline. While there are many strategies you can take to increase sales for your business, a well-thought-out campaign launched through Google AdWords is one of the most accessible and cost-effective ways to capture leads in today’s digital-centric society. Not only is AdWords an incredibly powerful platform that offers many different types of campaigns- it also gives you access to powerful data, including the ability to track ROI with its built-in Analytics dashboard. With the proper insight and planning, AdWords allows companies to bring in pre-qualified leads and increase their sales at a fraction of the cost of more traditional advertising.

It’s hard to argue with the fact that Google has grown to dominate the world of digital marketing. Very few companies hold as much power over the entire buying process as Google. Seriously: think for a minute about how integrated Google is in our lives. Allow us to paint a scenario for you to show how important Google has become to many of our purchasing decisions. Picture this: you’re at home and you happen to be hungry for takeout. If you’re like the average person, you’ll reach for your smartphone (Remember that about 80% of smartphones currently run Google’s Android operating system) and do a quick Google search for a simple keyphrase such as ‘Chinese Takeout Near Me’. The top results dictated by Google My Business pages along with their associated 1-5 star Google user review ratings are instantly served up to your screen. After deciding on the business with the highest customer rating, you’ll hop in your car, launch Google Maps GPS and head to the restaurant. And you might even pay your bill with Android Pay. That’s a LOT of involvement in one transaction.

With Google having so much power over the internet as a whole, it makes sense that they’re able to provide one of the most powerful digital advertising platforms available. Luckily with Google AdWords, they do NOT disappoint. AdWords is an incredibly powerful platform that is both cost effective and versatile. Not only does AdWords offer several different types of ads and placements but they also provide a lot of freedom to tweak your campaign to get the best possible outcome.

The first step in getting started with AdWords is to understand the different types of campaigns that are available. Here is a quick overview of the types of ads that you can run within your Google dashboard:

• Search Network – Have you ever noticed “sponsored” results when doing a Google search? These are a direct result of Google Search Network ads. These are the best ads for trying to get in front of someone actively searching for your product or service. Since these leads are pre-qualified, these types of ads can be very powerful if implemented correctly.
• Display Network – Ads that appear on certain types of websites are very common across the web. While this may not always be the case, many of them are done through Google’s Display Network. Display Network ads help you target those who are interested in specific types of content or topics. These types of ads help increase the reach of your brand and drive more clicks back to your website.
• Search Network with Display Select – So what if you want to use a combination of BOTH search and display ads in the same campaign? Instead of creating separate display and search campaigns, AdWords gives the option of running a search campaign with a small selection of display ads.
• Shopping – If your website has an ecommerce component, it may be wise to look at this type of ad. Shopping ads target those searching for a specific type of product and will actually link directly to the product page on your website. These types of ads will actually show a photo of your product on search which can greatly increase your CTR.
• Video – Video ads allow you to run pre-roll ads on YouTube. This type of campaign, similar to display ads, allows you to target individuals that are interested in a certain type of content. There are many options for what “topics” or “interests” to target so you can display your ads to the correct type of person.
• Universal App – This type of campaign will show your ads within certain mobile apps. These are typically used to drive downloads for other mobile applications.

So now that you know a little bit about what AdWords can do, what’s the next step? Well, there are a few things to consider before jumping right into launching a campaign. Keep in mind that the complex nature of AdWords leaves a lot of room for error if your campaign is not properly put together. Here are a few factors to consider before starting your campaign:

• What is Your Objective? – Your goals should help determine what type of campaign works best for you. If one type of campaign is too general or does not put you in front of the correct audience, you may want to try something else. Different types of ads work better than others for different audiences. It’s important to put thought into where you are putting your money.
• What is Your Budget? – Budgeting is very important when it comes to CPC campaigns. Since each type of AdWords campaign requires a ‘per day’ type of budget, how much you are spending can be a big determining factor of your campaign’s success. If you are not spending enough to be competitive, it’s hard to expect your campaign to be effective. For search campaigns, the AdWords dashboard offers estimated big prices that can give you an idea of how much you should be spending per click to get you on the first page of Google.
• Who is Your Target? – Limiting your targeting is key to a campaign’s success! One mistake often made in CPC campaigns is to make your target audience too broad. Are you a local business? Make sure you are only targeting your service area. Do you only want people using mobile devices? Add parameter to your campaign.
• How is Your Ad Creative? – Ad creative a large impact on the success of a campaign. Text ads should be carefully written to increase your CTR and keep the quality score of your ad high. Ad graphics and videos should be designed with your campaign in mind to provide the best possible return on your investment.
• Where Are You Sending Leads? – Sometimes it’s easy to forget the next step in the buying experience when focusing on a campaign. Even if someone clicks on your ad, that click is not very valuable if they immediately click off of your website. Be very deliberate when choosing where you are sending leads. With the average attention span of internet users being so low, you only have a few seconds to capture the interest of a potential lead. Self-contained landing pages can often be a useful lead generation tool in these types of campaigns.

Needless to say, there is a lot to consider when creating a CPC campaign through Google AdWords. Luckily for your brand, the digital advertising experts at DRM are well versed in all aspects of AdWords and are ready to talk strategy! Send us an email or give us a quick call at (330) 274-7658 to speak with one of our Google AdWords certified specialists. Visit our website to learn more about how DRM helps to grow brands in Northeast Ohio and beyond!