It’s time to get reacquainted with an old web marketing friend: Google AdWords. In case a recap is needed, this is the platform through which ads are developed and managed for display on Google’s search engine results pages (the listings you see at the very top of the page, above the organic listings, and stacked along the right side of the page).
With new social media tools constantly being introduced and ever-evolving mobile marketing technologies to stay on top of, AdWords is really a breath of fresh not-so-traditional-advertising-but-more-traditional-than-social-media-and-stuff air.
Yes, a good marketing strategy includes a combination of tactics designed to work together to achieve a common goal, and that may mean introducing some newer options. But in all the excitement of what’s new and popular, have you forgotten about some “older” standbys? Paid search advertising through AdWords might be just what you need to pump some new (old) life into your online marketing.
Let’s look at a few benefits of Google AdWords to remind ourselves why this is:
- First things first: Bing is out there and growing. It’s an important search engine to many and should be considered in your interactive marketing plans. But Google still has the much larger market share, so that’s why we’re focusing on it.
- Adwords’ paid search ads allow you to target an Internet user at precisely the moment they are searching for what you sell. And if you optimize your ad, campaign settings, and landing page well, your ad should gain optimal exposure to this target audience member. You don’t have that kind of control within the organic side of the search engine listings.
- Adwords is one of your best options when you need some quick exposure. If you’re a nightclub in Toledo that’s just added an improv night to your weekly calendar and need to get the word out pronto, you can build an Adwords campaign and make sure your ads are displayed for people in Toledo searching for “improv comedy clubs” or “improv comedy theater.” There you are for them when they needed you, and when you need bodies fast to improve a struggling night for your club.
- Don’t forget, in the CPC (cost-per-click) option, you only pay when someone actually clicks your ad. And you always have the option to switch to an impression-based model, if you mostly just want to get some brand exposure, where you pay for ever 1,000 impressions.
- You can track the success of your ad campaign, from number of times each ad was viewed and clicked to how many clicks actually turn into a conversion (completing a form on your site, purchasing something, or visiting a key page, for example).
- Not liking the results? You can always just pause your AdWords campaigns. Simple as that.
If you could handle driving some new visitors to your website and attracting visits for newer offerings or hitting a new promotion out of the park, it’s worth looking at paid search advertising for your business. Keep in mind that, although it’s our old interactive marketing standby, the AdWords platform is of course always being evolved by Google. So talk to your search engine marketing specialists about your interest in the medium and work with them on a plan (and if those specialists are us, then just call anytime!).
