Integrated Marketing
Omi Diaz-Cooper – CEO, Speaker on May 27, 2020
DCA Team
Omi Diaz-Cooper – CEO, Speaker
Omi Diaz-Cooper – CEO, Speaker
During challenging economic times, the temptation to cut back on marketing can be overwhelming. This is particularly true of digital spend on tactics like Google Ads if you have not seen a clear return on those marketing dollars. However – based on the most important marketing key performance indicators (KPIs) like sales revenue, cost per lead and Customer Lifetime Value – Google Ads generates the highest conversion rate and ROI of any comparable digital tactic. It’s also the tactic that can generate sales the fastest - especially for eCommerce and online booking businesses.
This article will cover the most important areas that you can optimize to improve your return on ad spend (ROAS) and reduce the cost of acquisition on Google Ads.
Regardless of whether you run a small budget or are spending tens of thousands monthly, understanding how consumers shop for your products will give you a huge advantage in improving your ads. First, recognize that if an ad click does not convert into a sale or a lead (email signup) then that click was a waste of money. Don’t spend money just to send random “traffic” to your website. Traffic means little if it’s not consistently converting to a lead or sale on your website or shop.
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To run smart Google Ads campaigns, you must be laser-focused on your buyer persona and then start with the end in mind.
What do I mean by this? The two most important "ends" or conversion goals: a sale or an email lead.
For a sale conversion, start from your product page and reverse engineer the purchase path. Make sure the calls-to-action are clear and compelling. Tweak your ad copy and product descriptions then choose the keywords with the end goal of achieving a sale conversion.
For a lead conversion, keep in mind the buying cycle - the Customer Value Journey (CVJ) - for each persona. For example, what happens when a prospective customer visits your site or store for the first time? Do you have a clear path for them to follow if they are not ready to purchase yet? Are you answering their questions and providing a compelling reason for them to leave you their email by offering a Lead Magnet?
Your ads have to be tailored to the stage of the buying cycle as well. Create different search ads or display ads with elements that appeal to customers in each stage of the CVJ. Branded ads are great for customers that already know your brand name and are looking to make a purchase, but for prospects who don’t yet know which product or brand would help them it would be ineffective – if not downright wasteful – to include your product name in your ad copy title.
Don’t assume prospective customers know what your product does. In other words, don’t speak to yourself in ads. Be clear, concise and benefits-driven. Put yourself in the shoes of your buyer and talk to them about “what’s in it for me.” Remember that prospects don’t really care about your company or awards, but they do care about how your product or service will solve their problem or fulfill their need.
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
The purpose of using the reverse-engineering method of ad and landing page creation is to convert your visitors into email subscribers, leads and customers – so that the ad translates into a positive conversion action.
Keeping in mind the Customer Value Journey, you should have ads targeting customers at the different stages of their buyers journey. Our Clients are typically running ads for the “Aware” stage (otherwise known as the top of the funnel), the “Subscribe” stage - using specific offers and Lead Magnets to get an email sign-up, and the “Convert” and “Ascend” stages, where buyers actually make a purchase and are offered up-sell and cross-sell opportunities. We almost always recommend having specific campaign landing pages for your Google Ad sets in order to maximize the conversion rate for the campaigns.
For most businesses running ads to increase traffic to their website, the majority of visitors don’t know the brand or product before coming to the site. So your website has to grab their attention and educate them. That means having content specific to each stage of the CVJ (buyer’s journey) – good landing pages are key here.
Here’s a quick guide for the types of content you need in each stage of the buyer’s journey, according to HubSpot. For example, for prospects in the “Aware” and “Subscribe” stages, you need checklists, eBooks, webinars and how-to videos. These content assets serve to educate your visitors and can be great lead generators.
Keep in mind that this type of content needs to go beyond just “sounding good.”
For a content piece to engage and convert, it must provide a clear value for your online visitors. When writing content, remember to engineer the piece to deliver a predefined value for your business based on your goal. All content such as blogs and pillar pages should feature clear calls-to-action with compelling offers. Otherwise, “fluff” content is little better than an online brochure.
Following these best practices will increase Google’s Quality Score on your landing pages and help create a smooth, intuitive path to conversion and purchase.
Now that your landing pages are ready to convert, here are the best practices that PPC experts use to develop the most effective ads for driving traffic and conversions.
If you have been spending money on Google Ads, it’s crucial to run an audit on those campaigns. Don’t waste any more time and money wondering if you are losing out to the competition or wasting bids on terms that don’t convert. A thorough review of your Google PPC spend will include the following elements:
Using these tips you can improve your ROAS and reduce the cost of acquisition to make the most of your Google Ads spend.
Need A Little Help Evaluating Your Google Ads? Schedule a Free Consultation and we’ll set up an Audit of your campaigns.
Omi is what happens when you’re addicted to people, travel and your iPad. Which might also explain why she has a BA in Anthropology along with her degree in advertising. As the CEO of Diaz & Cooper she helps shape campaigns that resonate with customers and prompt meaningful, measurable action. When she’s not speaking at industry conferences like INBOUND, she’s jetting off places with lots of history, like Pompeii.
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