New Year – New AdWords Campaign

It’s a new year so it is not surprising that businesses may be considering new marketing techniques to capture a desired audience. Today I want to share some thoughts on starting new online ads, specifically creating a new AdWords campaign.

The biggest challenge is often simple  – where to start? Will my Google AdWords ads focus on overall branding or target something more specific. By taking the time to develop a CLEAR goal, it will be easier to determine what kind of ad needs to be created. To get started, ask some of the following questions:

• Are my ads intended to grow sales?
• Will my ads focus on brand awareness?
• Will my Google AdWords ads generate demand?
• What action will a website visitor take when clicking on the ad?
• Are my ads leading to a lead capture form? Should they lead to a purchase? Do I have a white paper to offer? Can my audience sign up for a newsletter?

In starting out, always identify a goal (or several goals) and know how the results will be measured. Now that the hard part is done, simply create a campaign. Yes, it really is that easy! I do not plan to recreate the wheel though, so be sure to check out this excellent step-by-step AdWords starter guide that Google has. It will get new advertisers started. I would like to add a couple quick tips though that I have learned through experience.

Creating a New AdWords campaign

1. If possible, help customers take an action. Include a call-to-action then follow that by adding conversion tracking. Doing so will show you how effective your campaigns may be.
2. Brainstorm a list (or lists) of keyword ideas associated with your brand/product. Certainly Google offers a tool to get you started but often they may not be the keywords that are best for a business.
3. Consider using negative keywords to improve search. This eliminates those who may not actually be potential customers.
4. Start with very specific targeting. That may be geographic targeting or AdGroups designed to attract a specific audience. Starting small will help create success early.

These are just a few tips, but they are some of the easiest to implement when creating a campaign, and I would argue that they are some of the most important.

I mentioned above, that measuring campaign results is important, ultimately though it is a must – When creating a new advertising campaign, advertisers need to know what works. Without analyzing results advertisers are flying blind! Test new ideas then build on campaign successes and failure, using a tool (Google Analytics) to help determine what is working and what is not.

Start with the basics and build a new AdWords campaign around success. The size of the campaign matters not if well thought out, so start today!

Does getting started with AdWords seem overwhelming or intimidating? Give us a call at 734-995-5000, we can help to get your campaigns set up or by offering ongoing campaign support.