The holiday season will continue to be a season of high demand and a crucial time to connect with shoppers. Retailers and brands can use Google Ads to be more visible online, get new customers, and drive more sales. COVID-19 has changed consumers’ shopping behavior as well as the way we live and connect with the world around us. You can attain your business and marketing objectives and understand how to adapt to a radically changed environment, drive sales, and reach more customers with a little help from Google.
1. Be Discoverable
Millions of people use Google to search and shop for what they want. The average online shopping journey has more than 140 touchpoints that can affect what people purchase and from whom. The challenge for marketers is how to turn up at all of these moments while offering the custom-made, relevant experiences shoppers expect. Google can help with that.
Customers usually check Google first than any other source to find a new brand. Even if they shop in-store, yet customers check online before making a decision. You need to meet your customers from the start of their journeys to driving discovery, influencing buying decisions, and eventually, maximizing your total sales.
2. Build Your Brand
The most significant driver of campaign effectiveness continues to be ad creative. To ensure the products shoppers buy are relevant to their lifestyles, they research new brands before making a purchase. That makes it essential for brands to create real value that is substantial and distinct in addition to appear in those searches. Immersive creative on video and Search can assist in creating awareness and single out your brand with customers across Google.
People’s attention spans are already limited, which means you need to make video ads that engage shoppers. YouTube can make people aware of new brands. It allows you to make how-to videos, unboxing videos, or influencer content.
3. Acquire New Customers
Target new potential customers who are looking for the products you have to offer. Use Google’s actionable brand formats: TrueView for action, Showcase Shopping ads, and Discovery ads, to turn inspiration into action. You have to turn discovery into buying intent. Reach shoppers who check Google before making a buying decision by engaging ad formats.
Create videos that are actionable for shoppers. Add noticeable calls-to-action, headline text overlays, and an end screen to your video ads to drives leads and conversions. You can make your ads shoppable by adding compelling product imagery and use Smart Bidding to optimize for your goals.
Remarketing across all of Google
When potential customers connect with your brand campaigns, then work on building customer remarketing lists to involve shoppers and turn that brand discovery into purchase intent. Tag your site for remarketing and get started.
Reach new, in-market shoppers
Choose audiences who are looking for products you offer across your Display, Search, and Video campaigns to reach new shoppers with purchase intent. You can use in-market audiences to show ads to customers who want products and services you are providing but have not interacted with your business. You can use similar audiences to engage new customers with interests similar to the customers in your audience lists.
4. Increase Sales
Help shoppers to find out your products, both online and offline with the help of your product feed. People often use more than three channels to shop. Omnichannel strategy is essential nowadays more than it ever was. You also need to offer a smooth shopping experience online which will increase your sales. Think of your website or app as your digital storefront and it should be easier to use.
Get started by uploading your products to Merchant Center. Promote your products and go for automated bidding with the help of Smart Shopping campaigns. Smart Shopping campaigns when used by advertisers increase the percentage of conversion value on average. Product data, not keywords are used in shopping ads. They can help to promote your online inventory, maximize traffic to your website, and find better-qualified leads.
Drive more shoppers to your stores with Local campaigns
Drive shoppers to all of your store locations by using quality machine learning and local formats. They can also be used to assist particular stores and events.
Measure omnichannel performance
Regarding your measurement strategy, you can calculate the conversions that occur both online and offline. Make use of conversion cart reporting to calculate online transactions, income, and profit, and take account of store visits and store sales to recognize the campaigns, keywords, and devices that drive the most offline value for your business.
To maximize complete omnichannel value, add store visits or store sales into your Smart Bidding campaigns for Search, and include them in Target ROAS bidding for Shopping and Smart Shopping campaigns.
Deepak Wadhwani has over 20 years experience in software/wireless technologies. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies including Intuit, ESRI, Qualcomm, Sprint, Verizon, Vodafone, Nortel, Microsoft and Oracle in over 60 countries. Deepak has worked on Internet marketing projects in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange Country, Denver, Nashville, Kansas City, New York, San Francisco and Huntsville. Deepak has been a founder of technology Startups for one of the first Cityguides, yellow pages online and web based enterprise solutions. He is an internet marketing and technology expert & co-founder for a San Diego Internet marketing company.
