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5 Reasons Why running Brand Campaigns In Google Ads Is Essential For Your Business

5 Reasons Why running Brand Campaigns In Google Ads Is Essential For Your Business

by | Jan 25, 2023 | Branding, Digital Marketing, Facebook Ads, Facebook Ads Strategist, Google, Google Ads, Online Marketing, small business, social media

Let me make it clear what a brand campaign is first, so we are all singing from the same hymn sheet!

A brand campaign is a campaign that is set up with only your BRAND NAME included as the keywords.

For this business, I would add Satsuma Digital, I would probably add our previous name of Satsuma Social – if there were common misspellings or you were also known as another name, I would add those too. That’s it!

Now, most of you are thinking why? Surely if someone is looking for your website, they will just search and find you and then you get that business without spending any money with Google.

Sometimes that will happen but quite often it will not.

For example, a competitor can bid on your brand name, they will then appear in the top 3 paid listings whilst you languish below hoping your SEO efforts will get you through! The user may just not notice this and click on their ad and all of a sudden they are on your competitor’s website and buying from them.

So here are my top 5 reasons why you should be running a brand campaign for your business

  1. As I mentioned before, it means that you will be able to dominate the top three paid listings as you will always win that auction.

2. Running a brand campaign is cheap, CPCs are low and the ROAS, (Return on As Spend), is usually great! Invariably you can run one for a few £ a day depending on the amount of website traffic you get. One of my clients has a steady stream of traffic to their website, and I have a brand campaign running for them on £30 a day and they achieve a consistent >8 ROAS.

3. Having a paid listing and then your organic listing showing at the same time gives your business that extra gravitas and visibility

4. If you are running a promotion, you are able to switch the content up quickly in the ads to ensure that it’s successful

5. If you sell to trade like a lot of my clients do, then you need to appear above the bigger guys that stock your products and may have bigger ad budgets. You want the customer to come to you directly, not to your stockists!

I hope you can see from this that running a brand campaign in your Google ad account is a must for every business.

Top Tip – do not mix your brand campaign with a non-brand campaign. You need to keep this separate as the ROASs will be very different. They should be 2 separate campaigns with different ROAS goals. If you mix them you risk inflating the ROAS on your non-brand campaign which will then not give you a clear picture of your marketing efforts and their results.

If you would like to have a chat with me about running Google or Facebook ads for your business, book a meeting in my diary or email me at hello@Satsuma-Digital.com

 

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6 Strategies to Make Your Google Ads Campaign a Success

6 Strategies to Make Your Google Ads Campaign a Success

by | Jan 12, 2023 | Digital Marketing, Google, Google Ads, Online Marketing, small business, social media

Google Ads can help you potentially reach thousands of Google users, whatever your goals.

If you’re looking to increase calls to your business, Google Ads can aid in developing a strategy for targeting qualified leads at the right time with custom ads.

And if you’re aiming to boost website visitors or drive online sales, Google Ads makes sure your ad content is seen by the right customers to generate quality leads and conversions.

Google Ads gives you the power to target potential customers with ease, enabling effective strategies that take you towards achieving your goals.

Here are my 6 steps to running a successful Google ads campaign.

1. EVALUATING CUSTOMER DEMAND before launching a Google Ads campaign is an important step to ensure success.

To determine if there is an adequate amount of search traffic for your product or service, you should ask yourself the following questions:

  • Is my target audience looking for a solution like mine?
  • Are they searching terms related to the product I’m offering?
  • Does the market itself demonstrate demand for this particular item?

Do some research, either through Google Ads’ keyword planner tool or other resources, to confirm that you have an in-demand product and people are actually searching for it. With this knowledge, you can create and launch Google Ads campaigns with confidence, knowing that customers are searching for what you’re offering.

2. Before you launch any campaign, however, it is important to have a CLEAR GOAL in mind. Consider who your target customers are and the keywords they’re likely searching for which are relevant to your business – this will help you craft an ad that Google users will find highly relevant.

Finally, always be sure to clearly define the action you want those who view your ads to take – this will ensure that the Google Ads campaign directly reflects and meets your desired outcome.

3. Crafting Google Ads that will effectively CONNECT WITH YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE requires careful thought, a sharp sense of style, and top-notch wordsmithery. Using the right tone, language and creative call to action (CTA) helps you attract attention, raise customer interest, and motivate them to act. The best Google Ads provide an engaging experience from start to finish. A professional yet friendly tone will really grab your viewer’s attention and capture their trust. Making sure your Google Ads are properly targeted means longer lasting results from each campaign. By making sure you speak the exact same language as your target audience together with a persuasive CTA, you’ll have much more success with your Google Ads campaign.

4. Google offers three KEYWORD TARGETING TYPES, Broad Match, Phrase Match and Exact Match keywords. When creating a Google Ad, you should use all three in your keyword targeting strategy, although if budgets are tight, then just opt for phrase and exact match.

a. Broad Match keywords: Google displays your ad when similar phrases or keywords are used but you may get irrelevant traffic so try to bid at the lowest amount.

b. Phrase Match keywords: Google displays your ad when users type in the exact phrase or keyword you’re optimized for.

c. Exact Match: Google will only show ads to searches containing a specific set of words.

Ensure you have all of these different types of keyword targeting included in your overall strategy – this will maximize your chances of success with any ad campaign!

5. Having a clear and UNIQUE USP will set your company apart from the competition and let customers know why they should choose you. By taking the time to craft an effective USP that is specifically tailored to Google Ads campaigns, you can ensure that your business has an edge over its competitors on Google Ads. Not only will this give new customers reason to choose your business over others, but it will also create an environment of trust and loyalty between existing customers and your brand.

6. To make the most out of Google Ads, you will need to regularly OPTIMISE your campaigns. You’ll want to carefully manage your keyword bids to ensure maximum performance.

It’s important to consider raising the bids for keywords that bring in solid sales, but also lower the bids or switch to new keywords when necessary if you’re not meeting your desired results.

In addition, landing pages should be designed with care; ensuring that content aligns with the ads. This will improve conversion rates and boost profits for your brand.

Moreover, Google Ads take click-through rate into account; testing different campaigns can give you valuable insights on which ads have higher CTRs and better quality scores. When it comes to Google Ads, effective management is key!

If you would like to have a chat with me about running Google or Facebook ads for your business, book a meeting in my diary or email me at hello@Satsuma-Digital.com

 

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New Forecasting Tool for Video Action Campaigns in Google Ads Reach Planner

New Forecasting Tool for Video Action Campaigns in Google Ads Reach Planner

by | Dec 1, 2022 | Digital Marketing, eCommerce, Facebook Ads Strategist, Google, Google Ads, small business

Great news for those of us who use video action campaigns in Google Ads Reach Planner! A new forecasting tool is now available that will help us predict conversions, views, reach, and impressions metrics. This launch makes it easier than ever to plan our campaigns and get the most out of our ad spend. Let’s take a look at how this new tool works and how it can benefit our businesses.

How the Forecasting Tool Works

The forecasting tool is based on trends in the ad market and the historical performance of similar campaigns. This data is then used to predict how your campaign might perform, based on your desired audience, budget, and other settings such as geographic location and ad formats. The tool provides advertisers with a forecast for Conversions, Views, Reach, and Impressions.

This launch provides the option to select “Action – Online Conversions” as a goal when setting up your plans in Reach Planner. You can also add Video Action Campaigns to your existing plans. With this valuable information at our fingertips, we can make more informed decisions about our ad spend and get the most out of our video action campaigns.

Benefits of Using the Forecasting Tool

The benefits of using the forecasting tool are numerous. Perhaps most importantly, it saves time by taking the guesswork out of planning our campaigns. It also allows us to make adjustments to our budgets and settings based on real data, rather than estimates. This ensures that we are getting the most bang for our buck and making the most informed decisions possible about our advertising efforts.

So why wait? Start using the forecasting tool today and see how it can benefit your business!

If you would like to have a chat with me about running Google or Facebook ads for your business, book a meeting in my diary or email me at hello@Satsuma-Digital.com

 

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3 Google Ad Changes That Could Break Your Campaigns

3 Google Ad Changes That Could Break Your Campaigns

by | Feb 7, 2022 | Digital Marketing, eCommerce, Google, Google Ads, Online Marketing, small business, social media

Google likes to mix things up a bit. You just get used to one change when you are faced with a host of new changes. In this blog I have explained the last 3 major changes that Google have made, how it will affect your campaigns and what you can do to ensure that you campaigns continue to run smoothly.

Bye Bye Exact Match Keywords

Gone are the days, annoyingly, that you could add an exact match keyword into your campaign and trust that your ads will only appear when the user types exactly those words into Google. 

It used to be the case that if a user typed in “Google Ads Agency”, they would expect to see the ads of campaigns that had entered these exact words as keywords.  Now Google include user intent in the search results. If Google believes that the user is looking for a Google Ads Agency and that was their intent, then your ad will appear. These are called “close variants”. 

Google defines them as: 

Close variants allow keywords to match to searches that are similar, but not identical to the targeted keyword, and help you connect with people who are looking for your business—despite slight variations in the way they search—reducing the need to build out exhaustive keyword lists to reach these customers.

Satsuma Digital Recommendation: check your search term reports regularly so that you can identify any irrelevant searches and add them to your negative keyword list. 

Modified Broad Match 

In 2021, Google got rid of Modified Broad Match keywords. These used to be added with plus signs on either side meaning that your ad would show if all the words within the plus signs were entered and in any order. 

Google now recommend that advertisers put their trust in Broad Match keywords.

According to Google: 

“Broad Match keywords serve ads when someone searches for relevant variations of your keyword delivers reach in finding new queries, while saving time on management & allowing you to focus on business outcomes.”

Satsuma Digital Recommendation: If you are starting a new campaign, just use Exact Match and Phrase Match keywords. Broad Match keywords will cast the net to wide and will result in wasted budget. Keep an eye on the search terms on a regular basis and keep adding to your negative keyword report. 

Expanded Text Ads Will Be No More

In June this year, there will no option to create Expanded Text Ads. The only option available will be Responsive Search Ads in a standard search campaign.

There has been a mixed reactions to this major change. A lot of advertisers are concerned by the lack of control that they will have over their brand message. Although Google is not taking control of the copy, just the order of the copy. 

Satsuma Digital Recommendation: One option to overcome this is to pin them. Just make exactly 3 headlines and 2 descriptions in the RSA and pin all of them.  But don’t over pin as this could affect your ad strength – so use it sparingly. 

I hope this blog has clearly explained to you the major changes that have happened and are happening in 2022 with Google Ads.  I will keep the updates coming as soon as they are released by Google and explain how they will affect your campaigns and what you can do to ensure that you campaigns continue to run smoothly.

Signing off for now.

If you would like to have a chat with me about running Google or Facebook ads for your business, book a meeting in my diary or email me at hello@Satsuma-Digital.com

 

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ECommerce: Top Tips for a successful Christmas season

ECommerce: Top Tips for a successful Christmas season

by | Sep 8, 2021 | Digital Marketing, eCommerce, Facebook, Facebook Ads, Google, Google Ads, Online Marketing, Pay Per Click, PPC, small business, social media

The season is almost upon us, particularly if you run an eCommerce website. 

Not a lot of people know but I ran an eCommerce site for 11 years, until 2018, so I remember the stress of it all. I recall getting orders in August for Christmas! Realistically though, mid-October is when the sales start to ramp up. The biggest weekend is the Black Friday through to Cyber Monday, (26th-29th November 2021), and then it’s just head down, have no life to speak of until a few days before Christmas Day, when you cannot guarantee Christmas delivery anymore. Phew!

I remember those months well and am quite happy I do not have to deal with the stress anymore but on the same token, when you look back in January and look at how much you have sold, it makes it all worthwhile!

One important lesson I did learn from those 11 years was that if you were not prepared for the season, it could easily pass you by.

So, when it comes to setting up your ad campaigns, whether they be Google ads or Facebook & Instagram ads, here are my top 7 tips to help you make the most of the season and look back in January proud at what you have achieved. 

1. Become your customer

Place an order on your website, on mobile and on desktop. How easy was it? Did it work fast enough? Was everything clear? Were there too many hoops to jump through that would put a potential customer off. All sales should be able to be completed from adding to basket to completing the checkout process in a few clicks.

Is your refund & shipping policy displayed clearly on the website? Are there customer reviews showing on the site? Make it as easy as possible for the user to trust your business.

2. Allocate your budget now

How much are you placing where? What is your revenue goal? Set you KPIs. Be aware the costs of advertising rise in this period due to competition, consider this in your plans.

3. Create a promotional calendar

According to Google one third of festive weekend purchases were driven specifically by promotion. Synch up your social media posts and emails with your promotional calendar so that there is correlation across all the channels.

4. Make sure you know your customer

This is integral when you are running Facebook/Instagram campaigns. Knowing your customer leads to lower advertising costs!

5. Facebook

With Facebook test as much copy as your budget will allow and keep a close eye on it. Switch off ads that are not working, feed in new copy all the time.

6. Google

With Google, keep an eye on those negative keywords, you do not want to be paying for irrelevant clicks!

7. Check your accounts daily

Whichever channel you use, whether it be Google ads or Facebook/Instagram ads, keep checking the accounts daily. Cap costs to ensure that you are not overspending and be prepared to change direction if the stats are telling you to do so. Don’t be over emotional with your brand and push a category because you ‘think’ that’s what your customers want. Read the stats, understand them, and adapt your campaign accordingly.

Good Luck!!

I have been running Google, Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns for my clients since 2019. If you need any help with your campaigns, contact me and we can set up a meeting.

Natasha Fitzpatrick

Google Ads & Paid Social Strategist

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Google ads V Facebook Ads

Google ads V Facebook Ads

by | Mar 25, 2021 | Digital Marketing, Facebook, Facebook Ads, Facebook Ads Strategist, Google, Google Ads, Online Marketing, Pay Per Click, PPC, social media

You know you have to advertise but you are not sure where to allocate your budget. In this blog, we are going to attempt to differentiate between the two platforms and what they offer so you can make the right decision for your business.

Both platforms excel in what they offer, and both totally dominate the market when it comes to online advertising. They can work very effectively together just by the nature of how they work to find new business. 

Google Ads

Google ads, commonly known as PPC, Pay Per Click, is exactly as it says, you pay as the user clicks on your ad. Google is the world’s largest search engine and there are more than 5 billion Google searches a day!

The two most common forms of Google ads are:

  1. Search – The user types what they are looking for e.g. ‘builder North London’ and the first 4 listings that appear are ads. As a company, you enter an auction against other companies who have added these keywords into their campaign. This is a highly effective form of advertising as the intent from the user is already there.
  1. Shopping – this is for eCommerce businesses. These listings appear on the right-hand side of the page and show an image, reviews, shipping and price. These a highly effective as the user has already showed high intent by searching for that product.

Google ads is great for eCommerce businesses as you can effectively sell your products online. It’s also great for business targeting a local area as you can target your ads to only show in certain geographical areas. There are other forms of advertising on Google, such as display, video and Google ads retargeting. Together these can ensure that all parts of your sales funnel are catered for, from top of funnel brand awareness down to the bottom of funnel, sales and leads. 

Facebook Ads

Facebook works in a completely different away. Primarily it is a social network, so users are not on there to search for a product or service. Any advertising on there is considered interruption marketing, where your feed is interrupted with ads. This does not mean you should ignore Facebook in your marketing strategy though.

Facebook has 2.5 billion active users. Facebook also knows a lot about their users. They know what they like, what they engage with, what area they live in, age, gender, what shops they like etc…the list goes on and on. And on that basis, advertisers can use that information to target their ads. For example, you may follow the clothes shop Zara on Facebook. Zara will definitely be able to retarget you with ads, but also other similar companies with the same user demographic will also be able to target you with ads. 

Facebook’s retargeting options are fantastic but also their ability to find and target a similar audience to your existing audience is also a really effective feature that they offer. You can advertise to a completely new audience that has similar likes as your seed audience, so  you get your ads seen by totally new potential customers who are more likely to buy off you. 

So which one is better? Google ads or Facebook ads? 

Well that totally depends on your company objectives. Both work well separately and can be highly effective working hand-in-hand. 

If I was a newbie starting out though I would stick to the following rules

  • If your objective is sales or leads – both Google ads and Facebook ads can cover both these very effectively.
  • If you want to sell products directly, use shopping ads on Google
  • If your objective is to build your social following, Facebook is your channel.

I hope this helps you make your final decision. If you would like help setting up and running your ad campaigns, that’s what we offer here at Satsuma Social. Please drop us a line and we can go through your business objectives and how best to achieve them. We offer full management across both channels.

By Natasha Fitzpatrick

Natasha is a Digital Marketing Specialist & Founder of Satsuma Social. She specialises helping growing business increase sales and generate leads.

Find out how Natasha can help your business.

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