Time To Get Creative with Google Analytics Remarketing

You may already be familiar with the fact that you can make your Remarketing more powerful via Google Analytics, but it’s time to take it a step further and get really creative with this advertising method.

Depending on your business, you can slice and dice your Analytics data in numerous ways to utilize these insights via different lists. Aside from “loyalty discount” lists, another viable targeting option is – social media users. Because Analytics allows you to segment by source, you can target a list of visitors from social media sites with ad messaging tailored specifically to them. These types of users most likely reached your website via a link from someone they trust and are connected to, so they may naturally have a bit more trust in your brand as a result.

Think about how you can craft ads that truly resonates with them. How would you speak to these users compared to users who found your site by clicking through on a pay per click ad? Remember, they already have shown interest in something that you had to say or offer. Take this opportunity to answer their interest by showing them meaningful ads.

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: laogooli

Make Your Remarketing More Powerful via Google Analytics

Google Remarketing has proven to be a lucrative tactic for many advertisers. The product is continuously improved upon such as being able to target Similar Audiences, adding to your ability to identify and gain new customers.

Are you looking for a way to hone in even further on your target audience? Let me introduce you to Google Remarketing via Analytics.

This Remarketing method allows you to tap into your website’s metrics to show targeted ads for what your visitors are looking for. For example, if you want to target people who have visited your website more than three times in the past 7 days and purchased $300 of product – you can. In this case, it may make sense to remarket to them with a “loyalty discount”.

You will need to do a quick integration between your Google Analytics and Google AdWords accounts to take advantage of this feature. There is also a necessary small update to the Analytics code snippet.

Remarketing via Analytics allows for sophisticated targeting using rich insights while broadening your reach.

What opportunities do you see for energizing your Remarketing campaigns with this product?

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: StockMonkeys.com

Want to Remarket To People Similar to Your Customers?

Google Remarketing, also known as Google Retargeting, is a powerful internet marketing tactic. It allows you to reach people who have previously visited your website. With Remarketing, you can show these visitors relevant ads as they travel across the vast Google Display Network. For instance, let’s say someone visits the “pianos” section of your website but did not make a purchase – you can remarket to them. This means you can bring them back to your website with an offer that is enticing enough to get them to take a desired action, like a purchase. You now have a second chance to give them an offer they simply can’t refuse.

Did you know you have the opportunity to reach even more people with Remarketing’s “Similar Audiences” feature? By using this feature, your ads will show to potential customers that have browsing patterns similar to your current site visitors but haven’t actually visited your website. The logic is that these people are more likely to be interested in the same products or services since they have similar browsing tendencies.

The people on the Similar Audience lists are automatically determined by Google. Since browsing habits change regularly, the Similar Audience lists change on a daily basis, too.

Think of this feature as having a new audience that is prequalified from the masses. However, you must remember they may have no idea who you are. Be sure to craft your messaging with this in mind.

Because of the uncertainty of how this type of audience will respond, test this feature with a limited budget to start and gauge its effectiveness. Let us know how this test works out for you in the comments below.

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: ell brown

InternetMarketingClub.org Presents: Google Ads: Writing Copy That Converts! Part 2

Back in May of last year, Margie Schneider and Stuart Smith presented a webinar on Google Ads and writing copy that converts. Part 1 was an introduction to Google Ads and these Pay-Per-Click services and how you can use them to your marketing advantage, while Part 2 will dive deeper into becoming a full online marketing professional. 
You can check the archived recording and slides from Part 1 here:
http://www.internetmarketingclub.org/content.php/319-google-ads-writing-copy-that-converts!
Click here to register for FREE! (2-20-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/VSCmq8

About Margie Schneider:

Margie Schneider has been involved with the interactive medium since 1994. She has participated in everything the Internet has to offer: developing, designing and delivering web sites; online advertising and promotion; search engine marketing: SEO and PPC and community and electronic communication. Her specialties include: social media, search engine optimization SEO, PPC management, online reputation management, project management, personnel management, strategizing web development and design solutions; as well as experience marketing across all media types.

About Stuart Smith:

A husband, dad & fitness geek, Stuart Smith is an old school internet marketer and social media guru. With over 10 years of experience in Internet marketing involving PPC Campaigns, website/application development, eCommerce initiatives and marketing, search engine strategies, email marketing campaigns and image/brand development, Stuart has worked with a variety of industries to provide cutting-edge consumer connections. His specialties include online marketing such as Social Media, SEO, Email Marketing, Web Design, PPC Campaigns, GAP Certified, MCSE, eCommerce and Management.
Click here to register for FREE! (2-20-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/VSCmq8

Google AdWords Ad Rotation Updates

Fellow Google AdWords advertisers, Google has heard your voiced concerns.

Google recently announced their plans to change how ads are rotated from giving you the option to rotate ads evenly for an indefinite amount of time to optimizing ads to show higher performing ads more frequently after 30 days.

In response to advertisers’ concerns about this update, there will be two changes:

1. The ad rotation period is now extended from 30 days to 90 days
2. You now have the option to opt-out entirely

Both ad rotation updates go into effect on June 11, 2012.

Currently, you are unable to opt-out via the AdWords interface. Google has provided this form for opting out of the change. You can also contact your account representative for more help.

In my opinion, this is a change worth opting out of. Wouldn’t you rather set your own testing parameters based on your specific business intelligence?

What has been your experience with the optimized ad rotation option?

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: Steve A Johnson

Calling All Google AdWords Editor Users

Are you an AdWords Editor user? For those of you who are, here’s some important information.

You must upgrade to version 9.7.1 by June 12, 2012, or all of the changes you make will no longer take effect in your AdWords account after this date.

For details on how to upgrade and what’s involved, please read the AdWords Editor announcement blog post. You can also see which version you are currently using at Help -> About AdWords Editor.

Google offers AdWords Editor as a free tool for managing AdWords campaigns. Among its many features, you are given the flexibility to work offline and upload the changes later, make bulk changes quickly and copy/move items between ad groups and campaigns. For example, you may find this tool to be a lifesaver when you need to adjust the bids of thousands of keywords within a few seconds.

What has been your experience with AdWords Editor?

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Google AdWords Enhancements for Local Targeting

88% of people who search for local information take action within a day.

Now that’s a powerful statement.

Announced this month, Google has released three new feature enhancements for organizing local ad campaigns. The new features build on the advanced location targeting that first launched in March 2011.

Let’s take a look:

Target Customers by Zip Code

Advertisers now have the ability to target 30,000+ US Zip Codes. Additionally, AdWords Location Targeting lets you add up to 1,000 postal codes at a time.

Location Insertion

Using location insertion for location extensions, this feature will automatically insert the city, phone number, or zip code into your ad text. So, there isn’t a need to create multiple ads for multiple locations anymore.

Better Clarity for Location Targeting Options

There were four additional enhancements made to the location targeting options:

• Location targeting now simplified
• Show ads to people in a physical location without any exceptions
• Better control over location targeting on the Display Network
• Easier to avoid getting impressions for excluded areas

By analyzing your AdWords performance data, you can also identify the geographic areas that need more of a focus. If local advertising makes sense for your business, the above features are a must for testing.

Please share your success stories in the comments below.

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: superfem

Quick Tip: Using Negative Keywords in Google AdWords Campaigns

Are you currently using negative keywords in your Google AdWords campaigns?

Negative keywords are essential for refining your keyword lists. If your goal is to generate qualified leads and not just traffic, negative keywords help you filter out unwanted impressions, thus reaching more targeted prospects.

By adding a negative keyword, your ad will not show for searches containing that term. They can be applied on a campaign or ad group level. You also have the option to use negative keywords with the Google Display Network, which works slightly different.


Here are a few links to get you started:

What are negative keywords?

How do I add, edit, or delete negative keywords?

How can I find the right negative keywords to benefit my campaign?

Use lists to exclude keywords from multiple campaigns

Please share your tips for negative keywords below.

Brief Overview of Google View-Through Conversions

Although the Google AdWords View-through Conversions option is not new by any means, you may find this is an underutilized option that you might gain some intelligence from. Not sure what this is? Here is a short summary:

Google defines a View-through Conversion as: A View-through Conversion happens when a customer sees an image or rich media ad, then later completes a conversion on your site. This is different from a Click-through Conversion, which happens when a customer had previously clicked on an ad (such as on the Google Search or the Google Display Network) and then completed a conversion on your site. View-through conversion reporting measures the number of conversions that occurred within 30 days of your display ad appearing for which there was no ad click generated.

Introduced as an enhancement for display advertising campaigns on the Google Display Network, this is an improvement to the overall measurement of conversions. Basically, this option shows ad conversions without the clicks. It can be used in performance comparisons between the Google Display Network and other display advertising campaigns.

Do you find this metric helpful in optimizing your Google Display Network campaigns?

Google Ads Based On Your Phone Calls – Is This Too Much?

It’s hard not to think this story is just creepy in so many ways…

But, Google filed a patent on a technology that essentially serves ads based on the background noise of your phone calls. The abstract from the patent explains:

Information about an environmental condition of a remote device is received, the environmental condition being determined based on a signal output from a sensor of the remote device or a sensor coupled to the remote device. An advertisement is identified based on the environmental condition, and the advertisement is provided to the remote device.

So, if I am speaking to someone on the phone about the horrendous heat down here in South Florida, am I going to receive some type of advertisement for air conditioning or fans? It appears with this technology, I just might.

Because this patent is just merely a submission, that doesn’t mean this is definite. But, can you imagine what this could mean for advertisers? How far could this really be taken?

Just playing devil’s advocate for a moment, could we also say that this is another means for receiving highly targeted (perhaps even helpful) ads based on our current environmental needs? Maybe I do need to buy a fan to ward off the heat.

Nonetheless, I still don’t think it will be accepted by the masses without extreme resistance.

Image credit: Duchamp