2018 was a massive year for PPC Advertising (Pay Per Click)
Google AdWords rebranded into Google Ads, the worldwide roll out of the new Google Ads interface and the launch of loads of new campaign types, extensions, ad types, targeting and tools.

If you are in the PPC game what trends should you watch out for in 2019 and what should you be focusing on to stay ahead of the competition?

 

1. Ads


What message you are showing to the users is one of the most important elements of your Google Ads campaign.

With the introduction of extended ads, you now have 3 possible title fields and 2 longer description fields. Should you use all of the fields? Should you use RSAs (Responsive Search Ads) so your ad adapts to each size screen?

At the end of the day focus on the message and the cohesion of your ad. Think about offering the solution to the searcher’s problem as clearly as possible. If using all the fields to make it obvious to the user that your company will help them, then absolutely use the space you are given! It does not cost anything extra.

But make sure that the actual message makes sense! So many times, I have seen ads that just have words squashed together in order to fit as many keywords in as possible.

And don’t forget to use ad extensions…they increase the visibility of your ads over your competition’s and gives the user more information to convince them that your company can help them resulting in higher quality traffic to your landing page.

 

2. Remarketing

The nature of remarketing – showing relevant ads to users that already have had contact with your brand results in much higher click through rates and conversion rates.

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The fact that they already know your company, has already broken the ice and they will feel more inclined to go back to you as opposed to a competitor.

Don’t forget though, that for this to work you need to show them the right message that is relevant to them at their stage of the buying funnel.

 

3. Videos

When it comes to strategizing your digital marketing for 2019 it is imperative you incorporate video.

Videos are social and social is gaining its place in the search engine result pages (SERPs). It has emerged as the number one type of mobile content which explains the latest Google Ads update of video vertical ads.

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Be it you create short videos, or you use YouTube as your targeting, showing up on video is amazing for building your brand and getting your message across.

 

4. Branding

PPC has a reputation of focusing purely on ROI (Return On Investment) however, building your brand will play a massive role in 2019.

At the end of the day, marketing is not just about ROI but also about building brand loyalty and awareness. Using YouTube, Display Ads, as well as keeping lower performing generic keywords running will shift your focus of making every click profitable to looking at the longer term strategy of brand affinity and loyalty.

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5. Attribution

We do not live in a world where a user will just search on their desktop computer, see an ad and make a purchase. It very rarely is that simple.
Nowadays, users search on their mobile, their tablet, desktop computer, watch a video on YouTube etc…as advertisers we need to show up on their journey, engage with them at the different touch points to gently nudge them down the funnel and produce a conversion.

The reporting and measurement of the cross device advertising strategies and to which platform the conversion is attributed/credited is not straightforward.

That is why 2019 will see a focus investment in reporting, attribution and higher pressure on marketers to connect the dots across the channels and devices as it relates to results.

Each business is different and choosing which attribution model to use to measure the cross platform campaigns is reliant on monitoring and adjusting to find the model that fits that particular business.

According to Wesley MacLaggan, SVP of Marketing at Marin Software:

“As the worlds of search, social and ecommerce blend together, marketers will need a complete view of the entire customer journey, so they have a more accurate understanding of campaign performance and attribution and can allocate PPC budget accordingly.”

There is no doubt in my mind that 2019 that we will experience many unknowns. We know that there will be updates in ad types, reporting, tools etc… but we just don’t know what they will be exactly.

We need to be able to stay up to date and adapt but always look at how the update can be used to enhance the user’s experience to ultimately connect with your brand and convert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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