You’ve probably heard of the term ‘Digital Marketing’ and how it relates to marketing online. Most likely you’re reading this article because you’re either searching for information about digital marketing or you’re considering implementing a digital marketing strategy for your business. If so, then congratulations! You’re already ahead of the game.
What is Digital Marketing?
Traditional marketing is mostly focused on ‘brick and mortar’ stores, restaurants, and hotels. These are the places where your customers are physically located so you can target and convert them into paying customers. For example, you can put up signs in local coffee shops or brick-and-mortar restaurants that offer discounts to people who have been to your website.
However, the majority of people and businesses in today’s world operate online. This means your marketing needs to embrace digital marketing strategy if it wants to be effective.
What is Google Adwords?
Google Adwords is Google’s platform for advertisers to promote their products and services on Google’s owned websites and mobile properties. It is the de facto standard in the industry and is one of the most popular forms of online advertising. Google Adwords creates advertisements (known as ‘Google ads’) that are targeted towards potential customers who are searching for products and services related to your niche.
Why should you use Google Adwords to generate leads?
The first and foremost reason is that Google Adwords are very efficient at converting traffic into leads. This is because Google’s algorithms are optimized to target specific searches, and the users who perform those searches are typically looking for products or services related to your niche. So, if you want to generate leads, you should integrate Google Ads into your strategy.
The second reason is that if you have a small budget, you can attain a large audience with the help of Google Adwords. It is important to note that the more you spend on Adwords, the more you can target specific keywords and the more you can achieve results. This is why most businesses and individuals who operate on a small budget with the help of Adwords end up making a lot of sales.
Now that you’re probably starting to understand the significance of using Google Ads to generate leads, it’s time to move on to the fun part: how to do it.
Set Up Your Google Adwords Account
If you already have a Google account, you can easily set up a Google Adwords account. Simply visit the Adwords homepage and click on the ‘Get Started’ button.
On the next page, you will have the option to either select ‘Create a new account’ or ‘Sign in’ to your existing account. If you want to create a new account, click on the ‘Create a new account’ button. You will need to fill out a short form with your email address and a password.
When you create a new account, you can also select the services you want to use for your account; in most cases, the default option is going to be sufficient. However, if you’re tech-savvy and wants to try out other services, go for it! Just make sure you deactivate (turn off) the auto-renew option when you’re done because that’s how most companies get away with ripping you off.
After you’ve signed in to your existing account or created a new one, you will see a dashboard similar to this:
The dashboard gives you a quick overview of all the activity that has taken place on your behalf. You can either keep an eye on the status of your campaigns or you can click on the downward pointing arrow next to the word ‘Campaigns’ to view your past campaigns.
You will also notice three tabs on the top of the dashboard; these are your ‘Account Settings’, ‘Admin’, and ‘Tools’.
Click on the ‘Admin’ tab at the top of the dashboard to get to the admin interface. Here, you have the option to perform all the basic operations your account needs, including changing the password, selecting your email provider, and deleting adverts.
Click on the ‘Tools’ tab to access the Adwords interface, the part of the service you actually use to create and manage your campaigns. Here you will find all the features relevant to your task; be it SEO, content creation, or conversion.
For now, we’ll focus on the conversion tab. The ‘Conversion’ tab allows you to define the criteria your ads will need to meet in order to be considered ‘conversions’ or actions triggered by an ad (i.e. visits to a website or making a purchase).
Conversion tracking is vital for any business; however, it’s extremely important for businesses operating with limited resources to have a clear idea of what’s working and what needs to be changed. The good news is Google Adwords offers a free conversion tracking link you can add to your website’s header or footer. When a person or business clicks on this link, they will be redirected to a landing page with more information about your product or service. If they choose to purchase your product or service, you will then be able to track the conversion both manually and through your affiliate program (more on this later).
Create Your First Ad
As we’ve established, Google Adwords is a good choice for those looking to generate leads. Let’s now walk through the process of creating your first ad:
1. On the left-hand side of the dashboard, click on the ‘Create a new ad’ button.
2. On the next page, click on the ‘Choose a niche’ label.
3. In the search bar, start typing the keywords or phrases associated with your product or service. When you reach the end of the bar, you will see a ‘+’ sign. Just click on it to see a list of suggestions.
4. From the drop-down menu, choose ‘Products’, ‘Clothing’, or ‘Fashion’ as your niche.
5. Once you’ve made your selection, the next step is to choose an advertiser and continue with the process.
Campaign Settings
Now that you have a basic understanding of how to generate leads with Google Ads, let’s take a quick look at the ‘Campaign Settings’ tab on the dashboard:
1. Choose the ‘Campaign Type’ that works best for your business. The ‘Campaign Type’ determines the metrics you will be using to analyze the success of your ad campaigns.
The default option is ‘Cost Per Conversion’, which we’ve already walked through the process of setting up. For more established businesses, it’s a good idea to choose ‘Performance Based Bid’ so you can track the results of your ad campaigns in real-time. This type of campaign allows you to see exactly how many conversions you’ve achieved for a given cost per click (CPC).
It is also possible to track conversions for a Performance Based Bidging campaign using the ‘Clicks’ and ‘Cost Per Click’ metrics.
Keywords
On the next page, you will see a list of all the keywords or phrases you’ve entered into the search bar on the dashboard. Each word or phrase you enter here will be associated with a goal/task (i.e. to generate leads).
To associate keywords or phrases with your ad, click on the ‘+’ sign next to the keyword or phrase.
Just make sure you enter a combination of words and not just single phrases. You can also add more keywords or phrases by clicking on the ‘+’ sign.
Ad Groups
Next, let’s take a look at the ‘Ad groups’ tab. An ‘Ad group’ is a group of keywords or phrases you’ve chosen that are relevant to your product or service. When a user performs a search on Google, your ad will appear next to the search results for the chosen keywords or phrases (known as ‘Ad groups’).
An advertiser chooses this option so he can group keywords or phrases that he knows are closely related. For example, let’s say you’re an estate agent and you want to advertise for sale homes in and around London. You can create an ad group for London, which will then appear next to all the search results for people searching for homes in or around London. This way, you can target potential buyers in London who are also searching for properties in other areas such as Milton Keynes.