Dynamic Business

Google AdWords is a hugely popular search marketing tool but how do you get your message across in 130 characters? Meet ‘creative maximisers’ Vic Ellis, Kate Conroy and Luisa Fearnside. They work with big businesses on their AdWords ads, but here they share their top tips with you.

Consumers are becoming overloaded with messages these days and businesses have less time to pique the interests of an ever more wary consumer. Everyone’s heard of AdWords but how do you actually get your best message across in just four lines or 130 characters?

With so little to play with, what are the secrets to success with this advertising haiku? These three are the experts. What they don’t know about AdWords isn’t worth knowing. Vic, Kate and Luisa have helped thousands of businesses get their messages right for their customers. It might sound easy, but, like most things, it’s only easy when you know how.

Let’s start with the basics. AdWords is a kind of paid search advertising. AdWords ads are the ones that appear on the righthand side under Sponsored Links when you Google search. They work by you—the advertiser,—purchasing keywords. When a user enters the keywords, your ad is triggered to come up. If—and only if—they click through from your ad to your website, becoming a potential customer, do you pay Google anything.

The main benefit of AdWords is it enables you to specifically target internet users who are looking for your product or service, giving a high return on investment (ROI). Most AdWords ads are just text, although there are also options for image, animated video or local business ads. The text ads consist of four lines: a headline, two lines of description and a line of URL (your website address). Sounds simple, right? Turns out a lot of people get it very wrong!

However, used properly, AdWords is an SME’s dream. You can set a minimum spend, you can try things for a little while without committing to a long-term advertising budget, and you can use it only at certain times, if that’s what suits you and your business. It’s targeted, affordable, quick and effective, as the case study later proves. What’s more, if it doesn’t work for you, you can work on it and try something else and the chances are you will get there in the end.

According to Nielsen NetRatings, there are 12 million people online in Australia and they are each now spending an average of 13.7 hours of their media time per week online. Recent research by Monash’s Australian Centre for Retail Studies revealed that 50 percent of Australian shoppers research their purchases online before going to the bricks and mortar store to buy.

Searches for local businesses are extremely popular. More people in Australia are actually searching for a café, a hairdresser or an accountant than they are searching for politics or celebrities.

“Most small businesses using Adwords are managing their own accounts,” says Kate. “We tend to work with the businesses at the other end of the spectrum; the corporates.” She’s happy to share her secrets though: “Most people searching want to know what you do. That’s most important to them. They want to find exactly what they’re looking for. Ads that are too general don’t work.

“The first thing you should ask yourself is what makes my business stand out over my competitors? Is it lower prices? Are your goods Australian made? Do you turn up on time? Has your business won an award or do you offer free shipping?

“Then ask yourself what are the specific or technical details of your product or service? When people are ready to buy, which they often are when they Google search, they’re not interested in general statements about the product. Be really specific. Facts and figures may make the difference.

“Then ask yourself what your call to action is. Again, it helps to be really specific. When they click through to your website, what do you want them to do next? For small businesses, it’s often to call them for a quote. If that’s what you want, that’s what you write.”