As a PPC manager/specialist are you utilizing all the options afforded, or do you lean heavily on the traditional paid search options? Specifically, are 90 percent of your managed campaigns search network (give or take a little retargeting), or do you consistently recommend your clients explore unique display campaign types? It can be tough to keep up, as it seems like Google launches another Beta just about every day. While it’s fun to be adventurous, you don’t want to do so at the expense of the client. Yet, you also can’t afford to fall behind in an ever-changing industry like paid search. In this series of posts I will identify my new “standbys.” The focus here is on Gmail sponsored promotions.
Gmail Sponsored Promotions (GSPs)
What is it: Very recently launched out of Beta, you no longer need to contact Google support to ensure this option is available in your Google AdWords account. Essentially, this is contextual display, but the only placement is Gmail inboxes. Ads will display to users based on keywords you’ve chosen to target and whether or not these keywords are contained in the subject or body of an email. Ads appear in a short, text-only format, then once clicked, they expand to an ad where users have the option to click to the website. The downside is, you’re charged for clicks on the initial ad, regardless of whether a user continues to your website.
Benefits
- New display channel means VERY cheap costs per click. I have yet to see CPCs above $0.50 with an average around $0.20. As more people start to use it, naturally, costs will rise.
- New Ad Gallery options with easy-to-create Gmail-specific ads. Google can pull images straight from the client’s website, so no need to go back and forth with the client gathering design deliverables. You can test ads quickly and determine what works the best with less-wasted spend and minimal testing time.
- You will gather lots of data, very quickly.
When to Use it
- Remember, you’re only targeting Gmail users, so don’t expect to catch the CEO of a fortune 500. Rather, focus on B2C clients or small businesses to target a realistic audience.
While GSPs should be approached with caution (given their recent Beta status) my experience has been generally positive and GSPs have proven, if nothing else, a very justifiable experiment.