Is Adwords Express Limiting Your ROI?

By now, businesses know that in order to be successful, they need to be found online. There are numerous digital advertising and marketing strategies that can help boost a business’s online presence, but for many businesses, it can be difficult to know where to start. To combat this issue, Google developed AdWords Express, a simplified version of Google’s pay-per-click (PPC) platform, AdWords. Although AdWords Express is aimed at making it quick and easy for small, local businesses to get started with PPC, it may not be the best solution. Below are some reasons why AdWords Express may not be enough for your business to succeed online.

Too Much Automation

Automation is a good thing, but too much of it may not be. AdWords Express automatically chooses keywords and creates your ads, all based off of only three lines of business information you provide. While this may seem like it’s saving you time, you could be missing out many customers that are searching other terms and keywords. For most businesses, it is hard to capture every product or service they provide with a limited number of characters. This means you’re missing out on showing up for additional searches that may be relevant to your business.

Limited to Local

Another pitfall of Google’s AdWords Express platform is the inability to target customers outside of one specific location. AdWords Express might be okay for small, local businesses with only one location, but for businesses with multiple locations or businesses that serve clients across a larger area, you could be limiting your brand awareness, and more importantly, potential sales. This means a lower ROI because your ads are not reaching all of your target audience.

Lack of Tools and Reporting

If you’re only concerned with impressions and clicks, then AdWords Express will suffice. However, it does not provide you with numbers of conversions or ways to track them. In other words, you don’t know how effective your ads really are in getting users to complete a desired action. If you can’t track how each ad is performing, how can you improve your campaign? Ultimately, when it comes to paid advertising, reporting and optimization tools are crucial in order to achieve the highest ROI. Actions such as being able to remove or add keywords and change ad content are crucial to the performance of a campaign. By not being given the ability or resources to do this, you’re automatically limiting your campaign’s potential.

Give Your Brand Unlimited Potential

If you’re considering PPC advertising or are interested in switching from AdWords Express to a more effective platform, contact Strategic Marketing. Our proprietary PPC platform, SmartClick, combines robust reporting and tracking with time and money-saving optimization strategies, all in one easy-to-use dashboard.

With SmartClick, you can easily see which ads are performing and which keywords are generating results. You can be confident that your advertising dollars are being spent efficiently, thanks to 24/7 automatic optimization that adjusts keyword bidding and budget allocations based on factors that are generating results. Our platform offers additional features, such as phone call recording, that help you grow and improve your business offline, as well. To learn more, contact us today by visiting our website or calling (561) 688-8155.

Long Live These Print Advertising Techniques

With the popularity of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, many advertisers and businesses put a lot of their time and budgets into digital advertising methods to ensure they are capturing consumers virtually anytime and anywhere. For many businesses, digital advertising is crucial to a successful and all-inclusive advertising strategy; however, it may not be wise to completely replace print advertising methods. Print ads appeal to consumers in a unique and distinctive way. Below are some examples of print advertising techniques that digital methods can’t provide.

Eye-Catching Graphics

Print ads are most recognized for their formatting and visual elements. Designers combine many different elements when creating a print ad in order to engage viewers and keep brands in the forefront of consumers’ minds. From strategically choosing colors and composition to using direct gaze and association, the design, formatting and graphics that print advertising provides is often more successful in evoking emotional responses and connections between brands and consumers than digital advertising tactics.

Powerful Headlines

Powerful and compelling headlines are crucial to any type of advertisement, but even more so with print. Technology and our on-the-go lifestyles have contributed to short time and attention spans. A print ad has to be compelling enough to get consumers to take time out of their schedules to complete some sort of action, without the help of corresponding links and landing pages.

A Loyal Viewership

The digital landscape is full of all types of consumers from all over the world, which is great when you want to reach a large and wide audience. However, in order to hone in on your target audience, a lot of research and testing is often needed to determine the best way to serve your digital ads and who you need to serve them to. Many types of print advertising come with a loyal following of consumers with similar characteristics. Certain publications can allow you to target repeat and prospective customers while putting your brand in a prominent position.

We’re Print and Digital Experts

Strategic Marketing is a full-service advertising agency providing both print and digital solutions to countless clients. We know the benefits and techniques of both methods and can put together an effective and comprehensive advertising strategy based on your brand’s goals and interests. Whether you’re looking for print, digital or an entirely new plan that includes both, we can help. Give us a call today at (561) 688-8155 or visit our website to learn more.