I’ve managed digital campaigns now for 20+ years and whilst the digital landscape has continuously evolved and adapted, the beautiful basics remain. Algorithms mature, consumer trends evolve, players come and go and we see constant shift in how digital marketing is managed. Do you know what hasn’t changed? The core marketing fundamentals and need for attention to detail remains.
AI, automation & algorithms are doing a great job in bringing efficiency and machine learning into digital campaigns. Good digital marketers know when and how to lean into these advancements. Great marketers know how to find the balance between automation and hands on detail orientated marketing. The best campaigns will have a human pulling the levers and controlling detail, whilst leaning in and leveraging technology and automations.
Waste Not Want Not.
When we start working with a new client, we start the relationship with discovery and audit. This involves looking at historical performance, seeing what has and hasn’t worked and build a discovery profile that informs our strategies and priorities. One of the most common issues I see more and more often lately is a frustrating and all too common budget wastage. Marketers and campaign managers that have set up a campaign and given the keys and full control to automation, falling asleep at the wheel. As digital marketers, we know how to leverage algorithms and when to take a broader target approach to deliver performance. Equally, we need to know when to tighten our targeting criteria and hone in on the audience that our clients are trying to reach and engage with.
The First Place To Look
Ad delivery reports. If we focus on Google Ads for this right now, the first two places that we look at are “where ads are shown” and “search terms” reporting.
The awareness network placements are always the usual suspects and repeat offenders for low quality ad placements. It is not uncommon to see this reporting dominated by kids and gaming apps. Let’s workshop that the campaign was for a client targeting a niche industry B2B customer. If their industry for instance was education, then I’d expect the high value ad placements would be across sites in which the education industry spend their time online.
Ads showing up in the most bizarre places. And when I say bizarre, I mean huge amounts of wasted spend on low value apps, low-value ad placements, and irrelevant traffic sources. These placements often lead to inflated costs and, at best, very little return on investment (ROI). It’s like trying to sell high-end shoes in a kindergarten playroom – the audience isn’t there, and the money’s just slipping through your fingers.
In fact, if you’re not paying attention to where your ads are actually showing up, you could be unknowingly investing in these unqualified clicks. But, don’t worry, there’s hope – and it all comes down to the details.
Granular Campaign Setup = Maximum Results
To avoid these ad misplacements and maximize ROI, a thorough and strategic campaign setup is your best friend. When it comes to Google Ads, the key is granularity. Start with the following:
- Targeting the Right Audience: The first step in creating a successful campaign is ensuring you’re targeting the right audience. For instance, if you’re a local florist, why waste money advertising to people 1000 kilometers away? Dive deep into the location settings, adjust language preferences, and layer your audience targeting.
- Keyword Segmentation: Keywords aren’t just words you throw into your campaign and hope for the best. They need to be strategically segmented. Create tight ad groups that focus on specific themes, products, or services. Broad keywords can sometimes be like casting a wide net and hoping for the best – but you’ll pull up a lot of seaweed and debris. Use long-tail keywords and match types that align with your precise offerings.
- Negative Keywords: Negatives are your best friend when it comes to campaign optimization. You’d be surprised how often clients miss this. Adding negative keywords helps you avoid irrelevant traffic that’s just wasting your budget. It’s like keeping a close eye on the doors and windows while you’re investigating – make sure nothing slips through unnoticed.
- Ad Placement: Carefully review where your ads are being shown. You want your ads to appear on sites and apps where your ideal customers are most likely to be. Take advantage of Google’s placement exclusion options to keep your ads away from irrelevant apps, such as those children’s games or low-traffic sites that simply aren’t going to convert.
When you optimise for detail, you’re investigating every aspect of your campaign. The attention to detail ensures that you’re not only avoiding wasted spend, but also getting your ads in front of the right people at the right time.
Details Matter
Success in Google Ads isn’t about taking a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s about being precise, strategic, and meticulous. Whether it’s refining your targeting, adjusting your budget, or setting up negative keywords, every choice you make impacts the outcome of your campaign. Your success in Google Ads will be a result of paying attention to the smallest details.
So, the next time you’re diving into your Google Ads account, take a moment to inspect the details. They might just hold the key to unlocking your campaign’s full potential.
Remember: Details Matter.
