• Social slideshow ads: in recent months an increasing number of social slideshow ads are appearing throughout social media. The advantages of social slideshows are that they can make use of pictures, text, and videos. It gives the ad creator a lot of room for creativity. One company, Stance, changed from picture ads to slideshows and the cost per lead decreased by 48%, but the clickthrough rate increased 2.4 times.
• Live video streaming: a number of social media platforms are allowing the use of live video feed such as Instagram, SnapChat, Periscope, and Facebook Live. It’s the perfect way to build up the level of excitement prior to a launch of a new product. Personalizing your ad campaign, being more relevant, and being more transparent is much more obtainable via live video streaming.
• Chat apps: previously companies focused more on broadcasting their messages to many potential buyers at once. However, recently some companies have started making use of chat apps to create a more personal connection with a potential buyer. In the future, this technique can have scalability by implementing a few clever bots. Starbucks created their PSL messenger where consumers were able to talk to the snarky PSL, while other companies like Dominos are utilizing iOS 10’s latest sticker messaging options.

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1. Automated bidding

In general, allowing automated rules in an account is an invitation to waste budget by leaving decision making up to a computer. There are cases where automatic bidding is helpful, but we always recommend close supervision. For example, enabling the Enhanced CPC option allows Google to increase the bid you set by up to 40%.

2. Match types

There are four match types available in AdWords. Broad match is the default match type within the interface, so we see several accounts that are set exclusively to broad match. Because this strategy hands over most of the control to Google’s matching algorithms to determine what’s relevant, we like to set strict boundaries. This includes bid restrictions and isolating broad match keywords.

3. Negative keywords

Adding negative keywords to an account helps to improve performance almost instantly. We often see accounts with negative keywords either missing or set to the incorrect match type. There are also several levels of negative keywords including Ad Group level, Campaign level, and List level. It’s important to know which to use and for what purpose.

4. Search intent

Search intent is (arguably) the most important aspect of an AdWords account. Understanding the differences in the end goals of what people are searching for will impact your bottom dollar. Most people research products and services online before they make a buying decision. Some of this research can include initial searches to determine if they can do it themselves or find an inexpensive alternative. By reaching a searcher after they have completed their research and are ready to make a purchasing decision, you avoid paying for wasted clicks.

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