When putting together a digital marketing plan – especially in collaboration with a digital agency – many businesses can be skeptical. After all, everyone’s got a budget, most people have someone above them who’ll grill them harshly before approving said budget, and some things just don’t seem necessary.
Like bidding on your own brand terms on Google, for example: if your audience is already clicking, and you already rank first for your brand name, why spend money to add an ad that could cost you money?
Well, we’re here to convince you that not only is it necessary, it’s imperative. And here’s why.
Two ads are better than one
Sure, you rank organically for a direct search for your company. But there might be a competitor brand or a less relevant page coming up below you, or you may have pages you don’t need a lead to click on first ranking too. Plus, statistics from WordStream show 64% of people looking to buy an item or service will click on an ad as opposed to an organic link! So increase your market share, create an opportunity for remarketing and get that ad up.
Those searching your brand terms are likely to convert
It’s logical that if someone’s searching for your brand in particular, they’re probably already familiar with it, or have heard good things, meaning they’re further down the sales funnel than someone who finds you through a generic term. Don’t let this traffic get away!
Control your brand’s message on Google
Sure, a free organic listing gets your brand out there. But what does it say? Does it say exactly what you want it to say, and is it linking to the most relevant or the highest-converting page? Find out through Google Analytics which pages are really getting results, and advertise these. Tailor the message for each ad to include your call-to-action or tease the information which can be found on this page/the benefits of visiting it, and be as fun or to-the-point as you like. It’s also a great way of introducing your brand tone of voice.
A range of ad formats – let your audience see what you need them to first
Google Ads have developed a lot over the last few years, and can now drive the customer to do more or less what you’d like them to do, as well as making the customer journey easier. If, for example, someone’s searching locally, add a Map or Location extension to show them immediately where you’re based and what your phone number is. If you offer a range of services or there are a large number of reasons to visit your site, add Site Links extensions and showcase up to 10 links, so they can quickly and easily find the one they need rather than bumbling around on your site.
Brand ads are cheap as chips (quality scores ahoy!)
Bidding on your own brand name and product or service names should garner an incredibly high Quality Score, and also a great click through rate. Need we say more?
Bid on your brand terms before someone else does
Third parties WILL bid on your terms (especially if you’re in the hospitality industry or another industry which works closely with affiliates). Ever searched for a hotel and found booking.com, hotels.com, tripadvisor.com and similar before actually finding their site? With competitors getting ever-sneakier, bidding on your own brand term will stop them from doing so, and believe us, they will once they realise it’s an option. And, of course, if they’re bidding on your term, the chances are, they’ll highlight the advantages of their product or service over yours, or claim to be cheaper if a customer books direct with them. Not good!
This can also be a problem for companies with the same or similar names. There are millions of companies out there; you don’t want someone to search for your brand and find another similarly-named company doing the same thing, do you?
Have we convinced you yet? Get in contact today and see how we could safeguard your brand on Google.
