Page 22 - GSABA Builder Brief - February 2020 issue

5 Mistakes: Continued from Previous Page
The Mistakes
Mistake #1
People & Management
Ouch, this one could be painful but is often true. If you have the wrong person managing your Google Ads, it can be a disaster. This applies to an “in-house” marketer or the agency that is paid
to manage and optimize. Ideally, the individual responsible for the ads has multiple years of experience with Google ads - even better if their experience is within the industry.
Remember Sisyphus? The “cruel greek king” whose punishment was to push
a large rock up the hill, only to find it rolling back down just as he neared the top? Optimizing Google Ads is similar in that there is an infinite amount of opti- mizing that can be done; however, the law of diminishing returns very quickly comes into play. If your account is setup correctly there is no need to constantly optimize and test new ads, strategies, etc.
Mistake #2
Keyword Selection
It is best to only use keywords that most closely reflect what we sell. We sell new homes. Expanding that further, we sell new homes in [insert your city here].
So, what are the best keywords? Any combination and slight variation of “new”, “homes”, and the city you build in. That’s it.
When builders venture outside of this, even to “existing home” keywords, they’ll require significantly larger budgets, time and resources to manage the campaign. That time and budget should be reallo- cated elsewhere to content, Facebook Ads, a new website, photos, etc.
Mistake #3
Too Many Display Ads
This is one of my least favorite mistakes.
Not that I like any of the mistakes, but this one is so clearly wrong. Display ads on Google Display Network are great
- but only for remarketing ads with a small budget. Running display ads to “in-market” audiences, or those deemed by Google to be “in market” to buy what we sell, simply does not work. Compare the quality metrics and conversion rates against Facebook Ads. The Data will guide you to the truth. There is absolute- ly no reason to use Google Display Ads outside of remarketing. Turn them off, now.
Mistake #4
Ad Copy
Ad copy can be a complex conversa- tion, but for Google Ads, it should not be. Remember, when buyers search on Google, they are looking for a quick and accurate answer. That answer should be text only, in a very specific format, and limited by the number of characters in the ad. Whichever ad has the best answer, wins. Google likes winners.
If someone is searching for “New Homes in San Antonio, TX,” what should our
ad say? Your ad should show where
you build, the price point and one other qualifying factor - such as square foot range, number of bedrooms, or another unique factor that will “make or break” the possibility of a purchase. Your goal should be to prevent wasted clicks by giving the most important information up front.
Mistake #5
Budget - Take What You Can Get
Given the context of picking only the best keywords, having ad copy that prevents wasted clicks, not using Google Display Ads - you can very likely be under your previously planned bud-
get. That is 100 percent expected and very common. For some builders, this
is uncomfortable as they have goals for the number of users on their site. Now, because their Google account is operating significantly more efficiently, these traffic goals will not be met. Keep in mind, this example is traffic goals for the website. Leads, appointments and sales will increase. However, this would still need to be addressed - so what do you do?
Do not force more out of Google than what you can get. It is very tempting
to hit the easy button of increasing the bids or adding keywords - do not do this. Shift the remaining budget to Facebook, or other areas of digital marketing that are lacking - such as content or website improvements.
Wrapping things up.
Bid only on “new home” related key- words, have the location and price
in your ad copy, turn off display ads (unless remarketing) and do not spend more than you need to. That’s it - every- thing you need to do to effectively to run Google Ads, without mistakes.
About the Author
Andrew Peek has over 8 years of experience managing perfor- mance driven digital marketing campaigns for businesses in a va- riety of industries. In total, Andrew has directly managed well over 10 million dollars in Google & Facebook Advertising. He believes in straightforward approaches to generating high quality leads while making the most efficient use of the budget available.
Prior to joining Do You Convert, Andrew owned a digital marketing agency. His extensive background in working directly with clients on high-pressure “shoe string” budgets set the foundation for his tremendous impact for all Do You Convert clients.
22 FEBRUARY 2020 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION