Five Tips for Using Google Ads to Promote a Business

Google Ads, formerly branded as AdWords, is a robust advertising service that entrepreneurs can use to promote their business. It features a web-based interface from which entrepreneurs can create ads for Google’s search results, YouTube, Blogger, and millions of partner websites. And because it’s a pay-per-click (PPC) service, Google Ads only charges entrepreneurs when a qualified user clicks their ad.

Choose relevant, long-tail target keywords

When creating ads for the search network, entrepreneurs must specify the words or phrases that will trigger ad impressions. Known as target keywords, they can make or break a Google Ads campaign. Short, generic target keywords may generate lots of impressions and even clicks, but they’ll quickly consume an entrepreneur’s advertising budget while yielding few conversions in the process. For a higher return on investment (ROI), entrepreneurs should choose long-tail target keywords that are relevant to their ads.

Optimize landing page for keyword relevancy

The landing page associated with an ad should also be highly relevant to the ad’s target keywords. Using the target keyword “baseball bats for sale” with a landing page displaying golf clubs for sale doesn’t make much sense. Instead, entrepreneurs should create several small ad groups, each of which with a relevant landing page that corresponds to the ad group’s target keywords.

Use remarketing to target website visitors

In 2010, Google launched a new advertising feature that specifically targets users who’ve visited an entrepreneur’s website. Known as remarketing, it’s a highly effective way to promote a business since it only reaches users who’ve visited the website. Entrepreneurs can expect fewer clicks with remarketing, but those clicks will likely drive more conversions.

Increase ad visibility and functionality with extensions

Entrepreneurs aren’t required to use extensions with their ads, but doing so is well worth the nominal time and effort it needs. Extensions increase the visibility of ads by adding new information or functionality. The call extension, for instance, allows entrepreneurs to include their business’s phone number in their ads whereas the site links extension displays clickable links to the entrepreneur’s desired web pages.

Experiment with the display network

Some entrepreneurs are reluctant to target the display network, believing that the quality of traffic is lower than that of the search network. While the display network typically yields a lower conversion rate than its search network counterpart, it’s able to reach a broader audience. According to WordStream, the display network reaches more than nine in 10 of all internet users worldwide.

There’s a reason over 1 million entrepreneurs use Google Ads to promote their business: It’s a cost-effective service that gives entrepreneurs full control over their ads. To succeed, however, entrepreneurs should follow these five tips when creating campaigns.

How to Strengthen Your Brand

Entrepreneurs with small businesses are often eager to expand their brands to help grow their consumer base and their bottom line. There are several benefits to strengthening one’s business by way of extending their brand. Having a strong brand helps you establish yourself as an expert in your industry; a consistent brand also makes a company more appealing to potential clients or consumers. However, any brand extensions require adequate research and forethought if you want to do the best job possible.

A small business doesn’t become an expansive company overnight. Building a lasting brand is a long-term process that requires a concentrated effort and the right strategies. Read on for four various brand extensions to consider when trying to expand a brand.

Expand your products

Starting a business from the ground up is incredibly challenging. This obstacle is why it’s tempting to stick with what works once a company finds success with a product. However, no business will succeed if they refuse to change and adapt to market demands and advances.

To keep one’s brand relevant for the long term, it helps to consider extending their current line of products. With a line extension, brands work to add other branded products within an already existing product line. This improvement allows the brand to keep their current customers interested while attracting new consumers with other products.

New categories of projects

Category extensions allow a brand to introduce their company to consumers in a separate category. These category extensions are more successful for brands that have an established reputation in their industry. This expansion allows the brand to branch out into an entirely different category of a product without alienating their customers while beginning to offer a more extensive array of categories within their industry.

Try a new niche

Market extensions can be a trickier endeavor for brands. However, when done successfully, market extensions attract consumers from a totally different niche. The most active market extensions introduce consumers to a brand that they may have never heard of otherwise and help that business move into a new industry.

New location

A brand that is looking to expand outside of their current locale should consider geographic extensions. While considered the most expensive method of strengthening one’s brand, the use of online marketing campaigns makes geographic expansions more effective. While introducing products to a completely different region presents a considerable risk, the opportunity of tapping into a totally different set of consumers is worth it.

There is a multitude of ways a business can strengthen their brand. With the right research and strategies, brands can apply these various extensions to their business plan to help expand into a new market and draw in a new audience.

Five Tips for Getting Great Referrals from Your Top Clients

Word-of-mouth news about a company is an essential part of any brand’s marketing strategy. Companies with stellar reputations and quality work typically find that a significant amount of their customer base comes from referrals. However, to get these referrals, brands must encourage their top clients to spread the word. It can take some time for referrals to occur organically. For this reason, brands looking to cash in on word-of-mouth marketing should use the following strategies to do so and make the most of this strategy. 

Make use of LinkedIn

Making use of LinkedIn is a great way for brands to identify potential clients and customers. LinkedIn is the perfect platform to use when researching an individual or company before getting a referral. Instead of asking satisfied clients for blind referrals, looking for leads on LinkedIn will make the entire process that much easier. You can see who your clients are connected to and know whether or not they have connections who would be a good fit for your company.

Target satisfied clients

Clients are most likely to provide referrals after they have had a positive experience with a company. Brands looking for good referrals should ensure that every client has a positive experience. By providing customers with regular updates on a service or product, these clients will be satisfied and more inclined to spread the word about their new favorite brand. Prioritize communication with clients to keep them happy.

Use a template for referrals

In order to get the most out of the entire referral process, brands should take the initiative and simplify things by providing clients with sample email templates. These templates allow the client to plug in their name and the name of the person they are referring, instead of having to handle the entire process themselves.

Promote positive feedback

To get referrals, a brand must show that they are worthy of them. Companies that promote their satisfied customers’ positive feedback will automatically encourage other clients to share good things about that brand. Moreover, these clients will be more inclined to provide the brand with referrals. 

Offer incentives

No customer has to give brand referrals. This reality is why brands like to include incentives for any clients that provide them with their contacts. With the positive reinforcement of an Amazon or Starbucks gift card, brands are likely to get better referrals than they would otherwise. 

Ready to score high-quality referrals? Put these five strategies into practice to encourage clients to share their best referrals.