Google have today announced the release of their guide to using Gmail ads. The Best Practice Guide covers a number of elements and we thought that we’d take a look at the key recommendations (so that you don’t have to!) – here are our main takeaways:
Audience targeting
There’s some sound advice here that is largely concentrated on: using domain, purchasing intent and keyword targeting; making use of email lists in order to re-engage customers; using similar audiences.
This is an interesting mix of themes. To a certain extent, it’s about a focus on target audiences and using tight targeting to put those ads in front of potential buyers. But the use of similar audiences is an attempt to increase you ad visibility. Will that pay dividends? It’s something that will work in some cases, but could lead to a surge in cost per acquisition if not monitored closely.
Ad copy: collapsed ads
Collapsed ads only make a small amount of text visible to the user at the outset and Google’s advice here is about encouraging clicks. They suggest using your call to action early in the ad copy, since typically only the first 40-50 characters will actually be visible to those on mobile devices.
Expanded ads
This is where Google suggest using ad templates, making your expanded ads recreate landing pages. The aim here is to get more people on to your site, increasing sign-ups and sales.
Actively optimise
Finally, they recommend that you keep a close eye on the metrics, in order to understand the health of the account. This is sound advice, applying to Gmail ads much as it appeals to other ad campaigns.
Conclusions
The advice here on best practice isn’t Earth shattering, but it will help to keep your Gmail ads campaigns on track. Tight targeting, well written copy and constant monitoring of the metrics will give you the best chance of delivering strong results.