Google AdWords Campaign Settings

In this blog post, I will attempt to argue that the campaign settings inside Google AdWords define your destiny or fate online. The 2 categories to be discussed are as follows: basic settings and budget options.

The basic settings category asks advertisers to do the little things like simply name the campaign and define its start date and end date. On the surface, the category is simply an attempt to promote products online. Beyond the basics, the category suggests or requests well defined targeted campaigns:

• Restaurant – 2 Can Dine for 1 – Steak & Lobster Dinner. Reservation Required (Dec 15 – 21)
• Garage – Free Oil Change with Every Tune Up (Tuesday And Thursday AM)
• Movie theatre – $1.00 off popcorn with coupon. (Star Wars – Return of the Yeti)

Unlike specific conversion metrics that are defined inside Ad Groups, advertisers receive real metrics from well defined targeted ads because sales changes as a function of online advertising. In other words, the advertiser has more reservations for steak and lobster dinners because they are advertised online.

The budget options category asks advertisers to recommend a daily budget. Surprisingly, this simple question may be the most important question that an advertiser examines for 2 reasons: first, the AdWords budget is spread across a variety of media that include: Google search, Google partner search, and the content network – which is another tiny universe unto itself; and this means that advertising is not just occurring inside Google but in a variety of online properties; second, compared to other media–television, radio, newspaper, magazines, and trade journals–advertisers should be prepared to pay a comparable amount to convert browsers into buyers, generate sales and build brand and reputation online.

Generally, established businesses know theses costs, and consequently, the transition from the offline to online world is smoother. Small businesses, in contrast, struggle because they attempt to accomplish a variety of assumed advertising goals – branding, sales, reputation management, customer service, and promotions – from $10 per day. The cost effectiveness of Google AdWords may be its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. The ancient parable holds true online – the big fish swallows the small fish!

The budget options category contains another valuable tool that often goes unnoticed – the delivery method. It is, in my opinion, more a question of character and corporate culture than of speed or efficacy. Businesses that find themselves using Gorilla marketing tactics to get in the face of customers and never let them never forget that you offer the lowest price in town, should adopt an accelerated delivery method. Businesses that prefer customers who have thought about the decision before investing should consider a gradual delivery method. Despite my interpretations of these concepts, the true difference is that whereas the gradual delivery method means that ads will be shown equally over time, the accelerated delivery method means that ads will be shown as quickly as possible.