If Google Ads is your go-to tool in generating leads and driving more sales, you’ve most likely noticed a steady increase in competition for many words.
No one can deny the fact that running traditional ad campaigns has become more expensive than ever.
However, many marketers have yet to find crashing strategies and tactics to help SaaS startups make the most out of Google Ads with fewer costs.
Here’s what you need to know in order to run effective ad campaigns.
Use video ads on the GDN (google display network)
Google Ads helps you display ads in YouTube search results. The service also gives you the opportunity to show them before, during, and after videos and the GDN.
What makes Google Ads for video better than traditional Ad campaigns is the demographic targeting feature.
The procedure is fairly basic. Just fill in the age, gender, and interests of your target audience and Voila! You can now manage who sees your SaaS software adverts. Enters Google TrueView.
The naming behind TrueView is justified by the fact that Google charges marketers only when a user views the video. TrueView is so appealing because of the feedback reported to marketers.
The feature answers 3 crucial basic yet essential questions:
- Who are the viewers?
- What is their location?
- Have they seen the video?
An advert may show up in multiple formats which helps you test the most suitable one for your SaaS software.
Use Gmail Ads to target your competitors’ customers
Gmail ads are interactive paid adverts that show up on prospects’ Gmail accounts.
On average, people spend 4 hours a day checking their emails. With Gmail being the most popular and free email service, investing in Gmail ads may have a huge ROI for your SaaS startup.
Remember, Gmail Ads are PPC ads, which means you’ll only pay for the ad if your target audience clicked on it.
So, if you use Gmail ads to target your competitors’ clients, you’ll not only target an audience who has shown a keen interest in your product, but also pay for the ad at a low cost. Google Ads will also allow you to retarget site visitors who didn’t convert.
Target Account Lists the right way
One of the most effective strategies that show promise is Account-Based Marketing (ABM), provided you target the right accounts.
91% of the teams that use an ABM strategy close more deals from their target accounts than non-target accounts, SiriusDecisions states. So, it’s important to get your accounts lists right!
To do that, segmentation is key.
A list tailored towards specific accounts allows you to spot the hottest accounts, create the right messaging, and then personalize your ad campaigns.
For a dynamic segmentation with Account-based Marketing, 3 ways are available to you:
- Use one-to-many to target a group of accounts sharing similar firmographics
- One-to-few has more of a personalized messaging approach. You can achieve that level of messaging by leveraging engagement data.
- One-to-one approach should target high-value accounts. So, I suggest you spend more resources here, because the potential revenue is greater.
Simplify your reporting with smart naming conventions
Although this doesn’t directly affect ad performance, smart naming influences your overall campaign performance.
Smart naming conventions allow you to figure out your goals for each campaign or Ad group, which should help you carve out valuable hours and reallocate them towards data analysis.
What does a sound campaign naming convention look like?
Nothing is written on stone. As long as your model makes sense to you and outlines your main campaign details, you should be fine.
A good naming convention should have the following key points:
- Funnel stage
- Search or Display Network
- Targeted location
- Campaign name
- Match Type
Campaign naming conventions must save you time by recognizing what the campaign goal is and what expected keywords fall under each campaign.
Choose the right metrics by using Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) to calculate your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
Your company’s sales model ought to specify the metrics to track Google Ads campaigns.
SaaS products for Small- and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) endorse a self-service sales model. This latter directs clients to sign up for a product. Then they try it out for a limited time. The user will eventually make one of 2 decisions: Purchase the product or go in a different direction.
Up to this stage, the user hasn’t talked to a single staff member.
Remember to choose the right metrics for better payoffs. When launching PPC campaigns, ROAS metrics take precedence. How can you achieve that?
You need to measure Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), which is the recurring revenue from subscription services; and then compare it to Customer Acquisition Costs for each campaign.
The results will help track the best performing campaigns so you could prioritize them for better ROAS.
Target competitive keywords to win over new customers
To tap into competitions’ traffic and leads, marketers resort to one of the most effective shortcuts. They sometimes go after their competitors’ keywords and bid on them.
By bidding on their terms and proving why your SaaS company is the right choice, you can drive potential traffic to your site. This will skyrocket campaign impressions and build stronger brand awareness.
However, if done wrong, it could cause serious business-ending consequences. So, keep it clean and follow the rules.
Google can help your SaaS business streamline your message
Goals are the backbone of every marketing campaign your SaaS company conducts.
Google does an amazing job at streamlining your message by prompting the use of specific features that match your campaign goals.
You can make use of 4 campaign types to generate leads:
- Search
- Display
- Shopping
- Video
Understanding these features and trying to see which would better suit your ad campaign is of prime significance.
Conclusion
The human brain is wired to engage with their surroundings emotionally.
The sooner you start using the full potential of Google ads in your marketing efforts, the more profitable your SaaS business will become.
