Google Announces New Features to Get You More Leads

Google held their highly anticipated AdWords Livestream this morning, announcing the new innovations and features they will be rolling out with to help you use their products better as a marketer and become more efficient at the digital advertising game.

Strathcom was there for all the action, and here are 4 key takeaways of Google’s announcements:

1. It’s Not About Devices

We keep hearing about the importance of mobile—but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Consumers are constantly connected, and the average person today owns four digital devices and spends 60 hours each week consuming content across platforms.* In this multi-device world, the way people use desktops, laptops, notebooks, tablets, and smartphones is being blurred. This means that people don’t think about which device they’re using—they just expect the right content to appear seamlessly wherever they are ready to engage.

People are Living their entire lives online.  ~Jerry Dischler, Vice President of Product Management, AdWords

2. App, App Baby!

Half of today’s roll-outs were related to applications (apps) and promoting engagement. AdWords advertisers will be able to reach prospective customers based on the type of apps they have on their mobile devices, how frequently they use these apps, their in-app purchases, and their app download history. (So, if you are big car guy, and you have some automotive-related apps, you might see an ad for an app that helps you find local gas prices.)

Google has also unveiled App Promotion Ads, so you can target users while they are browsing YouTube on their cellphones.

3. Welcome to the Big Show

Larger AdWords agencies have always had an edge because of their big budgets. This has allowed some agencies, like Marin and Acquisio, to have thousands of accounts and use third-party bid management platforms. Google announced that now all businesses running numerous campaigns (whether a few dozen or several thousand) will be able to take advantage of enterprise-class tools like bulk actions (location targeting, ad rotation, etc.), automated bidding, and advanced reporting.

4. Estimated Total Conversions

This was originally announced last year, but basically it is a way of gauging the efficiency of your digital advertising using phone calls, app downloads, web conversions, and eventually in-dealership visits. It has been reported that Google was experimenting with using smartphone location data to track offline store visits and tie them back to ad exposures on mobile devices, a huge opportunity for car dealers when this is finally rolled out of the testing phase. More updates are sure to come soon.

What Does it Mean for You?

Strathcom Media stays ahead of the curve on the latest industry trends and updates, so you can relax and watch the leads roll in. Today’s additions will be able to save time, money, and increase overall conversions for your account by allowing our PPC Specialists to spend more time pulling greater insights from the data and optimizing your campaigns.

Not currently using AdWords? Get $300 FREE from Strathcom by emailing sales@strathcom.com.

*Nielsen, February 2014.