AdWords Gmail Sponsored Promotion (GSP) campaigns have been in beta for several months, and allows advertisers to serve ads to users within Gmail messages. Initially, small teaser ads with copy and a logo are be displayed in the right rail, on top of, or below the email message (and often appears in all three locations at once).
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AdWords Gmail Sponsored Promotion (GSP) campaigns have been in beta for several months, and allows advertisers to serve ads to users within Gmail messages. Initially, small teaser ads with copy and a logo are be displayed in the right rail, on top of, or below the email message (and often appears in all three locations at once).
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Here are the top 5 tips for advertisers planning to test the channel so their GSP campaigns get off to a good start!
1. Test all of the targeting methods
GSP campaigns allow advertisers to layer in several types of targeting including:
- Age
- Gender
- Languages
- Locations
- Interest Categories
- Keywords
- Domains
- Purchases
- Mailing Lists
- Jobs
Similar to standard search campaigns, GSP campaigns can be optimized looking at performance of each targeting attribute, and making targeting adjustments as needed. Advertisers can improve performance over time by starting with a wide array of targeting options and eliminate underperforming elements as the campaign gathers data.
2. Start with as many relevant exclusions as possible
While you should test all of the targeting options at campaign launch, you should also ensure your targeting is fine-tuned as much as possible by enabling relevant campaign exclusions. While this might limit your spend and reach at campaign launch, you can always selectively lift the exclusions over time to achieve desired volume. In particular, be sure to include a robust list of topic category exclusions for anything not relevant to your promotion or offer.
3. Include competitive domains and industry publications for domain targeting
Under the domain targeting category, be sure to include any relevant competitors or domains for industry publications your target market might subscribe to. Avoid competitors with a wide scope of products if you only compete in one area to avoid serving audience broader-than-desired audience.
4. Optimize creative with varied links, and ensure everything is clickable
With most examples I have come across, advertisers are not taking advantage of the ability to create a custom landing page-like environment, but instead taking the simple approach and using a single image for the creative. GSP creative is essentially a blank canvas, so get creative and include several callouts, different sections of content, a variety of calls to action, or even embedded forms directly in the creative.
Advertisers should also ensure that all of the components of the creative – particularly the masthead -are linked to a desired landing page in order to minimize cost per external click metrics. Include a variety of links to content related to the central promotion or offer; the more options available, the more engagement the campaign will receive. Also be sure to include any social sharing buttons for sharable content, along with links back to social properties.
5. Include an embedded YouTube video for increased engagement
Creative that includes YouTube videos will get more engagement, and video views that occur within the GSP creative will be tallied in YouTube analytics. If you have a video relevant to the other offers and calls to action in the GSP creative, be sure to include it in the creative to improve performance, and expand the reach of your video as a bonus!
The new GSP ad formats could be a valuable addition to your digital marketing mix, particularly for complex products or promotions with many components. Take advantage of the tips above to fine tune targeting, improve engagement, and improve cost efficiency.
Overdrive Interactive is an award-winning digital marketing agency that helps leading companies compete and win in the online space. Founded in 2001, the agency has developed into an integrated digital shop that delivers brand building, customer acquisition and lead generation programs utilizing search marketing, social media marketing, online media buying, analytics and world class creative services.
