In our last post, we touched on the topic of tailoring your marketing message to resonate with particular audiences. This is a challenge in itself, and even more so when your competitors’ ad is going to be right alongside it for comparison. No pressure!

With the Google Display Network and Facebook, your ads are discreetly snuggled away from your competitors’, in the same way that newspapers rarely place directly competing brands together.

By contrast, in Google Search ads, your advertising is placed directly next to your competitors’. There is a maximum of four ad slots at the top of a Google results page, and if you’re one of them (which is good) you will have up to three competitors’ ads alongside yours. And when it comes to the pure Google search results, there’s nowhere to hide – your result will be coming up right next to your competitors’. So how do you survive, and thrive, in the world’s biggest comparison engine?

Consider the context

Firstly, your copy needs to be written for the context it will appear in. For Google Search, it’s a given that it will be seen alongside others. So look at what the other players in your market are saying – see what’s being shown, and create a message that stands out, rather than blends in.

Keep it fresh

Naturally, anything you publish will automatically be seen by your competitors and your prospects. For this reason, it’s important to refresh your content regularly, and in response to what’s around you. For instance, when the opportunity arises, a reference to a relevant high-profile event is a good way to keep your content current. It’s a moving feast, so don’t worry if that’s a daunting prospect: the ARK Advance team are primed to take on this task if you need them!

Put yourself in your customers’ (various) shoes

Targeting specific audiences to see your ads will help make your message stand out. For instance, for exactly the same search term you could write one version of an ad for men, and one for women. Or one to be seen on a mobile device, versus one on a desktop – or one for someone who has already been to your website versus one for someone who has never heard of you before. The more clearly you can define each potential group, the more appealing you can make your ads; with the added bonus that these subtle nuances are harder for competitors to locate.

As we covered in our last blog, this is especially important when you’re looking at your cost per click. When you’re casting a wide net to potentially cheaper leads, you need the kind of ad that can capture the attention of someone who may only have a vague awareness of your offering. Encouraging them to imagine your service in their life – whether that’s business coaching or spa pool installations – is a good broad-brush approach that allows them to fill in the gaps with their own desires. 

By contrast, when you’re paying more per click to retarget people who, say, already came to your site and partly filled out a contact form, you can be much more direct in encouraging them to take action. They’ve already had the idea to buy – you just need to roll out the red carpet. 

Crunch the numbers

Lastly, of course, if your measurement systems are correctly set up, you will then be able to see which messages perform the best: which ads are getting customers on the phone, submitting their online forms or filling up their shopping cart. 

At ARK Advance, we consider it our mission to help you hone your story and get it where it needs to be. For expertise in all of this and more, talk to us today.