We love a good ad extension. And the newest from Google AdWords is a particularly great option for mobile ppc advertising – another thing we love. Say hello – or text hello as the case may be – to AdWords Message Extensions.
According to Google Consumer Surveys, US, Canada, UK, Australia October 2016, nearly two thirds of smartphone owners use mobile messaging more than five times a day to communicate with others. And 65% of consumers say they’d consider using messaging to connect with a business to get information about a product or service, or to schedule an in-person appointment. Which makes mobile messaging ad extensions a no-brainer really.
In the coming weeks, Google AdWords will be introducing “click-to-message ads to bring the efficiency and effectiveness of messaging to search ads. By setting up a message extension, you’ll give users an easy way to text you to start a conversation and continue it whenever is most convenient for them.”
How do message extensions work?
The extension gives people who see your ad a ‘text’ option to contact you directly. Simple. So simple. It’s texting, people. Even your grandma knows how to do it. Bonus: Advertisers can even pre-populate the text message to make starting that conversion easier for mobile users in a hurry or folks who can’t be bothered to use words over emojis. You know. Because people like that do exist. For full details about message extensions, head on over to Google AdWords Support.
How do you set message extensions up?
From the ad extensions tab, advertisers can create message extensions at either the ad group or the campaign level. As with other extensions, just follow the prompts. Need more detail? Well, we could take you through it step by step, and the awesome folk at WordStream have some great tips too.
How do you make message extensions really work for you?
Follow Google’s Best Practices advice or give us a call, and, as with any form of advertising: be clear, be relevant, be honest with your message!
Message extensions are currently only available to a handful of clients, we’ve seen it in a few of our clients Google AdWords Accounts, but otherwise keep calm and carry on – Google has promised they’ll be rolled out to all advertisers in the next few weeks.
Happy Ad(Words)vertising folks.