We’re proud to be helping thousands of ecommerce business owners by giving the most digestible, battle-tested advice to be found online about succeeding with Google Ads.
As you navigate the volatile landscape of AI in 2023, we understand that many of you, especially those running ecommerce businesses, are eager to harness its potential for your own success.
While a remarkable 67% of marketers are enthusiastic about the possibilities, many question how to effectively employ this latest technology.
Fortunately, Google has compiled a few tips stemming from some of the most common questions they receive from customers about using AI in Google Ads.
So, let's dive into the information that will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to embrace AI-powered marketing for your ecommerce business.
Tips on how to steer AI-Run campaigns more effectively
Even though AI has impressive capabilities, it will succeed most when combined with human expertise and strategic thinking. Right from the start, it's crucial to set the correct goals to optimize digital marketing using AI.
For example, suppose your objective is to structure your campaign to obtain customers. In that case, you can combine value-based bidding with new customer acquisition goals. This directs the AI algorithm to bid higher for new customers than for returning ones or only to show ads to new customers.
Once the correct goals are in place, you must supply the proper input signals. Google suggests supplying relevant audience signals to help the AI algorithm learn faster.
This gives the AI a head start in identifying which users are most interested in your products, enabling you to reach those users more effectively.
To steer your campaigns in the right direction, you can add a variety of high-quality assets, such as videos, images, and text, into the AI tools. Using these creatives, the AI will create a personalized ad experience that aligns fully with your brand and resonates with your target market.
How to share the most relevant data with AI
Clunky CRMs, fluctuating prices, and long sales cycles are just a few of the challenges advertisers face. It's worth investing time and effort upfront to obtain consented first-party data that works for you. Patience and experimentation are essential for fine-tuning the data you want to share with AI.
Here are a few ways to get started:
Conversion Minimums: The conversion minimums are lower than you might expect. Google's algorithms can work with as little as 15 conversions over the last 30 days. If you don't have enough conversions, optimize for other actions, such as callbacks or applications.
Modelling: If you're using features like Google Tag Manager, enhanced conversions, or consent mode, you can take advantage of AI, which can help fill in data gaps through modeling and predictive capabilities. This allows you to make better decisions despite limited information.
Offline Conversion Tracking: You can import all offline conversions to better understand which keywords and targeting criteria generate the most cost-effective conversions.
Seasonality Adjustments: If your data tends to fluctuate, you can rest assured that the AI will learn and adjust accordingly over time. However, you can also leverage the seasonality adjustment tool to fine-tune your campaigns for seasonal spikes or to run a flash sale.
Remember that the key to successful AI campaigns lies in choosing the correct data rather than gathering large volumes of irrelevant data.
How AI can help you with business strategy
AI is a fantastic piece of technology and will optimize towards any goals you set. Through constant learning and improvement, the algorithm will find new or improved ways to reach your goals. By utilizing the Insights Page in your Google Ads account, you can gain valuable data-driven insights that can aid in optimizing your current campaign and shaping your overall business strategy.
A few of the insights to focus on include:
- Performance Change History Discover what's causing fluctuations in your Google Ads campaigns.
- Find out which assets your audience resonates most with through the Asset Audience Insights.
- Auction Insights gives you an overview of how you compare to other advertisers participating in the same ad auctions as you.
- Understand which audiences drive the most conversions by studying the Audience Persona Insights.
The Insights Page provides easily understood data to help you understand and improve your campaign performance.
It can help identify sales spikes in new markets or pinpoint which audience segments have the highest conversions. You can use this information to refine target markets and tailor your offers to meet your customers' needs.
