Marketing for your small business used to be as simple as sending out a few fliers or having an ad posted in a newspaper. If you were feeling ambitious, you could spring for a television commercial. Those days are gone.
Traditional advertising has been pushed aside for digital marketing and online superpowers like Google and Facebook reign supreme. So if you want to gain exposure for your business, Google Search Ads are a great place to start. Who鈥檚 actually behind the ads you see online? Tap or click here to find out.
If you own a business or a side hustle and are looking to bring in more customers, read on for beginner tips to help you navigate the world of Google Ads. You鈥檒l have new customers in no time.
How does Google Ads work?
If you鈥檙e unfamiliar with Google Ads, your first question will likely be, how does it even work?? Thankfully, it鈥檚 not as complicated as it sounds! When you purchase a Google Search Ad, your product or service will appear before potential customers when searching for things relevant to what you offer.
RELATED: Have a Gmail account? Now you can access some of Google鈥檚 most useful tools
Think about it this way: ever notice that over time, Amazon, Facebook and other websites magically offer you things that you are interested in every time you log in?
By purchasing an ad from Google, when potential customers go online, they see your products. Isn鈥檛 that convenient? Here鈥檚 a simple breakdown of how it works:
- When purchasing your ad, select your goal, whether that be getting more visitors or more phone calls, choose from various options.
- Choose the location you are targeting. You can choose based on ZIP code for local businesses or even broader by state or country.
- Choose how you want your ad to look and feel and then choose a monthly budget.
- You are all done!
When Google users click on your ad or contact your business, you鈥檒l be charged for its ad services.
How do I find the right audience for my business?
Your business needs to target the right customers, or advertising is all for naught. Here鈥檚 what we mean by that: If you are a financial planning service for retirees, you don鈥檛 want to target new college graduates, or you鈥檒l never see results.
RELATED: 8 DIY social media marketing tips to grow your business
You can find the right audience for your business by asking yourself a few questions. You can also use a few of Google鈥檚 easy features designed for audience targeting.
First, consider what you are selling and the age range of who would buy your product or service. Referencing the example above, if you sell financial services for retirees, you鈥檒l want to target customers that are either at retirement age or currently planning for retirement.
Second, consider your location and who can benefit from your services. If you are a hair salon, you鈥檒l want to target locally. If someone lives in California, they are unlikely to visit your hair salon in Florida. So country-wide targeting would be a waste of money.
Lastly, consider the income and budget of who you want to target. Depending on the cost of your product or service, you鈥檒l want to show your ads to people who have the disposable income to afford it.
How do I find time for this?
Running a business is time-consuming. If it鈥檚 a side-hustle, you likely also have a full-time job, which doesn鈥檛 leave you much time for anything else. Google knows you鈥檙e busy and only recommends 30 minutes weekly to review your ad set up.
It makes it even simpler by allowing you to manage everything from your mobile phone so that you can keep track of your ads on the go. Set-up is a breeze as well. Using the simple steps we listed above, you can launch new ads in just a few minutes.
How much do Google Ads cost?
When you hear the words advertising, your wallet might run away in fear. Take a breath. Google Ads is for every budget. Every business can set up the budget that works for them, managed in your budget settings. There are multiple options for every background.
If you wonder how much it will cost you per click, the cost varies by industry and method. This is a rough estimate:
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Automotive- $2.46 average CPC (cost per click)
路聽聽聽聽聽聽B2B- $3.33 average CPC
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Consumer Services- $6.40 average CPC
路聽聽聽聽聽聽E-Commerce- $1.16 average CPC
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Education- $2.40 average CPC
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Employment Services- $2.04 average CPC
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Industrial Services- $2.56 average CPC
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Real Estate- $2.37 average CPC
路聽聽聽聽聽聽Technology- $3.80 average CPC
As a bonus, you are only charged when potential users interact with your ad on Google. This process is known as pay per click. How much each click costs depends on various factors. You can learn more about the cost behind each interaction and how to create a budget that works for you here.
RELATED: 5 leadership secrets every small business owner should know
You might be nervous if you鈥檝e never worked with Google Ads before. However, the process is relatively simple and manageable with these easy steps. If you want to gain more customers or become noticed more in your area, Google Ads is an excellent place to begin.