How not to run a Google AdWords campaign. Or any other.
Do you use Google AdWords? It’s an excellent sales and marketing tool for most small businesses. Why? Well, the great thing about Google’s AdWords program is that marketers can place effective ads in lots of unexpected places – not just in search results – while still offering relevance to consumers. It’s a simple program to participate in. So, how can you go wrong? Well….
HP is using AdWords to market their MediaSmart servers inside Gmail. As it happens, I’m looking for a media server for my home and their ad showed up alongside an email conversation I’m having with a friend about possible options. Here’s the ad:
Fantastic! Relevant, timely and the ad introduced me to a product I wasn’t aware existed. Everything advertising should do. It even has a strong call-to-action (“Shop now!”) and, as it states, I can “save big.” All HP has to pay for is the click. How can they lose? I was hooked and immediately clicked through. To this:
Um… whoops.
What do you think happened to HP’s bounce rate for this ad?
Obviously, the point here isn’t to suggest AdWords is a bad idea. Not at all. I’d argue quite the opposite. Placing relevant ads in front of customers with purchase intent is the holy grail of marketing. And tools like AdWords make it happen. But, execution matters.
Think I’m being too harsh? Or did HP really drop the ball on this one? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
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Wow. What poor testing! I mean, I’ve done stupid things like that before…LOL…but HP? Did someone get fired over this???
Good question, Susan. While I doubt anyone got fired over this (Mike Moran would show it as a good example of Doing it Wrong, Quickly), it demonstrates how sometimes you can do it too quickly. Or too wrong. 😉
Thanks for reading.
P.S. – You can read the thinks review of Do It Wrong Quickly here.
[…] Pick your landing page. Once you know what question you want to answer – and what terms your customers will use – figure out where those terms will land. The ads that work the best are those that have a dedicated landing page to keep a strong sense of scent. And, as we’ve seen, nothing works less well than an ad that drops you off on a completely unrelated page. […]