Using Google AdWords and Analytics to Start in Social Media

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) Using a carefully constructed combination of analytics, Google Ads and Landing Pages you can determine interest level, effective campaign approaches, and viral word of mouth for a new social media initiative.

In working with a recent client we discussed launching a new social media campaign.  However there was some resistance because it was significantly different than anything they had done.  The objections resolved into three issues:

1.       How do we know that anyone is interested?

2.       We’ve never approached our customers this way before, how do we know they won’t reject us?

3.       What approach will work best in this new way to get our customers attention?

After some discussion we were able to set upon a scheme that was able to answer all three of these important questions at the same time.  We designed a Google AdWords campaign.  It addresses the concerns in the following ways:

1.       AdWords is a user driven initiative, in other words the user has to enter the search words into the Google search box.  If no one is searching on these terms then no one is interested.  If people are searching for these terms we still need to qualify them as searching for them in the sense we mean, rather than for another use of the words.  This is done with carefully worded advertisements and with negative keywords in our campaign.  We also can control the volume of people exposed to the ads by limiting our daily ad budget to approximate the number of visitors we want to bring to into the program.

2.       Using a carefully built campaign we are able to control exactly what people are searching  for, which ads they see and then most importantly what landing pages they visit.  (Note: never run a Google campaign without landing pages, you are wasting  your money IMO).

3.       On the landing pages we designed the experience carefully to test different approaches.  We used a single ad (to reduce the number of variables) combined with Google Website Optimizer to do A/B testing on different copy.  Some pages pushed users towards a Facebook Fan pages, others towards Twitter accounts, and a third offered an equal choice of either one. 

Using Google analytics we can measure the number of people sent to the various social media sites.  A challenge now is determining the conversion rate of people sent to a Twitter or Facebook page who sign up.  This is confused by the viral spread of existing members telling friends about the pages.

 If you have a tool that can determine the web source of a new friend or follower on Facebook or Twitter let me know.

Throughout the process we are careful to maintain an alignment between ads, landing pages and social media accounts.  We ensure that we are not over promising or failing to deliver on promises.  So if the ads offer coupons we ensure that the social media accounts deliver.  This is harder than it seems, because the tendency is to want to promise the things you are planning for the future, not what you are prepared to deliver today.

Unfortunately, non-disclosure agreements prevent me from revealing much detail but the testing so far is a big success.  We are getting clear answers to the three primary objections. 

Give me 1 Good Reason why don’t think this approach will work with your social media needs.