Commentary

Search Marketers Don't Forget The Data In Product Listing Ads

Holiday shoppers purchase from a retailer they don't typically shop from, giving brand marketers an interesting opportunity to reach new customers. On the other hand, it could become a bit more difficult because those potentially new customers are gift givers who are not often in the market for things you sell.

Missing words in ad campaigns could turn potentially good ads bad. More complete data produces precise ad targeting. That goes for product listing ads (PLA) too. Google suggests taking a closer look at data feeds to be sure marketers include all the key information that could possibly draw the attention of a potential customer.

Promotional text like free shipping, price discounts, coupons, and purchase incentives in your PLA campaign can help close the deal with consumers who are trying to make up their minds, per Google. One in five say free shipping will become the deciding factor on purchases this year. It's a consideration for me all year long.

Google provides some examples of filling in the gaps of data feed to produce better PLAs. For example, a title that reads "Short Sleeve Solid Dress" should read "NY Collection Short Sleeve Solid Green Dress." Or a description that reads "Short sleeve solid dress" should read "The NY Collection short sleeve knee length dress." The Google Product Category should read "Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Dresses > Cocktail Dresses" rather than "Clothing > Sales."

Keeping data feed content up to date should also be a priority. Google suggests updating data up to four times daily. Frankly, if that's the case, someone should develop an automated system to update data, because how could a search marketer update data four times daily updating information and find time for anything else?

Erica Sievert, product marketing manager at Google Shopping, also explains in a post that marketers "should create product targets and bid more aggressively on products with good performance and high demand during the holiday season, such as seasonal items, best sellers, or products with high margins."

Next story loading loading..