Google is one of the most highly used search engines used by customers to make searches related to their needs and requirements. Online Retail is growing exponentially hence, it’s time that businesses focus on ways to make use of Google search optimization so as to increase their digital footprint and increase their brands’ online presence. Our white paper and blog on Google for Retail show how business owners can make use to Google to Grow their online presence and a road map to enable ways to use Google features like online inventory management system that helps business owners display their product offerings to customers searching for similar products via the Google search feed.
In this blog, you’ll learn how to meet your customer’s expectations at every step of their purchase cycle, from the beginning of their journeys to driving discovery, influencing purchase decisions, and ultimately, increasing your overall sales.
The 6 Things you need to growth Hack Your Retail Sales.
- Be Discoverable- If you are found on Google easily, your customers will know your brand and will interact with your webpage. It’s that straight forward and simple. You need to understand that the path towards making a purchase is no longer linear. Before making a purchase, customers go back and forth between search, video, and word of mouth reviews, contemplating the products that match their specific needs. The challenge here for marketers is how to rank #1 on Google while still stay relevant as well as provide customers with a personalized experience. Here is where Google Can make the maximum impact to your business. No one understands your customers better than Google.
Google’s algorithms track your potential customers intent and analyze their every search query and request. Due to voice search capabilities Google also tracks our voice searches and the AI understands the conversation that we have in everyday life… creepy you say. Yes, it is but it work in your favor if you are an advertiser. Nearly 75% of shoppers globally make use of Google products such as Google Search, Google Maps, YouTube, etc in order to facilitate their shopping decision and experience. Nearly 82% of internet users conduct a search online before making a purchase. With the help of Google My Business, businesses can connect with shoppers and build strong connections. Not only that, Google My Businesses also helps facilitate your overall online presence.
Get ahead of your competitors in the retail game by building a strong online presence by using the following tools.
- Merchant Center- A place that allows you to upload your shop as well as product offerings so as to make it available across Google.
- Google My Business Listings- Show more information about your business to potential customers such as open and close time, location, phone number, social media channels, etc. you can also show case every day activities in your business and give offers news updates new joiners and reviews. Reviews are most probably the most important function of your GMB profile and Google is slowly taking the leading in the reviews space overtaking all existing players as well.
- Manufacture Center- Provide shoppers with adequate information about all your associated retailers in the market.
- Build your brand- It is important for brands not only to appear in Google search results but also to provide adequate value for shoppers about to make a purchase decision. In order to stand out from the market competition, you need to start video marketing or advertising on social media to generate brand awareness, and become a local brand name. YouTube video marketing can prove to be the best tool in order to grab attention in this world of limited attention spans. As per Google research, More than 50% of consumers use YouTube to find out more about specific products or services. To know more, check our blog on top video marketing secrets for 2020. We have done a deep dive into Video Marketing and how it will affect businesses post 2020 and Corona Virus.
Once you have a considerable presence across Google, build your brand so as to drive sales. This can only happen when you are easier to locate when your customers need you the most. Hence, build your brand in such a way that it is easier for potential customers to find your products and business details at the right time when they need it the most. Apart from video, you can also harness the power of Google online advertising so as to be found when your customers search for a similar offering that matches yours. Google’s Dynamic Search Ads are the best way to target your users at the right time with the right kind of content.
Here are the Most Popular Google Tools you as a small business can advertise on to reach potential customers across Google.
- Search campaigns- Search campaigns also known as PPC advertising show text ads in the top 3 results while making a search.
- Smart shopping campaigns- Much like Facebook carousel ads, this ad campaign is focused on delivering more eye-catchy visual + text formats.
- Shopping campaigns with partners- Here businesses can grow their sales alongside a partnership with retailers.
- Google Ads- Create advertising campaigns on Google and choose the objective that works best for your brand. If your end objective is to increase visibility and be known to many, indulge in using brand awareness and reach campaign objectives.
- Measure performance metrics- Once you have run ads in order to gain visibility and reach a maximum number of potential customers, it is vital to track the performance of your advertising efforts. If you are not well versed in Google advertising it is always advisable to use the help of a professional Google Advertising agency in Dubai to get your ad campaign running.
Here are some of the most important metrics you should monitor when running Google Ads
- Impressions- Impressions are calculated as per CPM which means, how many customers saw your ad per 1000 impressions.
- Reach- In a display or a video campaign, reach is the total number of people who saw your advertisement.
- Frequency- This calculates how frequently your ads to show over a period of time.
- Brand lift- These are a type of survey forms that calculate your potentials customer’s reactions towards the ad.
In order to calculate as well as generate a details report on your ad performance, make use of the below tool
- Google Analytics- Helps gain a deeper and highly customizable understanding of your ad performance and all other metrics involved.
- Google Data Studio : When you integrate it with your Google Analytics and Google Ads you will get amazing Visual reports that are completely customizable as per your requirement.
- Acquire new customers- Whether you are a small business owner or a large MNC company, we are always on the lookout to gain more and more customers because, it’s because of your customers, your business is still existing. In order to gain more customers, here are a few strategies you can harness. Make use of TrueView for action, and attract potential customers towards your business by adding relevant call-to-action button on your video as well as text headlines. Another way to gain more customers is by discovery ads. While your potential customers are scrolling through their personalized feed as they are on the hunt search to a product or service, Discovery ads can help you drive action with up to 2.6 billion consumers within the feeds on YouTube, Discover, and Gmail. If you are an e-commerce business owner, the best type of advertising campaign you can choose from is Showcase Shopping Ads and Smart Shopping Campaigns. Shopping ads are much like carousel ads, they allow you to showcase a bunch of products at the same time. This ad format is best to acquire new customers as in most cases your potential customer when making a generic search such as ‘Table Lamps’ is deciding from where to make a purchase. If they are able to say a variety of products as per their search, he/she is more likely to click on that particular ad and eventually be influenced to make a purchase.
Here’s a little glimpse of how your ads will appear to your target potential customers on Google.
- Remarketing- Now that you have acquired new customers, your job definitely doesn’t end here. It is extremely crucial to constantly engage with your shoppers and this can be achieved through Remarketing. You may have come across this on a personal level somewhere during your purchase journey. For example, you were looking online for a ‘blue converse shoes’. A few hours later, you constantly keep getting ads shown to you about blue converse shoes, either from different brands or from a specific brand you made the search about. This is nothing but remarketing. You can also reach new in-market shoppers.
Some quick tips to maximize your remarketing efforts
- Make use of in-market audiences to show ads to people who have been searching for products and services like yours but have not interacted with your business.
- Use similar audiences to reach new customers with interests related to the users in your audience lists.
- Increase Sales- Creating a frictionless experience for your customers can potentially drive sales. Mobile applications are fantastic for such results. Since 90% of most searches are happening from mobile devices, your website or mobile application can serve as a storefront provided they are fast, easy to navigate, and should resonate with your customers. Here are a few ways how you can leverage your customers affinity for mobile as a preferred platform for making purchases.
- Maximize in-app actions- Use App Campaigns with target ROAS bidding to find new users who may complete a selected in-app event and aim for a certain return on ad spent (ROAS), getting one step closer to your revenue and profit goals.
- Meet your customer where they are – online and off- Update Google about your available products via Business Map Listings, Google Places, and Google Business Listings, both online and offline, and Google will do its magic in order to showcase your offerings in front of potential shoppers across the web.
- Shopping Ads- Upload your products to the center and create shopping ads as Shopping ads use product data, not keywords. They promote your online inventory, boost traffic to your website, and can help you find better-qualified leads.
- Local inventory ads- Promote your in-store items with this ad format as They allow shoppers to know what products you have in stock and bring your store information online.
- Meet seasonal shoppers- Customers are looking for their seasonal shopping needs on Google. So, take advantage of this opportunity and be sure to include all of these consumer moments in your marketing strategy.
- Timely promotions- Another very effective method to drive sales for your business is by providing timely promotions to your to be customers. Sales stimulate urgency and act as a catalyst to make a purchase. For this, you need to maximize promotional periods by creating awareness, capturing demand, and much more.
Click here, to view the 2020 holiday calendar and create exceptional seasonal as well as timely promotions using the calendar as a useful guide.
Top 5 Google Tools that can be very useful for Retail Marketers.
- YouTube
- Google AdWords
- Keyword Planner
- Google My Business
- Google Trends
If you are in the retail industry and want to take your business online with Google for Retail, If you need help with kick-starting your own Google Ads campaign for your website, comment below or WhatsApp me on 00971558500095 and I’ll be more than happy to assist you.
If you like the content I put out, like, and share this Blog with others who can learn and benefit from it. Until then, stay happy and stay blessed and remember, GOOGLE ONLY LOVES YOU WHEN EVERYONE ELSE LOVES YOU FIRST
About The Author : Lovetto Nazareth
Lovetto Nazareth is a digital marketing consultant and agency owner of Prism Digital. He has been in the advertising and digital marketing business for the last 2 decades and has managed thousands of campaigns and generated millions of dollars of new leads. He is an avid adventure sports enthusiast and a singer-songwriter. Follow him on social media on @Lovetto Nazareth
