While searching online for a local company during the week before Christmas, I was shocked to see a paid search ad running “Thanksgiving Specials.” Not only does this reflect poorly on the business, it’s also a waste of valuable ad dollars during what is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year in the automotive business.
Here are two steps that can be taken to keep digital ad copy relevant and timely during periods like this:
- Just like the milk in your refrigerator, Google Adwords campaigns have expiration dates. Expiration dates are critical to any time-sensitive Adwords campaigns. Expiration dates can line up with the calendar month or the deadlines set by manufacturer incentive offers.
- Adwords extensions can help promote seasonal or promotional offers across all campaigns. Adwords extensions are customizable add-ons that are located below the normal ad copy. This tool can be used on a tight schedule to run special copy for a “this weekend only” offer. It’s also an effective way to make sure you don’t run year-end event messaging in the middle of July!
Using stop dates for Adwords campaigns is important, but the key element to any successful digital campaign is careful management. This means constant monitoring rather than a “set it and forget it” approach. Staying on top of your digital marketing campaigns throughout each month can ensure that you don’t end up with the turkey of an ad I encountered today.
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John Paul Strong
John Paul Strong combines his two decades of automotive marketing experience with a team of more than 150 professionals as owner and CEO of Strong Automotive.
