{"id":22837,"date":"2023-10-11T14:43:12","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T09:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.karooya.com\/blog\/?p=22837"},"modified":"2023-10-11T14:43:13","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T09:13:13","slug":"ppcchat-capturing-attention-in-a-crowded-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.karooya.com\/blog\/ppcchat-capturing-attention-in-a-crowded-world\/","title":{"rendered":"PPCChat | Capturing Attention In A Crowded World | 10th September 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here is the screencap of this week’s PPCChat session <\/strong>which was hosted by Julie F Bacchini<\/a>. The theme of the discussion was \u201cCapturing Attention In A Crowded World\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Q1: How competitive is advertising for the brands\/industries you are currently working with for PPC advertising? And what industries are you working in?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Very! I have two retailers – one a toy company – vacations, and a restaurant client in the mix this year. Amazon is always in our auctions driving up price, but so is Best Buy, Toys R Us (Canada) and McDonald’s. It’s not quite the same with public sector, but there are definitely lots of variables in the auction. @JuliaVyse<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Competitiveness definitely varies. I am strictly lead gen. One consistency across accounts though in the past year has been an increase in cost for similar results.(Is Google shaking the cushions for lead gen search ads?????) @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@JuliaVyse<\/a> Are you seeing anything with it being Amazon Prime Days yet? @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tweeted yesterday that Walmart started their own Prime Day-type promotion\/sales yesterday. And advertised it during the Sunday night NFL game here in the US. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They’re definitely promoting prime big deal days today and tomorrow but with a slightly different flavour for Thanksgiving. It’s very shop now so you can get things out of the way – we’re prompt up here – rather than deals deals deals. at least that’s what I’ve seen. @JuliaVyse<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m working with a nonprofit now – and gearing up for my first big Giving Tuesday. Wondering how this will compare to my BFCM experiences. But certain areas of fundraising is definitely very competitive for those limited donor dollars. @Galliguez<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love the idea of Giving Tuesday, but I often wonder if it gets worse results being right after big expenditure weekend? Especially in a year like this one when finances are tighter? Do you push year-end gift planning as part of your GT campaigns? @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@Galliguez<\/a> I’ve worked with non-profits for several years, and the CPCs on fundraising\/donor terms are crazy. Hard to compete with deep-pocketed entities like the Red Cross or big colleges with big endowments. @robert_brady<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I work in higher education and PPC is very competitive. Universities all offer many of the same majors, with the same terminology, and because of govt policies the public schools have to follow many of the same policies. And we also don\u2019t have the budgets of the for-profit schools. It\u2019s a very interesting niche to be in. @BethBackesBrand<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have done some work for for-profit adult ed and it is challenging too! Rising above the snake oil options\u2026@NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@BethBackesBrand<\/a> Yes, yes, yes. Higher ed is so competitive. @robert_brady<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I work within the telecom, home services, law, etc verticals and we’re experiencing tight competition across all. We’re noticing competitors lean into new channel types that they hadn’t prior and presenting a stronger focus on hyper-localization in their approach. @HeatherCox<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q2. What are some ways you try to make your ads stand out or grab attention? How\/does this vary by either industry and\/or platform?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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I try to ensure UVP is front and centre first and offer messages have their own budget. For example, my toy client focuses on non-networked, safe-for-kids digital toys. So we put those features forward in images and headlines where possible. Any kind of price or limited-time offer goes in a separate ad group\/set. @JuliaVyse<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am so big on fully knowing the competitive landscape! As in, I want to know what a searcher is likely to see when my client\u2019s ad also appears. And also what the post-ad click experience is like! That way I can work on making my clients\u2019 ads stand out. Address things that competitors are not, highlight areas where my client is better\/shines, etc. If you have this knowledge, you can do better in making your ads resonate! To see what is happening on the social side, you can always view ads libraries, which are awesome. And also, visit competitors so you can see their remarketing in the wild, so to speak! @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is so much homogeneousness in ads. Like people view competitors ads and just copy them! Yikes.I see this so much on Facebook. As we all have after you click on an ad, you are IMMEDIATELY shown competitive ads. And so many are derivative of each other! Make yours unique and authentic to your brand\u2019s voice and vibe. That alone goes a long way toward standing out, at least for me. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some messages are just more innately viral in nature. Most messages are just okay – while others are great and commented\/shared so much more. Finding that message that just hits lowers cost immensely. @Galliguez<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hopefully, anyone working with influencers\/creators has them locked down for the whole year. nothing worse than seeing them working with a competitor at this time of year. @JuliaVyse<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@JuliaVyse<\/a> nailed it. Answer the question “Why would a prospect choose my company over competitors?” in your ad copy right away. @robert_brady<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think brands can also assume people know a lot more about them\/their product or service than people actually do. And with that, they fail to make the basic \u201chere is what this solves for you!\u201d connection. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Competitor research is HUGE for us in higher ed. How can we re-write the boring old \u201ccollege talk\u201d? Everyone wants to be known as the \u201cmost affordable\u201d university in their area. So we talk to our students and swap out the \u201caffordable\u201d term and use more creative copy in our ads. Save \u201caffordable\u201d for SEO. Our social media and photo team is also on the ground getting live content of campus and students every day. Some of our competitors are all using the same stock images. @BethBackesBrand<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Custom images are huge @BethBackesBrand<\/a> and you\u2019re right that so many just don\u2019t do it! @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like to go through the experience of the competitor’s website as a customer from beginning to end and then sell how my client fills in those gaps. This also provides areas of opportunity for us to test or grow into. We’ve found that selling the convenience of something (the how vs the what) has provided an increase in engagement and lead gen. @HeatherCox<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q3: Are some platforms more difficult than others for you to make headway on (are noisier or more crowded)? If so, which one(s) and why do you think that is?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019m mostly on Google Ads for my current clients, so I will comment on what I see there. Yes, it is generally more crowded. And with Google pushing all the AI and automation, you have to work harder to make your ads sound better than your competition. Especially with RSAs (responsive search ads) being the only ad options. Google is assembling the ads searchers see on the fly, so you have less control over standing out. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a consumer, I am floored by how many advertisers for the exact same or very similar products there are on Facebook! The flood of ads that show up in your feed after you click on anything there is truly wild. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After \u201cShaking the Cushions\u201d I\u2019ve actively diverted some budget away from G to other platforms. It\u2019s just in our best interest to diversify. So there is a curve to mastering platforms outside the G\/M duopoly\u2026 but worth it. @Galliguez<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicely done @Galliguez<\/a> Where did you move that money to? @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you\u2019re right about it taking adjustments in expectations when you move off of Big G or even just turn down spend! @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving more than previously budgeted to MS and programmatic buys through StackAdapt. I heard a programmatic person from Effective \/ Comcast on a podcast recently. Thinking about exploring those spots\u2026 and MNTN. @Galliguez<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q4: Have you seen any ads lately that really caught your attention? What were they advertising and on what platform? And what, specifically, caught your eye?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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I feel like the ads that best get my attention are ones on Facebook that just get it right as far as something they think I will be interested in that I am actually interested in. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a marketer, honestly, the ones that have caught my eye the most are the awful ones. There are many on social platforms that are just a picture of a person. Maybe the entrepreneur’s headshot? It tells me absolutely nothing and I get frustrated that people are wasting their money on this. @BethBackesBrand<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ones that stand out in a good way often use out-of-the-norm copy that make you stop and think. @BethBackesBrand<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also wish that ad platforms offered more control about frequency of ads. I\u2019m not sure how everyone feels about it, but I get annoyed at seeing ads that don\u2019t land for me again, and again and again. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@NeptuneMoon<\/a> Yes! I secretly applaud the small business Facebook ads that perfectly targeted me. @BethBackesBrand<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right, @BethBackesBrand<\/a>? Sometimes it just nails it. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@NeptuneMoon<\/a> Agree. I\u2019m very annoyed that the 1st thing on my IG feed is now an ad. @BethBackesBrand<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like, why yes, I am a middle-aged well-to-do lady with an elementary-aged child and your product is genius. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, if I see one more ad for snake oil menopause remedies I might start flipping tables. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes – I now go to my local gym\u2026 because the 2 kids behind their FB ads had my midlife crisis captured perfectly. @Galliguez<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q5: Is there something you really want to try in any of your accounts that your clients or stakeholders just won\u2019t let you run with?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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I get frustrated when they won\u2019t let me test headlines and descriptions that are designed specifically to combat what competitors are doing\/promising etc. I get not wanting to feel like you\u2019re following what competitors are doing – or chasing it. But to pretend that searchers in particular are not looking at multiple options is being willfully blind\/stubborn. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a great question, and I agree. Mostly just them overriding the creative. @BethBackesBrand<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PPCChat Participants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n