Welcome to Cultivative’s weekly roundup for all things PPC from around the web—everything you need to know right now about PPC!
At Cultivative, we’re all about making your life easier. We’ve gathered the top PPC news and innovations from around the web and getting it into your hands. Check out what we found this past week.
Microsoft Advertising Updates: Responsive Search Ads, Improved Reports, & More
By Matt Southern | Jan 29, 2020

Microsoft Advertising made some important updates in January. This includes a broad rollout of responsive search ads, clearer performance reporting, and news regarding expanded text ads. Matt Southern provides a recap of what’s new with Microsoft Advertising for January 2020.
YouTube Display Ads 101: How to Target Placements & Boost Conversions
By Joe Martinez | Jan 29, 2020

The Google Display Network includes video ads on YouTube. Joe Martinez provides a guide to knowing how to use display ads on YouTube to start boosting conversions, including:
- How to target your Display Network ads on relevant video content on YouTube
- Which YouTube display ad guidelines to follow
- How to monitor your ad placements
- How to measure the value of your ads
All Google Ads Campaigns to Utilize Standard Delivery As of May 2020
By Matt Southern | Jan 29, 2020

As a reminder, Google Ads is making standard delivery the only ad delivery method for all new campaigns, including Display, Video, App, and Hotel campaigns by April 2020. All existing Display, Video, App and Hotel campaigns using accelerated delivery will be automatically switched to standard delivery starting May 2020. Advertisers can have even greater control over how their ads are delivered throughout the day by using ad scheduling.
How to Measure Success in PPC Campaigns With & Without Conversion Data
By Navah Hopkins | Jan 29, 2020

Digital marketers can use conversions as a measurement to know when they are achieving their goals. However, there are several reasons why a conversion can’t be used as a metric. For example, the web host doesn’t support conversion tracking code, the brand doesn’t have on-demand access to a technician who can install the code, or the ad network doesn’t support conversion tracking. Navah Hopkins reviews how to measure success when marketers both do and do not have conversion data to work with.
Beyond Google and Facebook advertising: 17 ad platforms you should try
By John E Lincoln | Jan 29, 2020

Expanding your use of advertising platforms beyond Google and Facebook can help your campaigns reach target audiences not on traditional platforms through text, video, and audio ads. John E. Lincoln introduces 17 alternative advertising platforms worth looking at to expand your advertising efforts.
Paid Media & Privacy: What’s Changing & What It Means for Marketers
By Arianne Donoghue | Jan 29, 2020

Arianne Donoghue predicts that 2020 is going to be the year where we see the most significant shifts in privacy and paid media. She reviews what’s covered by GDPR and the upcoming e-Privacy Regulation in Europe, and the California Consumer Privacy Act. Donoghue also comments on how this is likely to affect the marketing industry.
2020 Vision: Trends to define the next decade
By Geoff Colon & Aya Kikimova | Jan 30, 2020

The Microsoft Advertising Brand Studio researched and published a report, 2020 Vision: Trends to define the next decade, that Geoff Colon and Aya Kikimova share highlights. The new decade will see an intersection of advertising technology and people’s behavior, and these intersections impact your brand. They provide forecasts of influence and impact in the areas of Culture, Marketing, Media, Technology and Economics.
Boost Your Facebook Video Views with These 6 Tactics
By Conor Bond | Jan 30, 2020

If you’re using video ads in your marketing, you know how important it is to boost views. Conor Bond shares these tactics to get more views on your Facebook video ads:
- Study the competition
- Give users a reason to come back (i.e., provide value)
- Create content specifically for Facebook
- Make audio optional
- Experiment with a home video aesthetic
- Always be flexible
Will the Discover feed be Google’s next cash cow? What advertisers are saying about Discovery campaigns
By Ginny Marvin | Jan 30, 2020

Advertisers who have been testing new Discovery ads campaigns in the feed report that they’re impressed with the initial results. Discovery ads are personalized to show topics, stories, and news items based on a user’s search, browsing and app behaviors, as well as their location history and location settings and stated topic interests. The native Discovery ads are image-heavy and closely resemble social creatives. There is a lack of control that some advertisers are wary of as the ads run across multiple Google properties automatically. Ginny Marvin reviews who Discovery ads may be suitable for, audience targeting, creative repurposing, and measuring success.
8 Ways to Drive More Calls – & Better Call Quality – with Paid Search
By Amy Bishop | Jan 30, 2020

When a prospect calls, they are ready and waiting on the line – making the call more valuable than an online form filled out. Prospects calling may have a more urgent need than a submitted form, and salespeople are confident that they can close over the phone better than electronic communication. Ensure that you’re driving more calls while keeping a close eye on call quality with these tips:
1. Ensure Your Campaigns Have Call Extensions (& That They Are Optimized to Drive Business)
2. Use Call-Only Ads & Campaigns
3. Implement Bid Adjustments for Calls
4. Deliver Ads within Google Maps
5. Calling Prospects to Action Call
6. Optimize Your Landing Pages for Calls
7. Track on Page Calls & Import Them as Conversions
8. Monitor Call Quality
We hope you learned something new you can apply to your PPC business strategy. Let us know in the comments below what you want to start implementing. As always, we are happy to be a resource for your paid advertising needs. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.