Why do you never see elephants hiding in trees? Because they’re so good at it…
Some show up for the fine-tuned, whip-smart paid search tips; others show up for the embarrassingly bad dad jokes. Let me know which one you are @john_a_lee.
Our story today kicks off with some arresting insights from the Bing team for Father’s Day. Most notable: Father’s Day spending reached a record high of $15.5 billion last year. That’s almost a billion-dollar increase over 2016. Being a data-driven, scientific-minded guy, I have some questions about this. Every year, it seems, spending reaches a new high.
- Are there more fathers this year than last?
- Or do the fathers have more children buying gifts?
- Or are their children richer?
- What exactly is happening here?
- Who is spending all this money?
Pretty sure it’s not my children. (No offense, kiddos! Wouldn’t trade my one-of-a-kind art or hand-drawn cards for anything!)
How Many Apples Grow on a Tree? All of Them.
The highest spending is on special outings. You know what this means? All of the local elements of your paid search campaign are super critical. Make sure you’ve got it all together on these items:
- Local listings. This is Bing Places for Business and Google My Business. Check that all your info is updated. Respond to any reviews. Make sure your listing is as complete as possible. Father’s Day searchers are likely to use keywords that will show your local results. Make sure they’re not discouraged by a listing that’s missing critical data such as open and close times.
- Use Sitelink Extensions to promote specific outings. Any business can do this, even if you don’t offer what might be considered a traditional outing. A pizza shop can add a sitelink extension for Father’s Day Pizza Party, a shoe store can add a sitelink extension for Father’s Day Shoe Shopping. Use your imagination. Sitelink extensions boost your click traffic. Use them.
- Check out Local Inventory Ads. This is an ad format for your Bing Shopping Campaigns that allows you to showcase your products and local retail store information to nearby shoppers on bing.com. It’s currently in beta, but will be available real soon! Get familiar with how these ads work so that when it’s available, you waste no time applying this strategy to your campaigns.
How Does a Penguin Build its House? Igloos it Together
The good news is that the thing we’re spending the most money on (outings) is exactly the thing Dad wants. 87% of Dads want to enjoy an activity for Father’s Day.
It’s important to note that 15% of Dads want a night out with friends. These guys want a break. That’s fair. But how can search marketing capture this niche for Father’s Day? It comes back to the local elements again. Pubs, restaurants and sports bars need to keep their listings current, especially for holidays. Add Father’s Day keywords to your campaign to capitalize on searchers wary about holiday closures. For example, “Pubs open on Father’s Day” or “Father’s Day sports bar.”
The Rotation of Earth Really Makes My Day
You know what else makes my day? A 44% gain in CTR. Bing Ads launched In-Market Audiences in beta a few months ago, and we’re seeing that ads shown to In-Market Audiences see up to a 44% greater CTR than the same ads without In-Market Audiences.
With In-Market Audiences, you can find curated lists of users that have been found to be in-market for a certain purchase category. Consider Father’s Day shoppers who have been searching for cameras. Bing Ads creates these lists for you and they are available directly in the UI – no need to build or import your own lists.
With In-Market Audiences, you can find curated lists of users that have been found to be in-market for a certain purchase category. Consider Father’s Day shoppers who have been searching for cameras. Bing Ads creates these lists for you and they are available directly in the UI – no need to build or import your own lists. When you associate these In-Market Audience lists to ad groups, you can target and modify bids for these audiences. It’s similar to Remarketing in Paid Search lists. It’s one more way to look at your Father’s Day paid search campaign from a fresh angle.
What Do You Call a Fake Noodle? An Impasta
On this high note, I’ll sign off. Happy Father’s Day to all the father figures working in paid search!
Image Credits
Feature Image: Image purchased by author on iStockPhoto
Image 1 & 2: Image source information embedded in images.